Kokanee Salmon bring fall deep reds to Northern Utah streams

HEBER CITY — Fall colors are showing up in both the trees and some streams around northern Utah, as kokanee salmon turn bright red and begin to spawn. Next to the Strawberry Reservoir visitor's center, the deep colors are especially easy to spot inside spawning traps, run by Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources.

The Jensen family came from Salt Lake City to see the deep reds, making a stop on their way home after a weekend camping trip Monday.

"Oh, it's a blast," Scott Jensen said, alongside his wife, Alyssa, daughter Paisley, and son Declan. "I think it's a fun place for the kiddos to come see something different that you know they don't get to see anywhere else."

For Alyssa and the kids, it was the first time seeing the kokanee turn.

"I've lived in Utah my whole life and didn't even know that this was a thing," Alyssa Jensen said.

While the salmon have always been popular, the attraction seems to be drawing more people each year. Trina Hedrick, a cold water sportfish coordinator for the DWR, says it's important that people look from a safe distance for the fish.

"It's probably best to just stay out of the creeks at this time. If there are kokanee running, it's not a nice thing to go smush in their reds," she said of the eggs.

Hedrick says the kokanee spawning season may remain in its peak through the next couple of weeks, and at least some of the fish could be spotted in streams up until Nov.1 in some lower elevations.

"I'd say just enjoy," Hedrick said. "They're beautiful fish. Some of their red color is literally just as as bright red as the leaves this year."

A full list of DWR recommended viewing locations for the kokanee salmon can be found here.

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