6

In the early 1930s, the SCDNR and

US Fish and Wildlife Service began
trout culture and stocking programs.
Managers concentrated on stocking
fingerling size trout, in the early years,
in an attempt to re-establish sustaining
trout populations or to establish putgrow fisheries where natural trout
reproduction was limited. As the
program evolved in the 1950s and 1960s,
the S.C. Wildlife and Marine Resources
Department (todays SCDNR)
began an extensive trout stocking
program to provide more trout fishing
opportunities for the angler. This
program included expanding trout
management in seasonal, hatcherysupported mountain trout waters by
stocking more catchable size trout.
The SCDNR now annually stocks approximately 500,000 fingerlings and
catchable size brook, brown and rainbow trout. Approximately fourteen
mountain streams are stocked on a regular basis with catchable size (912 inch) trout from March through June and again during October and
November. Additional backcountry streams are stocked less frequently
(seasonally) to maintain good trout fishing. These streams are typically
located in remote settings.
Water temperatures in receiving waterbodies and available fish largely
influence stocking during July through September.
Over 300,000 catchables are distributed under
this program annually along with as many as
100,000 fingerlings.
SCDNR does not release the exact time
of stocking runs. These efforts are aimed
toward perpetuating South Carolinas
trout resource and providing a satisfactory
angling experience for the sportsman.
Healthy trout fisheries are the priceless
reward for all South Carolinians for proper
trout management. To see a weekly trout
Le
stocking
summary, visit http://www.dnr.sc.gov/
oR
ose
fish/stocking/results.

Leo Rose

STOCKING