Trout Waters

Each year 80 streams and small lakes located in mid to western Tennessee are stocked to provide a trout fishery. Due to the warm summer water or due to habitat that does not support trout preproduction, these streams have low abundance of wild trout, or no trout at all. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) stocks about 325,000 9-12 inch trout between February and October. While trout fishing is allowed year-round on most of these streams, many of these waters are too warm for trout by mid summer.

Above the fish hatchery there is a dam on the river that created a small pond. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland fisheries stock the South Holston below the dam across from the fish hatchery and downstream of that point. Just above the pond, the stream flows through a small canyon. In some places you will have to wade to progress upstream. Now keep in mind, the South Fork of the Holston River is a small creek at that point. It is the beginning of the South Holston River miles above the part that most anglers are familiar with.

The nice thing about trout fishing is that it gets you out and into the beautiful outdoors. However, please remember to leave the landscape exactly as you have found it. Here is an example of how the wildlife can be harmed by a careless person. Obviously, someone had consumed a six pack of soda or other beverage and without thinking left behind the plastic ring. The turtle apparently crawled through the plastic ring as a juvenile and became a prisoner of the ring as it grew. Please do not let this happen on your account.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has reduced trout-stocking rates by 50 percent into public waters through August 2014 due to excessive predation by great blue herons at the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery in Pisgah National Forest.