The SC Department of Natural Resources is stocking thousands of catchable-sized trout into the lower Saluda River that flows by West Columbia. The fish placed in the river in the DNR photo were put into the river around the middle of December

The SC Department of Natural Resources stocks nearly 30,000 trout each year in the lower Saluda from December – February in what’s called a “put, grow and take” fishery that relies on stocking to maintain populations.

The Lower Saluda is one of the southernmost rivers in the United States where the water is cold enough for rainbow trout.