Creel census data for 3 catchable trout fisheries in Virginia revealed that desirable attributes of the fisheries increased from a lightly-stocked stream to a lightlystocked lake to a heavily-stocked stream. Total effort, participation by non-local anglers, evenness of seasonal use, catch rate, and return rate all were higher for the heavilystocked stream than for the lightly-stocked stream. For the trout lake, total effort and participation by non-local anglers were similar to the heavily-stocked stream, but catch per effort, return rates of stocked fish, and seasonal distribution of effort were similar to the lightly-stocked stream. Most anglers at the lake fished from shore, so that a large portion of the potential fishing area was not utilized. Management of catchable trout fisheries may provide higher fishing value if streams are managed so that stocking density, stocking frequency, accessibility of angling, publicity, and opportunities for associated outdoor recreation are maximized.
