Tennessee Trout Stocking Schedule 2026

Every sentence here comes from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), and each section names its sources. Updated .

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) stocks trout in four ways: streams in spring and summer, lakes, ponds and other spots in and near towns in winter, Delayed Harvest streams in fall, and the cold tailwaters below dams through much of the year. Its 2026 schedule lists the week each water is due. Fishing for trout takes a trout license on top of the fishing license.

From TWRA: Trout Management Plan for Tennessee 2017-2027 (PDF), TWRA: 2025-26 Winter Trout Stocking Program Continues (31 December 2025), TWRA: Trout Fishing and Stockings in Tennessee and TWRA: TWRA Begins 2025-26 Winter Trout Stocking Program (26 November 2025).

The TWRA trout stocking schedule

Every water TWRA plans to stock in 2026, searchable by water, county, region and type of stocking, with the species and the day, week or months for each; it exports to Excel or prints as a PDF. The same page carries a report of where adult trout were recently stocked, updated every two weeks in season. A "week of" date is a Sunday, and the fish go in within five days after it. Weather or warm water can postpone or cancel a stocking, and tailwaters and reservoirs are listed by month, not date.

Open the 2026 Trout Stocking Schedule

From TWRA: Trout Fishing and Stockings in Tennessee.

When Tennessee stocks trout

Spring and summer streams

TWRA's spring stocking begins March 1. Most streams are stocked from March through June, and some later into summer where the water stays cold. A stocked stream is stocked again and again through the season, weekly or monthly, because most of its trout are caught within a few weeks.

Winter trout program

From late November through February, TWRA stocks rainbow trout at more than 40 places, many of them in towns with walking trails and playgrounds, and in some tailwaters and reservoirs. In 2025-26 that was more than 70,000 trout averaging about 10 inches. The program is meant for new anglers, so the waters are near town centers with parking, and the dates are published well ahead.

Delayed Harvest streams

Delayed Harvest streams are stocked lightly in the fall and are catch and release until March, when keeping trout is allowed again. Most of the catch-and-release seasons run from October 1 to February 28.

Tailwaters and reservoirs

In the cold water below dams, trout fishing can be good all year, and each tailwater has its own months: the Caney Fork below Center Hill Dam March through December, the South Holston March through September, the Clinch below Norris Dam March through August, and the Obey below Dale Hollow all year. TWRA also stocks several reservoirs for year-round trout fishing, and South Holston and Watauga get lake trout as well as rainbows.

From TWRA: 2025-26 Winter Trout Stocking Program Continues (31 December 2025), TWRA: Trout Management Plan for Tennessee 2017-2027 (PDF), TWRA: TWRA Begins 2025-26 Winter Trout Stocking Program (26 November 2025), TWRA: Tennessee Trout Regulations and TWRA: Trout Fishing and Stockings in Tennessee.

Rules on stocked water

  • Anglers 13 and older need a license. A resident buys the $33 annual combination license and the $21 annual trout supplemental; a nonresident buys the $98 annual fishing license that includes trout. Under 13, no license is needed.
  • Statewide you may keep 7 trout a day, any species and any size, but only 2 of them lake trout. At the winter program's Community Lakes sites the limit is 5.
  • During a Delayed Harvest catch-and-release season every trout goes back, and only artificial lures are allowed.
  • Several tailwaters have their own limits. On the South Holston below the dam, trout from 16 to 22 inches must be released and only one over 22 may be kept, and some of its spawning areas close to all fishing from November 1 to January 31.
  • Gatlinburg's four streams need a Gatlinburg permit and are closed on Thursdays, the stocking day, and from December 1 through March 31 every trout must go back.
  • The Tellico River and Citico Creek take a Tellico-Citico permit from March 1 through August 15, when they are also closed on Thursdays and Fridays.

From TWRA: License Structure and Fees, TWRA: Tennessee Trout Regulations and TWRA: TWRA Begins 2025-26 Winter Trout Stocking Program (26 November 2025).

How to hear about a stocking

  • The stocking report on the same page lists where adult trout went in recently, updated every two weeks through the season.
  • TWRA announces the winter program in a news release when it starts, in late November in 2025, and again as it continues into the new year.

From TWRA: Trout Fishing and Stockings in Tennessee, TWRA: TWRA Begins 2025-26 Winter Trout Stocking Program (26 November 2025) and TWRA: 2025-26 Winter Trout Stocking Program Continues (31 December 2025).

Worth knowing before you go looking

  • Below a dam, TWRA says to take care and to call TVA at 1-800-238-2264 for the discharge and generation schedule before you fish.
  • Many stocked streams run through private land, so ask the landowner before you fish. TWRA drops a stream from the list when access is routinely refused.
  • License fees are set to rise. In August 2026 the Commission approved a new license structure, with the combination license going from $33 to $42, which goes to the legislature for approval later in 2026.

From TWRA: Trout Fishing and Stockings in Tennessee, TWRA: Trout Management Plan for Tennessee 2017-2027 (PDF) and TWRA: Commission Approves FY28 Operational Budget & License Structure Fees at August Meeting (21 August 2026).

Which day to fish it

The schedule says where the fish went in. Which day to go is a different question: the forecast scores each day of the week for trout at the water you pick, from its water temperature, the wind and the weather.

See the week for rainbow trout

Species guides: Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Lake Trout

Sources

Every sentence above was read on one of these pages, and a check re-reads each quoted line against the page it came from.

Spotted something out of date or plain wrong here? Tell us and we will check it.