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Those wonderful unseasonably warm days last week undoubtedly had many folks longing for the onset of spring.
And many of the anglers among us were probably thinking about the opening of trout season. The first day of trout season now happens on the first Saturday of April each year, about two weeks earlier than the traditional mid-April opener that had been in place for generations.
This year, trout season will begin on Saturday, April 1 with the Mentored Youth Trout Day on Saturday, March 25. With trout season starting two weeks earlier, the trout stocking schedules have been updated accordingly.
Stocked trout waters will be closed to all fishing from Feb. 20 until 8 a.m. on the opening of trout season. The annual trout-stocking efforts of the PFBC will get underway during the coming weeks in most counties of our region.
During 2023, the PFBC will release about 3.2 million adult trout into 697 streams and 126 lakes around the state. These figures include approximately 2.3 million rainbow trout; 707,000 brown trout; and 168,000 brook trout. The average size of trout stocked by the PFBC is expected to be 11 inches and weighing slightly more than a half-pound.
In addition to trout raised at state fish hatcheries, PFBC cooperative nurseries operated by sportsmen's clubs across the state will add another 1 million trout to waters open to public angling.
To increase the chances of anglers catching a larger trout, the PFBC will be stocking about 70,000 brood fish measuring 14 to 20 inches long during 2023. About 70 percent of these bigger brook, brown and rainbow trout will be stocked during the preseason and 30 percent will be released during the in-season stockings.
Many waterways will also receive a few of the 14,000 golden rainbows, which typically average 1.5 pounds. About 80 percent of those ugly, yellow freak fish will be stocked preseason and the other 20 percent during in-season stockings.
Volunteers are welcome to come along and to help carry fish to the streams during any scheduled stocking. During 2020 and 2021, the public was not permitted to participate in trout stocking activities due to COVID concerns. Those looking for an excuse to get outside for a little late-winter exercise can come out and help with an upcoming stocking.
More than half the streams in Blair County are scheduled to receive their preseason stocking during February. Blair Gap Run is scheduled to be stocked this Tuesday; the meeting place is the Newry post office at 10:15 a.m. Beaverdam Creek and the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River will be stocked on Wednesday, starting at 10:15 from the Claysburg post office. Poplar Run and South Poplar Run will be stocked on Thursday; the meeting place is the Newry post office at 10:15 a.m.
Canoe Creek Lake will be stocked on Saturday, Feb. 25; meeting place is the Canoe Creek State Park office at 10:15 a.m. Clover Creek will be stocked Monday, Feb. 27; the meeting place is the Williamsburg post office at 10:15 a.m.
Other preseason trout stockings in Blair County will continue during March. Bald Eagle Creek will be stocked on Thursday, March 7; meeting place is village of Bald Eagle at 9:45 a.m. Canoe Creek will be stocked on March 10; meeting place is the Canoe Creek State Park office at 10:15 a.m. The final preseason stocking for Blair County will be Bells Gap Run, Riggles Gap Run and Vanscoyoc Run on March 22; meeting place is the Sheetz store off the Bellwood exit of I-99 at 10:15 a.m.
Most stocked trout waters also receive at least one in-season stocking some time from the opening week of the season until late May. Bad weather or high water may cause last-minute postponements of some stockings, so scheduled stockings are subject to change.
For complete information on the preseason and in-season stocking schedules for other counties, check the PFBC website at www.fishandboat.com. Anglers with smartphones can find the stocking schedules and other information about fishing in Pennsylvania through the FishBoatPA app, which is available free from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
As mentioned earlier, all waters designated as Stocked Trout Waters are closed to all fishing from Feb. 20 until the first day of trout season, with the exception of the Mentored Youth Trout Fishing Day. Another exception are waters included in the Stocked Trout Waters Open to Year-Round Fishing program. In our area, there are three lakes in this program: Koon Lake in Bedford County; Canoe Creek Lake in Blair County; and lake Perez in Huntingdon County. These waters are open to fishing from Feb. 20 until the opening of trout season, however, no trout may be taken or possessed on these waters during this period.