NC Wildlife to stock over 600,000 trout in 1,000 miles of hatchery supported waters

Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read

Break out your tackle boxes — 600,000 trout are coming to 1,000 miles of North Carolina waters this spring courtesy of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s yearly contributions.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open roughly 1,000 miles of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters at 7 a.m. April 6. The season will run until Feb. 28.

The N.C. Wildlife Commission will stock over 600,000 trout in Hatchery Supported Trout Waters for the fishing season.
The N.C. Wildlife Commission will stock over 600,000 trout in Hatchery Supported Trout Waters for the fishing season.

Staff at the NCWRC stock over 600,000 trout in Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, which are marked by green and white signs. The fish are stocked mainly during April-June, with a few streams selectively stocked in July.

Wildlife Commission spokesperson Anna Gurney told the Citizen Times that the commission stocks 40% brook trout, 20% brown trout and 40% rainbow trout. All fish will measure 10 inches or more in length.

The NCWRC provided the following schedule for trout stocking in Buncombe County locations:

  • Bent Creek: April 30, May 24, June 20.

  • Cane Creek: April 15, May 20, June 4.

  • Ivy River: April 22, May 23, June 24.

  • Lake Powhatan: April 30, May 24.

  • Reems Creek: April 22, May 23, June 24.

  • Swannanoa River: April 18, May 20, June 26.

A complete list of all Hatchery Supported Trout Waters plus trout maps, a full stocking schedule and daily stocking updates can be found on the NCWRC’s trout fishing page. A separate page detailing fishing rules and regulations is also available.

A news release from the Wildlife Commission reminded the public that, though hatchery supported waters are open for public fishing, many miles of associated riverbanks are privately owned. The commission urged anglers to respect these properties, adding that landowners maintain the right to revoke the use of their property if they feel it is being misused.

The release offered the following list of suggestions on conduct to help to prevent the loss of public access to fishing:

  • Respect private property and landowners at all times.

  • Remove all trash and litter from fishing and parking areas.

  • Park only in designated areas and leave driveways open for traffic.

  • Close and/or lock gates after use.

  • Report wildlife violations by calling 800-662-7137.

A member of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission releases trout into a North Carolina stream.
A member of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission releases trout into a North Carolina stream.

The NCWRC news release also reminded the public that the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery, which produces over 75% of the commission’s trout stocking program, is scheduled to undergo major renovations in 2025 that will cause reductions in trout stocking during the 2025, 2026 and potentially 2027 trout seasons.

NCWRC Fish Production Supervisor David Deaton spoke to the Citizen Times about these renovations to the Transylvania County hatchery.

“That facility was built in the '50s, and so the infrastructure is obviously outdated at this point in time,” Deaton said. “It’s actually crumbling.”

Deaton also said that the need for these renovations, which will likely begin in December or January, became more obvious when the hatchery was damaged by Tropical Storm Fred in 2021, which flooded the Davidson River and caused the hatchery to lose around 67% of its trout.

"We had already talked about doing the renovations before the flood, but that did show us that we needed to get something done now or we would actually run the risk of having a pipe break or something like that and losing production for several years,” Deaton said.

One silver lining of the 2021 flood damage, according to Deaton, was the realization that they needed reinforced flood protection measures, which will be a feature of the updated facility.

Trout bred by Bobby N. Setzer and other state hatcheries provide not only relaxing recreation and tasty trout for anglers, but also a significant amount of revenue for the state. Results of a 2023 survey from the NCWRC stated that the total 2022 economic impact of the 321,872 N.C. residents and 48,096 out-of-state anglers was $1.38 billion.

Other highlights from the survey include:

  • Anglers spent a collective 4.6 million days fishing for trout.

  • On average, North Carolina trout anglers spent $240 per trout fishing trip, which totaled $587.6 million on trip-related expenditures in North Carolina.

  • Most survey respondents reported that their participation in trout fishing has not changed over time.

  • In addition to places where fish would be caught, respondents indicated that locations on public land and secluded locations were important when deciding where to go fish.

  • Anglers reported fishing the most in Ashe, Watauga, Avery, Jackson and Haywood counties.

  • Hatchery Supported Trout Waters (58%) and Delayed Harvest Trout Waters (26%) were the waters fished most.

  • As found in previous surveys, trout anglers were satisfied with Public Mountain Trout Waters, with 76% of respondents being somewhat or extremely satisfied with their trout fishing experience.

More: Mountain trout fishing reeled in $1.38 billion for NC in 2022; Wildlife Commission report

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Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC Hatchery Supported Trout Waters: 600,000 fish over 1,000 miles