ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Virginia received more than 750 public records requests last year for trout stocking schedules, information some anglers use to arrive at streams and rivers before others do.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources sends hatchery trucks across the state each year to release thousands of trout into local streams and rivers. Anglers often arrive before the fish finish being released.
“One guy tells his buddy, who tells their buddies, and then everybody’s following the truck,” said Jay Waide, owner of Roanoke Angler.
How anglers get the information early
Anglers have been getting that information early through Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. By filing a public records request, anyone can ask the state when and where trout are about to be stocked…