As it does each year, the state Department of Natural Resources will stock thousands of “catchable-sized” trout in the lower Saluda River between Columbia and West Columbia.

The department issued a release on Dec. 22 announcing that it had begun the process to stock the rainbow and brown trout, which are raised at the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery in Oconee County and delivered by truck to multiple locations along the lower Saluda.

“The cold waters released from the bottom of Lake Murray provide suitable habitat for the trout creating a unique and very popular fishery in the Midlands of South Carolina,” the release states.

The department says it stocks nearly 30,000 trout each year in the lower Saluda between December and February.

“[It’s] called a ‘put, grow and take’ fishery that relies on stocking to maintain populations,” the release states. “Trout grow rapidly after stocking and can exceed 20 inches in one to two years after stocking, which is considered trophy size for this type of fishery.”

The release reminds anglers that the reach of the lower Saluda from the eastbound Interstate 20 bridge to Stacey’s Ledge downstream is a year-round catch-and-release area, meaning it is unlawful to take and retain trout here, no matter when you fish.