Linville River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Trout water, stocked 5 times in 2026, monthly April through June. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
Avery County · North Carolina · see it on the national map
Water temp 68 °F at CATAWBA R AT SR1223 BL LK JAMES NR BRIDGEWATER, NC, 1 km away USGS site 02138520 · read 9:00 pm this evening
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1wk | Trout | catchable | stocked | |
| May 6wk | Trout | catchable | stocked | |
| May 13wk | Trout | catchable | stocked | |
| Jun 10wk | Trout | catchable | stocked | |
| Jun 17wk | Trout | catchable | stocked |
When to fish Linville River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:05 am-12:05 pm and 10:27 pm-12:27 am | 4:22-5:22 am and 4:38-5:38 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:51 am-12:51 pm | 5:27-6:27 am and 5:06-6:06 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 Jun 17
- Water 68 °F at a gauge 1 km away, warm for trout
- Flow near normal for the season
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 5 times here in 2026, moving water)
| Light spinning rod | 5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches |
| 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 |
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 James | 6.6 mi | 2026 season |
| North Fork Catawba River | 8.4 mi | May 20 |
| Johns River | 11 mi | 2026 season |
| Armstrong Creek | 11 mi | Jun 17 |
| Wilson Creek | 12 mi | Oct 12 |
Follow North Carolina stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule