Preston County Journal - By Thresea Marthey, March 22, 2016

Cheat River is stocked with trout for the first time this season

ROWLESBURG — The Cheat River is once again stocked and ready for fishing season again.

Rain greeted Trout for Cheat, Inc. volunteers who stocked the Cheat River with 1,700 pounds of trout on Tuesday, Mar. 15.

“This is our 16th year, and the first of four stockings for this year,” Trout for Cheat President Art George said. “We make 18 stops along the Cheat River.”

The trout range from two to eight pounds each, and the Trout for Cheat committee members as well as cadets from the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy join together to put the fish into the river.

To make stocking a little easier, volunteers and cadets created a bucket brigade type chain, handing giant buckets of fish and water to one another until they reached the banks of the Cheat River, where the fish were gently set free.

Indian Lake Fisheries of Elkview have been providing the trout for the stockings for 13 years.

“It is awesome doing this,” Indian Lake Fisheries Wholesale Manager Chris Veltri said. “We pride ourselves on long term business.

The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy Cadets have been helping for many years also.

“We have 28 cadets here today,” Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy Program Coordinator Kim Keene said. “We have been doing this for many years.”

“We also knew it would be raining, so we made sure they had rain coats today,” Keene said.

The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy uses the trout stocking program as part of its 40 hours of community service each cadet is required to have in order to graduate.

“Groups call us when they have an event where they need help or volunteers,” Keene said. “Or if I know there is an event coming up where volunteers may be needed, I will call the group so the cadets can get their community service hours.”

Trout for Cheat is accepts donations for the stocking program. They can be sent to 200 View Street, Kingwood, W.Va. 26537.