Metro

There’s no need to remind anyone that we are experiencing a “good, old-fashioned winter” throughout Pennsylvania.

A foot and a half of snow blankets most of our region, and except for one day this past week, temperatures haven’t been above the freezing mark for several weeks. Given those conditions, it seems a little bizarre to be announcing the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is set to begin its annual trout-stocking efforts next week, but that is indeed the situation.

The statewide trout season for 2026 will begin on Saturday, April 4 with the Mentored Youth Trout Day on Saturday, March 28. All designated stocked trout waters will be closed to all fishing from midnight on Monday until 8 a.m. on the opening of trout season in order to complete all the scheduled pre-eason trout stocking before the first day.

Trout stocking used to commence on March 1, but when the PFBC moved the opening day from Mid-April to the first Saturday of April back in 2022, the stocking schedule also had to be pushed forward to the third week of February. And the annual trout-stocking effort is no small endeavor.

During 2026, the PFBC will release about 3.2 million adult trout into 684 streams and 130 lakes around the state. These figures include approximately 2.3 million rainbow trout; 698,000 brown trout; and 128,000 brook trout.

The average size of trout stocked by the PFBC is expected to be 11 inches long and weigh 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 1.1 million trout to waters open to public angling.

During 2026, the PFBC will stock approximately 72,000 trophy-sized brood fish, which are trout that have been retained in the hatcheries for 2¢ to 3¢ years for breeding purposes and will measure 14 to 20 inches. A quick session with a calculator reveals that total shakes out to an average of 88 of these big fish per each of the 814 streams and lakes on the stocking list this year.

The PFBC will also stock approximately 18,000 golden rainbow trout during 2026. In addition to being stocked during the preseason period before opening day, these highly prized fish featuring vibrant golden-orange pigmentation and weighing an average of 1.5 pounds will be stocked during in-season replenishment stockings. Approximately 75 percent of the brood fish and the golden rainbows will be stocked during the preseason, and approximately 25 percent will be stocked during the in-season efforts.

Volunteers are welcome to come along and to help carry fish to the streams during any scheduled stocking. With the current snow and ice conditions, help carrying buckets of fish to the streams could be a huge help at some locations in the coming weeks.

Bad weather or high water may cause last-minute postponements of some stockings, so scheduled stockings are subject to change. Most stocked trout waters also receive at least one in-season stocking some time from the opening week of the season until late May. For complete information on the pre-season and in-season stocking schedules for other counties, check the PFBC website at www.fishandboat.com.

Anglers with smartphones can find the updated 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 of my deadline this week, eight streams in Blair County are scheduled to receive their preseason stocking during February. Blair Gap Run is scheduled to be stocked on Thursday, Feb. 19; the meeting place is the Rutter’s at 234 Kuhn Lane, Duncansville, at 10:30 a.m. Beaverdam Creek and the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River are scheduled to be stocked on Friday, Feb. 20 starting at 10:30 from the Sheetz at 12604 Dunning Highway in Claysburg. Poplar Run and South Poplar Run are scheduled to be stocked on Monday, Feb. 23; the meeting place is the Rutter’s at 234 Kuhn Lane, Duncansville, at 10:30 a.m.

Bald Eagle Creek is scheduled to be stocked on Tuesday, Feb. 24; meeting place is the Snappy’s in the village of Bald Eagle at 9:45 a.m. Clover Creek is scheduled to be stocked Wednesday, Feb. 25; the meeting place is the Henrietta Sportsman’s Club, 1448 Henrietta Road, Martinsburg at 10:30 a.m. Canoe Creek is scheduled to be stocked on March 4; meeting place is the Canoe Creek State Park office at 10:15 a.m.

Other preseason trout stockings scheduled in Blair County include Bells Gap Run and Vanscoyoc Run, which are scheduled to be stocked on March 13; meeting place is the Sheetz off the Bellwood exit off I-99 at 10:15 a.m. Canoe Creek Lake is scheduled to be stocked on March 27; meeting place is the Canoe Creek State Park office at 10:15 a.m.