Fifty years ago, Hat Creek, Fall River, the Eel River, and 14 other rivers and creeks were the first to be designationed as Wild Trout Waters. The designations were part of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) new Heritage and Wild Trout Program, established – at the urging of California Trout – to protect and enhance California’s wild trout fisheries while maintaining public opportunity for wild trout fishing. Today, CalTrout joins CDFW in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wild Trout Waters designation and the far-reaching impacts it’s had over the years.
“This anniversary is a huge milestone,” said Curtis Knight, California Trout Executive Director. “CalTrout has been proud to promote and partner with CDFW on the Heritage and Wild Trout Program since its inception. We believe this program was progressive and cutting-edge when it was established in the 1970s. Today it has evolved and continues to be one of the most effective fish water policies in the country.”
Click here to hear more from CDFW on this incredible 50-year milestone. And explore our Moments That Write History to learn more about CalTrout’s involvement in codifying California’s Heritage and Wild Trout Program.
Cover Photo: Hat Creek. Credit: Dan Rhodes.
