Catawba River
Fishing and stocking
Trout water; one stocking on the 2026 record, in May. One of 6 stocked waters on the McDowell County record.
McDowell County · North Carolina · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20wk | Trout | catchable | stocked |
When to fish Catawba River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:01 am-12:01 pm and 10:24 pm-12:24 am | 4:18-5:18 am and 4:35-5:35 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:47 am-12:47 pm | 5:22-6:22 am and 5:03-6:03 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 20
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · North Carolina fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (trout stocked 1 time here in 2026, moving water)
| Inline spinners | 1/16 to 1/8 oz silver or gold; swing them across the current seams |
| Drifted bait | single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom |
| Small jerkbaits | floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Minehaha | 42 mi | 2026 season |
| Pee Dee River | 60 mi | May 13 |
| Gaston County Farm Lake | 61 mi | 2026 season |
| Moss Reservoir | 65 mi | 2026 season |
| Long Lake | 72 mi | 2026 season |
Follow McDowell County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule