WVOW News
ELKINS, WVa The annual Gold Rush trout stocking begins March twenty-ninth and runs for two weeks.
The Division of Natural Resources will stock 50,000 golden trout into 62 West Virginia lakes and streams.
This will be the fifth year for the program, but the last two seasons lacked the fanfare of earlier seasons due to coronavirus outbreak.
The West Virginia Golden Trout was first developed in 1963 at the DNR’s Petersburg Hatchery. Hatchery managers were able to isolate a recessive gene in which the golden color was more prominent and developed the colored fish in large numbers. The trout have been a favorite of West Virginia anglers ever since.
100 of the trout stocked will have a numbered tag. The number can be put into a drawing for prizes from the State Parks and Division of Tourism.
PHOTO | wvdnr.gov