Smoky Mountain News

Fishermen took to the creeks and rivers last weekend with the opening of hatchery-supported trout waters.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission began stocking trout in early March and will continue through August. About 1,100 miles of trout waters in WNC will be stocked with 860,000 trout, with 96 percent of the stocked fish averaging 10 inches in length and the other four percent exceeding 14 inches in length. On hatchery-supported trout waters, anglers can harvest a maximum of seven trout per day, with no minimum size limits or bait restrictions.

Stocked trout are raised in one of four mountain region hatcheries.

Which water have been stocked are posted online after the fact on Fridays at www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.