The Death of Delayed Harvest

With Delayed Harvest waters turning over to Hatchery Supported soon, the yearly trout slaughter is upon us. The first Saturday in June marks the end of the catch & release single hook regulation on Delayed Harvest (DH) waters. At noon, the DH waters will revert to Hatchery Supported regulations. No lure restictions (bait), no size limit, and a 7 fish creel limit.

The state says that DH streams are managed like this because the stocked trout would not survive the summer. Personally I disagree with this. DH waters do have a lot of stocked trout that may or may not survive, but there is also a large number of stream born wild trout in the water too. I am a firm believer in catch and release fishing, especially for trout.

If you insist on keeping fish, please be responsible and take no more than you are going to eat. If you see someone in violation of these regulations, report them to the Wildlife Resource Commission 1-800-662-7137. Poachers are bad news for all anglers, and it is our responsibility to protect and conserve our fishing opportunities in the High Country.