Spawning Lahontan Cutthroat Trout at Lake Heenan

Each spring, staff from CDFW’s American River Hatchery head up to the Heenan Lake Wildlife Area in Alpine County to spawn Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT). Lahontan Cutthroat Trout were listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1975, and since that time CDFW has undertaken extensive conservation efforts.

Heenan Lake is the state's broodstock water for the Independence strain of LCT. Each year hatchery staff collect 800,000 to 1.5 million LCT eggs which are distributed to Black Rock and Hot Creek hatcheries in the Eastern Sierras, as well as the American River Hatchery in Rancho Cordova. At each hatchery, the eggs are incubated, hatched and reared to fingerling or larger-size fish. Once up to size, juvenile LCT are stocked in 25 waters in their native range on the eastern slopes of the Sierras.

In addition to the juvenile fish, more than 1,100 Heenan Lake broodstock weighing 3-7 pounds are planted into several waters near Heenan Lake, giving anglers a chance to catch a trophy fish.

For more information about LCT, please visit
www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conserv…/Fishes/Lahontan-Cutthroat-Trout.

For more information about Heenan Lake Wildlife Area, please visit
www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Heenan-Lake-WA.

Thank you Howard, this is goodstuff!!!

Because it is a brooding lake, fishing there is catch'n'release.  Some anglers discover this When receiving citations.