By Scott Nicholson

It’s time to untangle the fishing lines and sharpen the hooks, with the season for hatchery-supported trout waters opening Saturday morning.

Hatchery-supported trout waters are stocked with thousands of brook, brown and rainbow, with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stocking various waterways on a monthly basis from March to August.

This year, wildlife officers will stock more than 818,000 trout, with 96 percent of the stocked fish averaging 10 inches in length and the other 4 percent exceeding 14 inches in length.

Local waterways that will be stocked include the North Fork of the New River, Maine Branch, Meat Camp Creek, Norris Fork, Howard Creek, Middle Fork of the New River, Watauga River, Beech Creek, Buckeye Creek Reservoir, Coffee Lake, Beaverdam Creek, Laurel Creek, Cove Creek, Dutch Creek, Stony Fork and Elk Creek.

In March, 8,600 trout were released in Watauga County, and another 7,500 will be released in April. The brook, rainbow and brown trout will be released through November, with more than 34,000 scheduled for release this year.

In hatchery-supported trout waters, anglers can harvest a maximum of seven trout per day, with no minimum size limits or bait restrictions. Hatchery-supported waters are marked by green-and-white signs, and anglers are expected to observe private property rights, refrain from littering and parking only in designated areas.

About 1,120 miles of hatchery-supported trout waters in 25 western North Carolina counties are open to public fishing, though many of those miles are privately owned.

The season for hatchery-supported waters runs from 7 a.m. on Apr. 4 to Feb. 28, 2010. For a detailed list of all hatchery-supported trout waters and regulation information, visit the Commission’s Web site, www.ncwildlife.org/pg02_Regs/2008_09_Mountain_Trout.pdf.

Fishing licenses are available locally at Appalachian Angler, Foothills Hunting & Fishing, K Mart, Mast General Store, Wal-Mart, Rivergirl Fishing Company in Todd and Village Hardware in Blowing Rock.

For trout fishing maps and weekly stocking summaries on hatchery-supported trout waters are posted at www.ncwildlife.org.