West Fork Pigeon River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Trout water, stocked 3 times in 2026, spread March to October. The most-stocked water on the Haywood County record for 2026. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
Haywood County · North Carolina · see it on the national map
Water temp 54 °F at PIGEON RIVER NEAR CANTON, NC, 6 km away USGS site 03456991 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2wk | Trout | catchable | stocked | |
| Apr 27wk | Trout | catchable | stocked | |
| Oct 5wk | Trout | catchable | stocked |
When to fish West Fork Pigeon River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:09 am-12:09 pm and 10:32 pm-12:32 am | 4:26-5:26 am and 4:43-5:43 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:55 am-12:55 pm | 5:31-6:31 am and 5:11-6:11 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
- Stocked 18 days ago (Oct 5)
- Water 54 °F at a gauge 6 km away, prime coldwater range
- Flow 46% of the seasonal median
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · North Carolina fishing forecast
Gear for this water
Stocked within the last three weeks: fish are still bunched near the release points and keyed on familiar smells.
For the trout (trout stocked 3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Richland Creek | 6.1 mi | May 6 |
| Hendersonville Pond | 12 mi | 2026 season |
| Lake Powhatan | 14 mi | May 27 |
| Dark Ridge Creek | 14 mi | May 13 |
| Balsam Lake | 15 mi | May 20 |
Follow Haywood County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule