CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Sixty-nine lakes and streams across West Virginia will be awash in gold over the next two weeks. The DNR’s annual “Gold Rush” stockings are slated for March 30 through April 11.
During those days more than 50,000 golden rainbow trout will be distributed to waters across the state. Among those waters is 15 state parks and forests. The “Gold Rush” was created nine years ago with an eye toward getting more people to the creek bank and lake shore to catch fish. It’s turned out to be one of the most popular fishing promotions done annually by the agency.
“It’s as popular as anything we have,” said DNR Assistant Chief for Fisheries Dave Wellman during a visit on West Virginia Outdoors. “Its amazing. I talk to folks from different states and it’s not unusual for people from other states to bring it up to me, people from Tennessee and North Carolina all the way up through the northeast, it’s amazing.”
“As we celebrate the ninth anniversary of the Gold Rush, we look forward to seeing all of the ways this exciting event helps recruit the next generation of anglers and helps us keep West Virginia’s outdoor traditions alive and well for years to come,” said WVDNR Director Brett McMillion.
The timing is set to hopefully correspond with schools’ spring break time which will allow for kids to be out of school and families the opportunity to fish together. The waters stocked, particularly those at the state parks and forests, feature easy access for youngsters along with bathroom facilities nearby and a playground if the youngest want a secondary activity when fishing gets slow. The idea isn’t necessarily to catch fish, but to get families into the outdoors together. The shiny golden trout are a bonus and offer the opportunity to catch a unique fish.
The golden trout are reared in the state’s hatcheries and are a color mutation of a regular rainbow trout.
“Late 40’s up through the mid-50’s, the had some other strain of trout brought in. There was one golden trout that showed up at Petersburg and she happened to be a female. They crossed her with the regular rainbow and low and behold a lot of fish were showing up in the raceways,” said Wellman.
Of the fish stocked across the state, 100 will receive a numbered yellow tag. If an angler catches a golden trout with one of these tags, they can enter the tag number online for a chance to win one of the following prizes:
(1) Free Resident West Virginia Lifetime Fishing License (1 Winner)
(1) One-Night West Virginia State Park Lodge Stay (5 Winners)
(1) $25 West Virginia State Parks Gift Card (5 Winners)
Prizes will be awarded by random drawing. All anglers with a valid fishing license and trout stamp who report a verified tag during the event will be eligible to receive a gift bag with Gold Rush merchandise. As an added incentive, State Parks are offering a 15-percent Gold Rush discount on a stay in the parks’ lodge rooms and cabins. Offer is valid only on new stays (two-night minimum) at Blackwater Falls, Cacapon Resort, Cass, North Bend, Pipestem Resort, Tygart Lake and Watoga state parks. To receive the discount, book online at WVstateparks.com and use the offer code GOLD at checkout.
All anglers 15 and older must have a West Virginia fishing license with a current trout stamp and a valid form of identification while fishing during Gold Rush. Licenses and stamps can be purchased online at WVfish.com. Anglers are also reminded to follow West Virginia’s fishing regulations, available to download at WVdnr.gov/fishing-regulations.