Скачать или смотреть Lake Junior Winter Trout Stocking

Starting Friday (Jan. 9, 2014) fishermen will begin gathering at TVA's Lake Junior, near the intersection of Hwy. 153 and Amnicola Hwy. in Chattanooga.

In fact they'll be there every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for at least the next two months.

They'll be pursuing a limit of rainbow trout. The fish arrived Tuesday from the Dale Hollow Fish Hatchery, working with biologists from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

TWRA Biologist Will Collier said, "Every weekend that I drive by it's surrounded by fishermen. And from what we hear it's not unusual to catch a seven trout limit within an hour or two."

The Winter Trout program began in 2001. Of course there are many prime trout streams in East Tennessee, including the Hiwassee River in Polk County. But Collier said it was clear that many people simply would not, or could not, make the effort to fish the year-round trout streams. In an effort to provide more, easier opportunity in urban areas, the Winter Trout Program was born.

In January and February fish hatcheries raise and stock nearly 100,000 trout in dozens of lakes and ponds in urban areas across the state.

Collier said it makes him proud.

"It's great to offer that experience to people that normally don't get to go out and do things like that. Even if they are, it's good to see people catching fishing, getting outside and enjoying the wildlife that we have to offer in the state," he said.

It is what's called a "put and take" fishery with expectations that anglers will catch all of the trout they stock. That's because biologists know the cold water trout won't be able to survive once the warmer months arrive and water temperatures increase. Trout start to stress if the water temperature reaches 70 degrees. Typical summertime water temperatures in Chattanooga range in the 80s.

Everyone is required to have a regular fishing license and you have to have a trout permit. It is free for children under 13. They're not required to have a license. The creel limit is seven trout per day, but there is no size limit. You can keep any trout you catch. If it's too cold or you don't make it there in January, don't worry. Lake Junior will be stocked again with another 1-thousand trout on February 11th. Other than that it's time to start fishing and have fun.