North Carolina delays fall Delayed Harvest trout stockings into November

North Carolina anglers waiting on the fall Delayed Harvest trout plants will be waiting longer. The Wildlife Resources Commission usually starts those stockings in October. Staff say there are not enough fish this year, and mountain fisheries supervisor Kin Hodges said the commission should be able to do at least some stocking in November. It is still too hot for a firm count of what will be left.

Armstrong State Fish Hatchery in Marion estimates it has lost about 70 percent of its trout since June. Drought and heat pushed water into the mid-to-high 70s, past what the cold-water fish could take.

Hodges tied the losses to a changing climate that is making trout harder to grow. The commission is adding infrastructure meant to handle both high temperatures and the kind of flooding that came with Helene. Anyone planning an October Delayed Harvest trip should check the live stocking schedule before they drive — the usual fall plant is not on time.

Photo: Jonathon Gruenke / NC Wildlife Resources Commission (via WFDD).

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: WFDD — Trout populations suffer due to heat, fall fishing restock delayed (Rachel Moody, Sept. 23, 2026).