Delayed harvest trout season begins Oct. 1
Thomas Harvey photo
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will implement Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations on 33 trout waters beginning Oct. 1.
Under Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations, only catch-and-release of trout is permissible from program waters between Oct. 1, 2025 and June 5, 2026.
No natural bait may be possessed, and anglers can fish only with artificial lures with one single hook. An artificial lure is defined as a fishing lure that neither contains nor has been treated with any substance that attracts fish by the sense of taste or smell.
NCWRC staff stock Delayed Harvest Trout Waters from fall through spring with high densities of trout to increase anglers’ chances of catching trout. Delayed Harvest Trout Waters, posted with diamond-shaped, black-and-white signs, are popular fishing destinations for anglers who enjoy catch-and-release trout fishing.
Anglers should be aware that stocking locations along streams may be different than in the past due to hurricane damage impacting the stocking truck and angler access.
Stream closures from Helene while debris cleanup continues are updated on NCWRC’s website at ncwildife.gov/trout.
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The storm also caused major damage to the Armstrong State Fish Hatchery in McDowell County. NCWRC had planned to use Armstrong to offset a scheduled January 2025 shutdown of the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery for a major renovation. That project had to be paused while staff work to resume operations at Armstrong. Armstrong Hatchery is expected to be repaired and fully operational by mid to late October, and renovations to Setzer are expected to begin by December of this year. It will take approximately two years to complete the Setzer renovation. Both hatcheries are instrumental in the agency’s trout stocking program.
For more information on trout fishing and stocking, visit ncwildlife.gov/trout, and to follow the progress of the Setzer renovation, visit ncwildlife.gov/setzer.
