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If you have ever been to the Norfork National Fish Hatchery, you know most of the fish we raise are Rainbow Trout. However, we do raise Brown Trout and Cutthroat Trout in smaller numbers. The gems of the local rivers are the 鈥渂rowns鈥�. In many instances, a successful fishing trip depends on the prevalence of a Brown Trout at the end of the line. Thus, stocking our commitment of Brown Trout is an important matter here at the hatchery.
Currently, our annual commitment for Brown Trout is 51500 fish with a length average of nine inches and 15000 fish at a six-inch average. The nine-inch fish go to the White, Spring, and North Fork Rivers, while the 6-inch fish are transported to the Mountain Fork Reservoir in Oklahoma. Recently, about 20000 Brown trout have reached the required length for stocking. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission came to the hatchery in late June to clip their adipose fins (the small fleshy fin between the dorsal and tail fins). This is done to mark them as hatchery originated fish when sampling is done in the river. After the fins are clipped, a 21-day period must pass before they are distributed. We are glad to say the wait is over and many of those fish have already been released. Thus far, the receiving waters have been the White River in the Beaver Lake tailwater and The North Fork River below Norfork Dam. Jim Hinkle State Fish Hatchery is slated to pick up browns for the Spring River this Week (the week of July 21).
At Norfork National Fish Hatchery, we love to see photos and hear stories about people鈥檚 successful fishing trips. It brings a sense of fulfillment to the work we do year-round and helps us gauge our success. We hope some of these browns are the future centerpiece of a great memory and an even better big fish story!
