Commission will begin stocking trout in Reddies River

RALEIGH -- The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will resume Delayed Harvest trout stockings for Reddies River in Wilkes County beginning this week.

     Trout stockings were suspended after the initial stocking in October because of a dredging operation in the Town of North Wilkesboro’s water supply reservoir, which is upstream of the delayed-harvest section of the river.

    The Commission decided to postpone trout stockings due to concerns that the dredging operation could increase turbidity in the river to levels that could affect the survival of stocked fish.

     However, the project is nearing completion and while the remaining sediment removal work may cause occasional turbidity issues for anglers fishing the Delayed Harvest section this spring, Commission biologists do not consider these levels to be lethal to trout. If turbidity levels are too high for fishing, anglers can visit one of several other delayed harvest waters in the area, all of which are within an hour’s drive of Wilkesboro. 

    Nearby Delayed Harvest waters include the East Prong Roaring River in Wilkes County, Mitchell River in Surry County, Helton Creek in Ashe County, and Watauga River in Watauga County.