RENO -- The Truckee River is locked and loaded, preparing for the demands and limitations of summertime.

Today, the Nevada Department of Wildlife loaded one thousand, two hundred and fifty rainbow trout into the river at Fisherman’s Park in Reno.

It’s one of four dumps this afternoon, all of which total just under four and a half thousand fresh fish… part of the seventy thousand placed in the river annually.

Fisherman John Davis is a fan of the stocking program.

“Everywhere they stock, it really makes it easy for young fishermen to learn how to fish,” says Davis. “For older fishermen like me who just want to relax it gives you a lot more places to go.”

The program is funded by fish licensing and trout stamps, so each angler provides for their own pleasure.

Public Information Officer Chris Healy says the river is home to many naturally producing trout, but not enough to meet the angling demands.

“They don’t mind it if they have a bad day every once in a while but if they went out there and never had a chance to catch fish, pretty soon nobody would be interested in the sport of angling,” says Healy.

Biologist Chris Crookshanks says this year is becoming the regions second consecutive one of drought, making it difficult to stock parts of the river and dangerous for overall fish populations.

“Without the proper spring run-off and snow pack to feed that river throughout the year, water levels get really low mid to late summer, temperatures rise and it’s just not good for drought populations,” says Crookshanks.

Placing fish in all major river points ends in mid-June when the heat picks up and the process then re-boots come fall.