Anglers who catch a special tagged trout at one of five West Virginia state parks are eligible to receive special rewards while at the same time providing valuable information for biological research.
“Trout anglers can experience great stream fishing across West Virginia as a result of the Division of Natural Resources’ stocking program. This year a new aspect was added– tagged trout stocked at Tomlinson Run, Watoga, Cacapon, Cedar Creek and Pipestem state parks,” according to State Parks Chief Sam England.
The DNR Wildlife Resources Section approached the State Parks Section with the idea of stocking tagged trout in the parks to encourage families to go fish. “It’s a great idea and we’re pleased to support the fisheries programs,” England said.
State Parks provides Wildlife Resources with rewards to give anglers who submit tags to fish biologists. The tags provide important data for fish research studies, according to Chris O’Bara, lead fish biologist for this project.
“It is quickly becoming popular and we’ve already received many compliments on the implementation of the program,” O’Bara said. “It’s another way we can encourage families and youth to get out outdoors to experience a lifelong sport like fishing.”
