HAMPTON, Va. — Trout stocking is underway for the season at Armistead Pond in Hampton.
The pond is one of eight bodies of water in the eastern half of the state where trout from hatcheries around the state are tossed in for people to fish for.
“It’s just a great design to get the young people of the community into fishing," said fisherman Rob Little.
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Little was one of several fisherman who was waiting on the banks as the first trout of the season were tossed in.
“It’s more of a mind and, kind of, body reset for me from work," Little said.
Stocking happens when the water is cold enough so people on the eastern half of the state can fish for trout.
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“Not everyone has a chance to get out to the western part of the state where the more traditional trout stocking is found," Statewide Hatcheries Superintendent Brendan Delbos said.
Delbos tells News 3 how many trout are released each time depends on multiple factors.
For the stocking covered in this story, the pond's first of the season, about 500 rainbow and brown trout were released.
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“We operate pretty closely with our fisheries biologist team who manage the local waters. So we’ve got a team that’s out here. They’re monitoring the water quality," Delbos explained. "Obviously, we know the depth of the water, the area of the water and we’ll use those figures in our calculation to determine how many trout need to be stocked in any particular water."
The eight bodies of water are stocked a multiple times throughout the fall and winter.
