The City of Gatlinburg is proud to announce the grand reopening of the Gatlinburg Trout Facility at Herbert Holt Park following an extensive renovation, which featured the demolition of the old facility and a rebuild of the raceways.
The renovated facility was officially completed earlier this month, which marks a significant milestone in the City’s commitment to enhancing its recreational offerings and educational outreach.
The renovations, which began in April 2024, included a complete rebuild of all six trout raceways, the construction of a pavilion to provide shade and prevent predators from accessing the fish, and the addition of bleachers to accommodate educational programs. These improvements were designed to modernize the facility and enhance its functionality for both community members and visitors.
They resumed weekly stockings on October 3rd, 2024 providing 2 months of catch and keep fishing before transitioning in to our Delayed Harvest fishing regulations(catch and release/no bait of any kind) which will remain in effect until April 1, 2025. Fishing is still not allowed on Thursdays during Delayed Harvest, and a Gatlinburg license is still required.
“Since October 3, we have stocked approximately 3,000 fish at a total weight of approximately 5,000 pounds. The fish have varied from 14-24 inches with majority in the 16-18 inch range. One 26 inch rainbow weighing approximately 8 pounds was stocked during catch and keep season and was landed and released by a young fly fishermen. Weather permitting they will be stocking every Thursday throughout Delayed Harvest.
