DNR offers first Gold Rush for anglers

MORGANTOWN — It’s that time of year again where fishing is at its finest; and this week, anglers of all ages can get together with family and friends for a rare fishing event.
This year the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced its first ever Gold Rush. It’s no April Fools joke; these fish come from real golden eggs.
This event will be April 2-6, as the DNR plans to release golden rainbow trout into the lakes and streams of the Mountain State.
Initially, the DNR announced that it was releasing 25,000 of this species of trout into 30 lakes and streams. The DNR has now upped the number of trout to 40,000 and added 20 more lakes.
Jim Hedrick, hatchery program manager in Elkins, said this is going to be a fantastic opportunity for all anglers who love to trout fish.
“Catching one of these golden rainbows can, and always has been a challenge, due in part that they have always been stocked at a ratio of 1:10 with other trout,” he said. “These trout are not very active in warm waters, which can also make it challenging. However, they do feed from the same bait any angler would use to catch trout.
“As a special treat for anglers of all ages, the DNR has tagged 100 of these trout. If you are one of the lucky 100, you may redeem your tag for a Gold Rush T-shirt through the DNR,” Hedrick said.
Anglers in Monongalia and Preston counties might consider these stocking sites: Coopers Rock State Forest Lake, Mason Lake, Curtisville Lake and Tygart Lake State Park (Tailwater).
For a full list of event stocking locations, visit wvdnr.gov.
“These gold trout being stocked will not be in addition to our regular stocking,” Hedrick said. “Instead, they will replace regular numbers of rainbow trout in the selected waters across the state.
“Stocking the waters of West Virginia average about $2.50 per fish. There are no federal or state taxes used to raise and stock our waters. This is done from the revenue generated from licensing sales.”