Discover Greensboro Magazine Winter 2021

CAST REEL AND TROUT

Winter at Lake Higgins means one thing: it’s time for trout fishing at the Taylor Turner Hatchery Pond! “This is a great opportunity to participate in an outdoor wellness activity that rewards the angler with a healthy meal and a better understanding of the importance of the native trout species,” said Derek Dunn, a Lake Higgins activities specialist. As one of the first hybrid bass hatcheries in the state when it was developed in the 1980s, the hatchery now offers channel catfish specifically for children’s fishing in the summer months and rainbow trout for general public fishing during the winter months. Every year, the Lake Higgins staff apply to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to stock the hatchery with trout. In November, they order the first shipment of fish. This year, 800 pounds of rainbow trout traveled 200 miles to Lake Higgins from the Cantrell Creek Trout Farm in Brevard, in western North Carolina not far from the South Carolina border. It’s a state- approved farm. The hatchery gets restocked as people fish

– some years up to 4,000 pounds of fish. This year has been busier than usual, Dunn said. Even people from neighboring states visit Greensboro to take advantage of the opportunity. When you visit, don’t be afraid to ask the lake staff for fishing tips. “If you are new to fishing, it I would encourage people to talk to us,” Dunn said. “Let us guide you in the right direction.”

LAKE HIGGINS 4235 Hamburg Mill Rd., Summerfield 8 am to 5 pm, through the end of February All fish caught must be weighed and kept. This is not a catch and release fishing opportunity. Cost: $2 to fish, $4 per pound of fish caught; Angler 16 and older must have a NCWRC inland fishing permit, $27

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