Trending
After a few days of wonderful weather with temperatures approaching 60 degrees earlier this month, February was only too eager to remind us that it's still winter by dumping a couple of inches of snow on us one night last week.
As I brushed off my car the next morning, I enjoyed some satisfaction in the fact I had gone trout fishing on one of those nice days. Somehow, that made the snow-removal chore a little more bearable.
This year, the statewide trout season will begin on Saturday, April 6 with the Mentored Youth Trout Day on Saturday, March 30. That means the annual trout-stocking efforts of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission are set to take place during the coming weeks on waterways throughout Pennsylvania. All designated stocked trout waters will be closed to all fishing from midnight this Monday until 8 a.m. on the opening of trout season.
During 2024, the PFBC will release about 3.2 million adult trout into 697 streams and 129 lakes around the state. These figures include approximately 2.4 million rainbow trout; 702,000 brown trout; and 132,000 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 2024. 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 75 percent of those ugly, yellow freak fish will be stocked preseason and the other 25 percent during in-season stockings.
Volunteers are welcome to come along and to help carry fish to the streams during any scheduled stocking. Those looking for an excuse to get outside for a little late-winter exercise or to get a look at the fish that will be out there on opening day can come along and help with an upcoming stocking.
Seven streams in Blair County are scheduled to receive their preseason stocking during February. Blair Gap Run is scheduled to be stocked Friday, Feb. 23; 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 Monday, Feb. 26 starting at 10:15 from the Claysburg post office. Poplar Run and South Poplar Run will be stocked on Tuesday, Feb. 27; the meeting place is the Newry post office at 10:15 a.m. Bald Eagle Creek will be stocked on Wednesday, Feb. 28; meeting place is Route 220 in village of Bald Eagle at 9:45 a.m. Clover Creek will be stocked Thursday, Feb. 29; the meeting place is the Williamsburg post office at 10:15 a.m.
Other preseason trout stockings scheduled in Blair County include Canoe Creek Lake on March 4; meeting place is the Canoe Creek State Park office at 10:15 a.m. Canoe Creek will be stocked on March 11; 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 April 1; 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 are 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. 19 until the opening of trout season, however, no trout may be taken or possessed on these waters during this period,
There are also several special regulation waters in our region that are open to trout fishing during the closed season on a catch-and-release basis. The locations and restrictions of these areas are listed in the 2024 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary booklet that comes with your fishing license.