N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Seeks Public Input on Developing Catawba River Trout Fishery

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 8) – The public has a unique opportunity to share opinions and help the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission establish a fisheries-management strategy for an enhanced brown trout fishery on the Catawba River.

Commission Coldwater Research Coordinator Doug Besler displays a brown trout. Media: Please credit the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

Fisheries biologists with the Commission are scheduling public meetings and collecting comments on how to manage the 12-mile stretch of the Catawba River that flows below Lake James from Muddy Creek to Morganton in Burke County.

“We have a developing trout fishery in the section of the Catawba River known as the ‘tailrace,’ and we’re trying to determine if anglers want to harvest a lot of small- and medium-sized trout or if they prefer fishing for fewer numbers of trophy-sized trout,” said Doug Besler, coldwater research coordinator for the Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries. “But it’s not just about the trout fishing. We also want to understand the issues and concerns of landowners along the Catawba River and incorporate them into fisheries-management strategies for the river.”

Cold water released from the Lake James dam and recent efforts to clean the section of the Catawba that flows from Muddy Creek to Morganton made it possible for the Wildlife Commission to develop this trout fishery. Since 1996, the Commission has stocked brown trout fingerlings in this section of the Catawba.

“We began evaluating those stockings in 2000 and were excited to see that a population of fast-growing brown trout appears to be developing within that 12-mile section,” Besler said. “As a result, a unique opportunity exists for the public to give us input on how to manage these trout.”

Current regulations allow anglers to harvest seven trout per day, with no size, gear or bait restrictions. Besler said that anglers interested in fishing for trophy-sized trout have expressed interest changing the regulations to emphasize catch-and-release fishing, a large size limit, lower creel limit, and bait-and-gear restrictions designed to protect the fast-growing trout until they reached trophy size.

“The tradeoff of a trophy-trout fishery is that few trout would be available for anglers to harvest,” Besler said. “And while the current regulations allow anglers to take fish home for supper, fewer of these trout will reach their potential size of 20 inches or more. Intermediate management scenarios also exist.”

The Commission will hold meetings in the Morganton area to identify fisheries-management preferences of river users. One meeting will be directed specifically at landowners adjoining Catawba River in the 12-mile management section. A meeting for the general public will be held at 7 p.m. on April 26 at the Collett Street Recreation Center in Morganton.

The meetings will elicit public comment on:

• General fishery management goals,
• Benefits and tradeoffs of different trout-management strategies,
• Angler preference for trout harvest versus trophy trout, and
• Public access to the river.

If you cannot attend a meeting, e-mail your comments on how to develop and manage the Catawba River trout fishery to catawba.trout@ncwildlife.org. Comments also may be mailed to 645 Fish Hatchery Road, Marion, N.C. 28752. Comments must be received by April 29.

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