Wildlife Commission Opens Delayed-Harvest Waters on October 1

In the coming months, Wildlife Commission personnel will stock 90,000 brook trout, 44,000 brown trout and 90,000 rainbow trout similar to the brook trout above in 18 designated trout waters in western North Carolina.

Carl Kittel

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RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 28, 2004) – On Oct. 1, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will implement annual delayed-harvest regulations for 18 designated trout waters in 14 counties located in western North Carolina. Under delayed-harvest regulations, no fish may be harvested or possessed from these waters between Oct. 1, 2004 and ½ hour after sunset on June 3, 2005. No natural bait is allowed. Anglers can fish only with single-hook, artificial lures.

Delayed-harvest waters, posted with black-and-white signs, create high-quality fishing opportunities where anglers can fish densely stocked trout streams on a catch-and-release basis fall through spring.

Despite the damage caused by Hurricanes Frances and Ivan at the Wildlife Commission’s state hatcheries, Commission personnel plan to stock delayed-harvest waters with 224,000 catchable-sized trout — 90,000 brook trout, 44,000 brown trout and 90,000 rainbow trout. Stockings will take place during the first week of October, November, March, April and May.

“While several of the Commission’s hatcheries suffered damage from the recent storms, there was limited loss of fish and, subsequently, a minimum impact on planned stockings,” said Carl Kittel, coldwater production coordinator with the Wildlife Commission. “At this time, we expect to conduct all the planned stockings for the upcoming fall delayed-harvest season and for the 2005 stocking season with limited reduction of numbers stocked, as necessary.”

Wildlife Commission hatchery personnel have not been informed of any road closures that could affect stocking of delayed-harvest waters.

At 6 a.m., on June 4, 2005, delayed-harvest waters open to fishing under hatchery-supported regulations, which means no bait restrictions, no minimum length limit and a seven-trout-per-day creel limit. Hatchery-supported regulations remain in force until Oct. 1 each year.

The delayed-harvest program began in 1992 with spring stockings of 18,000 catchable-size trout in four streams. Due to strong public interest and support, the program expanded in 1996 to incorporate both spring and fall fishing.

The Little River, from the confluence of Lake Dense outflow to Hooker Falls, in Transylvania County, is the most recent addition to the delayed-harvest program.

A list of all delayed-harvest waters is below:

Ashe County

  • Trout Lake
  • Helton Creek (Virginia state line to New River)

Burke County

  • Jacob Fork (Shinny Creek to lower South Mountains State Park boundary)

Haywood County

  • West Fork Pigeon River (Queen Creek to the first game land boundary upstream of Lake Logan)

Henderson County

  • North Fork Mills River (game land portion below the Hendersonville watershed dam)
    Jackson County
  • Tuckasegee River (N.C. 107 bridge at Love Field to the Dillsboro dam)

Macon County

  • Nantahala River (Whiteoak Creek to Nantahala Power & Light powerhouse discharge canal)

Madison County

  • Big Laurel Creek (N.C. 208 bridge to the U.S. 25-70 bridge)
  • Shelton Laurel Creek (N.C. 208 bridge at Belva to the confluence with Big Laurel Creek)

McDowell County

  • Curtis Creek (game land portion downstream of the U.S. Forest Service boundary at Deep Branch)

Mitchell County

  • Cane Creek (N.C. 226 bridge to N.C. 80 bridge)

Polk County

  • Green River (Fishtop Falls access area to the confluence with Cove Creek)

Surry County

  • Mitchell River (0.6 mile upstream of the end of S.R. 1333 to the S.R. 1330 bridge below Kapps Mill Dam)

Buy a fishing license today!Transylvania County

  • East Fork French Broad River (Glady Fork to French Broad River)
  • Little River (confluence of Lake Dense outflow to Hooker Falls)

Watauga County

  • Watauga River (S.R. 1557 bridge to N.C. 105 bridge and S.R. 1114 bridge to N.C. 194 bridge to Valle Crucis)

Wilkes County

  • East Prong Roaring River (mouth of Bullhead Creek downstream to Stone Mountain State Park boundary line)
  • Stone Mountain Creek (from falls at Alleghany County line to confluence with East Prong Roaring River and Bullhead Creek)

Visit the Fishing section for more information on delayed-harvest regulations, weekly stocking updates or a set of trout maps designating fishing regulations in effect on specific streams.

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