Hatchery Supported Trout Waters Open April 3

RALEIGH, NC (March 25, 2021) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 900 miles of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters at 7 a.m. on April 3. The season will run through Feb. 28, 2022.

To give trout anglers opportunities to plan fishing trips in advance, the Wildlife Commission has posted the full Hatchery Supported Trout Waters stocking schedule on its website that provides information on what days each water is being stocked. Anglers can search by county and by month.

Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, which are marked by green-and-white signs, have been closed since Feb. 28 so that Commission staff can stock the waters with trout. Staff will continue to stock certain streams through August. Staff will stock many of these waters monthly, although they will stock some heavily fished waters more frequently. Over the six months, staff will stock nearly 787,000 trout — 96 percent of which will average 10 inches in length, with the other 4 percent exceeding 14 inches in length.

Hatchery Supported Trout Waters are open to public fishing; however, many of those miles are privately owned so the Commission urges anglers to respect the property they are fishing on and remember that landowners can take away access if they feel their property is being misused.

Anglers can help prevent the loss of public access to fishing by:

• Respecting private property and landowners at all times.
• Removing all trash and litter from fishing and parking areas.
• Parking only in designated areas and leaving driveways open for traffic.
• Closing and/or locking gates after use.
• Reporting wildlife violations by calling 1-800-662-7137.

For a complete list of all Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, as well as trout maps, the complete stocking schedule, and daily stocking updates on Hatchery-Supported Trout Waters, visit the Commission’s trout fishing page.

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