Officials Trying to Help Anglers Catch Larger Wild Trout

West Virginia officials are working on a plan to help anglers catch larger trout in the wild.

Division of Natural Resources trout biologist Dave Thorne tells the Charleston Gazette-Mail that the agency is examining its management plans for both wild trout and trout that are brought in on stocking trucks.

Thorne doesn’t expect a lot of changes regarding stocked trout, but he says officials want people to be able to catch larger native brook trout.

Officials took the first step toward that goal in January, when catch-and-release regulations went into effect on Mill Creek and all its tributaries within the borders of Randolph County’s Kumbrabow State Forest.

If Mill Creek’s catch-and-release regulations result in larger trout, Thorne says DNR officials might consider placing similar regulations on similar streams.