Delayed Harvest Trout Waters in North Carolina with Jake Rash

Segment 2, October 14th, 2023

Early October brings trout stockings to the waters of North Carolina.  It also delays the harvest of trout in thirty-four different lakes and streams in western North Carolina.

Jake Rash is the Coldwater Research Coordinator for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.  He joins the Carolina Outdoors to talk about these waters & his job of coordinating the resource management of our trout fisheries.

Rash reports:
-The Delayed Harvest program began with four streams in the early 1990s and has become wildly popular
-You cannot keep the fish caught in October through the first Saturday in June.  During the summer you can keep your limit.
-The stocking schedule for these streams. Stocking Schedule for Delayed Harvest in North Carolina
-More people fishing can provided stress to certain resources.  The DH waters help spread out the trout anglers
-The designation is shown by black and white triangles posted.
-An Inland License is required by the state of NC.

Per the NCWRC, while fishing, anglers are urged to help prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species like gill lice, whirling disease and didymo, by following these minimal steps:

• Clean equipment of all aquatic plants, animals and mud.
• Dry equipment thoroughly.
• Never move fish, plants or other organisms from one body of water to another.