Extreme Trout Stocking

DNR Workers Go To The Extreme To Get Trout In The Water! February 24, 2010 Reporter: Patrick McMurtry Videographer: Brad Rice

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This time last week we were right in the middle of a blizzard in Pocahontas County near Durbin. We made it across Cheat Mountain looking for eagles only to find some determined Division of Natural Resources hatchery workers looking for a place to put a truck load of trout.

Marvin Smith with the division says it can be tough, "It's not good, you can't put the fish in the river."

That's because this part of the river is frozen over. Normally, the DNR workers that come to Durbin try to dump fish into this creek, but it's pretty much frozen over. There's one little stretch right here where the water is running, but you don't want to toss 250 pounds of fish onto a frozen stretch of water like this, and hope they can make it into the water. So what do you do when you start out with 500 pounds of trout on a snowy, icy day like this? You go to plan B."

That means fire up the truck and go looking for a spot to put the trout. "We've been able to make two stops, and we should have made twelve stops." says Smith.

The DNR has a very regimented trout stocking plan and, despite the obstacles they found on this snowy day, that plan will be followed. Eventually.

"You have to get them in wherever you can. They'll change the paperwork to show the change every week, two weeks, each month, whatever, so they take care of that so they know how much to stock next time."

And thanks to some folks willing to literally go the extra mile, these trout found a good home, and a lot of anglers will be thanking them when they bring in a nice rainbow.

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