Colorado’s Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout

Haypress Lake is the primary collection site for Rio Grande cutthroat eggs in Colorado and the offspring are restocked throughout the Rio Grande Basin.
Rio Grande cutthroat
A Rio Grande cutthroat. Video capture by Jerry Neal (CPW).

Nestled in the rugged mountains of southwest Colorado lies a remote, privately-owned ranch that shelters the pristine waters of Haypress Lake. Each June, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s fishery biologists and hatchery personnel set up a spawn-take operation at Haypress to collect roe and milt from Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Haypress Lake is the primary collection site in Colorado and the offspring of the Haypress fish are then restocked into nearly 80 lakes and streams throughout the Rio Grande Basin.

Video: PANNING FOR GOLD

This short video provides an intimate look at this unique, annual event. Special thanks to John Alves, Ben Felt, Doug Sebring, Kirt Achenbach, Landes Randall, Kevin Terry and Ruthie Brown for their contributions to the Haypress spawn-take and cutthroat trout conservation efforts.

Learn more about Colorado’s cutthroat trout:

8 Responses

  1. I wish you folks would keep stocking cutts and quit putting rainbows everywhere. But it’s good to see that your hard at work on keeping the Rios going.

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