Go Fish!

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will implement delayed-harvest regulations on 26 trout waters in 15 Western North Carolina counties on Oct. 1. Before Oct. 1, hatchery-supported regulations apply to these waters.

Under delayed-harvest regulations, no trout can be harvested or possessed from these waters between Oct. 1, 2011, and one half-hour after sunset on June 1, 2012. No natural bait is allowed, and anglers can fish only with single-hook, artificial lures. An artificial lure is defined as a fishing lure that neither contains nor has been treated with any substance that attracts fish by the sense of taste or smell.

Four new waters were classified as delayed harvest effective Aug. 1: Spring Creek in Madison County, Ararat River in Surry County, Coffee Lake in Watauga County and Elk Creek in Wilkes County. Spring Creek in Madison County is also designated as a Mountain Heritage Trout Water.

Both resident and nonresident anglers can fish in designated Mountain Heritage Trout Waters with a three-day, $5 Mountain Heritage Trout Waters license, or with any license that provides trout fishing privileges.

For more information on the Mountain Trout Waters program, visit http://www.ncwildlife.org.

The list of delayed-harvest trout waters includes:

• Ashe County — Trout Lake and Helton Creek (Virginia state line to New River)

• Burke County — Jacob Fork (Shinny Creek to lower South Mountains State Park boundary)

• Caldwell County — Wilson Creek (game land portion below Lost Cove Creek to Phillips Branch)

• Haywood County — West Fork Pigeon River (Queen Creek to the first game land boundary upstream of Lake Logan)

• Henderson County — North Fork Mills River (game land portion below the Hendersonville watershed dam)

• Jackson County — Tuckasegee River (downstream N.C. 107 bridge to the falls located 275 yards upstream of the U.S. 23-441 bridge [marked by a sign on each bank])

• Macon County — Nantahala River (Whiteoak Creek to Nantahala hydropower discharge canal)

• Madison County — Big Laurel Creek (N.C. 208 bridge to the U.S. 25-70 bridge); Shelton Laurel Creek (N.C. 208 bridge at Belva to the confluence with Big Laurel Creek); and Spring Creek (N.C. 209 bridge at Hot Springs city limits to iron bridge at end of Andrews Avenue — also classified as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters, refer to the Commission’s Regulations Digest for additional information)

• McDowell County — Curtis Creek (game land portion downstream of the U.S. Forest Service boundary at Deep Branch) and Mill Creek (U.S. 70 bridge to I-40 bridge — also classified as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters, refer to the Commission’s Regulations Digest for additional information)

• Mitchell County — Cane Creek (N.C. 226 bridge to N.C. 80 bridge — also classified as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters, refer to the Commission’s Regulations Digest for additional information) and North Toe River (U.S. 19E bridge to N.C. 226 bridge — also classified as Mountain Heritage Trout Waters, refer to the Commission’s Regulations Digest for additional information)

• Polk County — Green River (Fishtop Falls Access Area to the confluence with Cove Creek)

• Surry County — Mitchell River (0.6 mile upstream of the end of S.R. 1333 to the S.R. 1330 bridge below Kapps Mill Dam) and Ararat River (N.C. 103 bridge to U.S. 52 bridge)

• Transylvania County — East Fork French Broad River (Glady Fork to French Broad River) and Little River (confluence of Lake Dense to 100 yards downstream of Hooker Falls)

• Watauga County — Watauga River (adjacent to intersection of S.R. 1557 and S.R. 1558 to N.C. 105 bridge and S.R. 1114 bridge to N.C. 194 bridge at Valle Crucis) and Coffee Lake

• Wilkes County —East Prong Roaring River (mouth of Bullhead Creek downstream to Stone Mountain State Park boundary line); Stone Mountain Creek (from falls at Alleghany County line to confluence with East Prong Roaring River and Bullhead Creek); Reddies River (Town of North Wilkesboro water intake dam to confluence with Yadkin River); and Elk Creek (portion on Leatherwood Mountains Development)

For more information on delayed-harvest regulations, weekly stocking updates, or trout fishing maps, visit http://www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.