West Virginia state natural resources officials will change the color of the trout they stock in Mountain State waters. Instead of drab-colored brook, brown and rainbow trout, they will be golden rainbow trout.
Officials are calling it the “West Virginia Gold Rush.” Jim Hedrick, the Division of Natural Resources’ acting fisheries chief, said workers will stock about 25,000 golden trout.
Ordinarily, only one in 10 trout stocked is a golden. But from April 2-6 at 30 waters throughout the state, every stocked trout will be of the novelty variety.
It is a treat for anglers that took three years to pull off, Hedrick said.
“At that time, we recognized that kids aren’t fishing as much as they used to,” he said. “Instead of letting them live on their electronics every day, we decided to do something to get them and their families excited about fishing. The idea we came up with was an all-golden-trout stocking. We knew that kids like golden trout, and so do adult anglers. So we decided to do a ‘Gold Rush’ — an all-golden stocking — as a promotion to get more people out fishing.”
LINK (via: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
I wouldn’t say Brookies are “drab”, at least not the nate’s I caught as a kid….
S.C.I.
I’m betting the kingfishers, ospreys and eagles are loving the bright food.
More Designer Zoo Fish. In Britain we have high-profile “Anglers” building big-time media “flyfishing” careers [sic] on such Made-For-Play Freaks; fish – blue, green, blotched and wildly striped trout like psychedelic Muskies , Joseph and His Multicolor Dreamcoat on Operation Julie Blue Microdot and then some – that, whenever I see them on Fritter and TazermeNOWbook, make me think “Hmm … creatures from the Bodysnatcher Pod … “Them!”. And kids like them? They like high-sugar candy too, but mostly give it up on reaching all-knowing, super-cool Everything Sucks! adolescence.
To all Fishy Freakshow Marketeers: “You’re not selling Latest Must-have Toys, fellas.”