Feb 7, 2021 By Ben Moyer, For The Greene County Messenger 5 min read

Not long ago it was a routine event. But in this time of quarantined confinement, topped by a wintry blast, it’s welcome news. The Fish and Boat Commission has announced its trout stocking schedule for the 2021 fishing season.

“While winter seems to be here to stay for a while, the release of our stocking schedule is always a welcome reminder that spring will be here before we know it,” said Brian Wisner, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Hatcheries. “We’re happy to provide these stocking dates to anglers so they can learn which local waters will be ready for great fishing in a few weeks.”

All local streams and lakes that are normally stocked are on the schedule again. But the trout season dates are different from the rhythm anglers had grown accustomed to pre-pandemic. The 2021 trout season will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 3 statewide. This opening is about two weeks earlier than the traditional opening day here which for many years fell on a Saturday in mid-April. The statewide Mentored Youth Trout Fishing Day will be one week earlier on March 27.

The early opening will require that Fish and Boat stock earlier than in the past. Popular local streams like Dunbar Creek and Meadow Run are scheduled for stocking in late February or the first week of March, which could prove a challenge considering the deep snowpack across the mountain area, and cold weather predicted over foreseeable days.

After stocking, all stocked streams, except for special regulation areas, will be closed to fishing from Feb. 15 until the Mentored Youth Day on March 27, and will close again until general opening day on April 3.

Lakes, reservoirs, and ponds will have a different rule. Non-flowing waters stocked with trout, such as Dunlap Creek Lake and Virgin Run Lake locally, will be open to fishing immediately after stocking, but no trout may be creeled until general opening day on April 3, except by eligible young anglers on Youth Mentor Day, March 27.

Virgin Run Lake is slated for stocking in late February. Dunlap Creek Lake will get its first shipment of state-stocked trout in mid-March.

The Fish and Boat Commission is also making changes in the way fish get placed in the stream. Formerly, many anglers enjoyed meeting the stocking trout unannounced, then volunteering to help carry the sloshing buckets of trout to the creek. This informal rite of spring helped boost anglers’ anticipation for the fishing ahead. But because of social-distancing concerns, that impromptu melee has been discontinued.

Instead, in accordance with public safety recommendations from the Governor’s office and Pennsylvania Dept. of Health, volunteers will be recruited from an existing pool who have traditionally assisted with float stocking and bucket carrying organized through local conservation organizations, schools, and other groups. All volunteers selected will be required to wear personal protective gear, including masks and gloves, and practice social distancing while participating in stocking operations.

“We realize that people really enjoy meeting the stocking truck to see some of the beautiful trout we’ve been raising at our hatcheries, and maybe even carry a few buckets to the water,” added Wisner. “We look forward to the day when we can welcome everybody back to help us stock again, but in the meantime, we thank the anglers for their understanding as we try to protect the safety of our staff and the public.”

Another difference some anglers may notice is that Fish and Boat will stock fewer brook trout, replaced by greater numbers of rainbow trout. The agency began this “phasing-out” of stocked brook trout in 2019. Studies of stocked trout movements showed that rainbow trout yield a greater catch-return to anglers because they tend to move less within streams. Rainbow trout are also less likely to serve as hosts for the invasive gill lice that are known to infest brook trout, presenting a threat to populations of wild brook trout in some watersheds.

Fish and Boat plans to stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 701 streams and 128 lakes open to public angling. These include 2.2 million Rainbow Trout; 686,000 Brown Trout; and 293,000 Brook Trout. Their average size is 11 inches in length. But an agency press release stated more big trout, 14-20 inches in length, will be stocked this season.

Anglers who enjoy catching golden rainbow trout will be glad to know that about 13,000 of these vibrantly colored fish will be stocked statewide. The golden rainbow, first developed by West Virginia hatchery personnel to celebrate the Mountain State’s centennial in 1963, were selectively bred from regular rainbow trout that showed small mutant gold spots. Fish and Boat says these popular fish will average 1.5 pounds.

Artificial stocking of trout is necessary because wild trout fisheries, although they exist, mostly in remote areas, cannot support the intense demand for recreational fishing. Most state fishery management agencies, including the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, have adjusted their stocking programs in recent years to reduce the negative impact on wild populations caused by stocking hatchery fish in those waters. Look for more informed progress in balancing stocking with wild trout management in the future.

You can find the 2021 trout stocking schedule on the Fish and Boat Commission’s webpage: www.fishandboat.com

Ben Moyer is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association.