Each year over 30,000 rainbow trout are stocked in 36 streams and small lakes across 16 counties in TWRA’s Region 3. This year’s spring trout stockings will begin during the last week of February and continue through May. Stocked rainbow trout typically range from 10 to 12 inches long and weigh up to one pound, but a few streams will receive a handful of very large rainbows sometimes weighing in at over four pounds each.
Most streams will be stocked two or three times with hundreds of fish at multiple locations. These streams are considered seasonal “put-and-take” fisheries because trout do not thrive in the warmer waters of summer. For this reason, TWRA encourages anglers to harvest all trout caught.
The creel limit is 7 fish per day of any length, and an Annual Trout license (Type 022) is required in addition to the Annual Hunting and Fishing Combo license (Type 001). No fishing licenses are required for children under 13 years of age, and a trout license is not required for Junior (Type 002), Senior (Type 166), Sportsman (Type 004), and Lifetime Sportsman (Types 401-405) license holders. Additional regulations apply on streams within the Cherokee National Forest.
As the spring trout program begins, hatcheries are just finishing up stocking for the winter trout program, but fishing on these small lakes is still in full swing. This year Cane Creek Park Lake (Cookeville), Lake Junior (Chattanooga), Athens Regional Park Lake (Athens), and Pickett State Park Lake (Jamestown) were stocked with thousands of rainbow trout including dozens of those big rainbows.
The purpose of these programs is to provide trout fisheries across the region that are easily accessible for anglers of all ages and experience levels. For more information on stocking dates, licenses, and even a map of a trout stream near you visit TWRA’s website at www.tnwildlife.org. For stocking updates, pictures, and fishing-related stories, go to our Region III Facebook page.