photo of trout being put into pond from truck via water chute

Get out your fishing gear, the trout are in! This year we have once again stocked the main fishing pond at Cedarock Park with rainbow trout for the winter months. This afternoon, over 1200 lbs of trout went into the pond, ranging from 1lb to 9lbs. We also have a special treat- thanks to a surprise bonus from our supplier, the hatchery at Riverbound X-Stream Flyfishing of VA, this year we have golden rainbow trout!!!

We’re holding a special social media contest to celebrate these golden beauties. If you’re lucky enough to catch a golden trout, post a selfie with your catch to the Cedarock Facebook Page using the hashtag #CRPgoldentrout. We’ll enter your name into a raffle for a prize and draw a few winners during the fishing season.

The fish are delivered from the hatchery on a special truck with holding tanks. They are moved into the pond either via nets or a metal chute of water connected to the holding tanks. Each year, we have to wait until the water is cool enough for the trout before we can stock them. Trout prefer colder water than you generally find in this area except during winter months and the temperature needs to match between the truck and pond to avoid shocking the fish. With the warm weather lasting later this year, they’ve gone in at a later date than last year to ensure their safety. Be sure to check out photos from the delivery on our Facebook Page.

photo of golden rainbow trout coming out of delivery chute
A golden rainbow, or palomino, trout being delivered alongside regular rainbow trout into the pond.

 

Remember, to fish at the park you need to purchase a Cedarock Park Fishing Pass and have a valid NC Fishing License. Please be sure to carry your pass with you when you come to fish. The park pass is available as a daily pass for $5 or an annual pass for $25. There is a daily catch limit of 6 total fish per pass. Please no catch & release of the trout- they do not survive it well. Other fish you can catch in our pond include catfish and bream. For full details on fishing in the park and how to purchase a pass, please click here. If you have any questions, you can call us at (336) 229-2410 or (336) 570-6759.

rainbow trout on fishing line
First catch! This lucky guy was at the pond fishing today and got the first trout of the season.

 

Golden Rainbow Trout

The golden rainbow trout in the pond are a color phase variation of the regular rainbow trout. Both are the same species, Oncorhynchus mykiss. The proper name for this golden color phase is “palomino rainbow trout.” This is to distinguish it from golden trout, a separate subspecies found in certain areas of California. The golden rainbow trout color phase was bred from a single color variant that originated in a West Virginia hatchery in 1955.

Fun Facts About Trout

  • Rainbow trout are originally native to the Pacific Basin, ranging from Russia across the Pacific to Alaska and Canada, and down the West Coast to Mexico…trout in other areas were introduced there by people
  • Rainbow trout have been bred in hatcheries since 1870, when the first rainbow trout hatchery was established in California which began producing in 1871
  • Adult rainbow trout that live in rivers average 1 to 5 lbs, while trout in lakes can reach 20lbs
  • A female rainbow trout produces 2000-3000 eggs per 2lbs of body weight…each egg is about a 1/4 of an inch in size
  • Rainbow trout are predators that will eat a variety of prey: all life stages of aquatic insects (such as caddisflies and mayflies), fish eggs, any land dwelling insects that fall in the water, small fish, crustaceans like crayfish, and sometimes plankton
photo of trout in the water chute during delivery to the pond
Trout in the water chute during delivery.

 

Sources

Wikipedia “Rainbow Trout” article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_trout

Riverbound X-Stream Flyfishing of VA: https://sites.google.com/site/riverboundxtremesite/Home