Trout stocking this fall and winter will have a few new twists as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission tries to encourage anglers to observe social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Stockings from October 1 through mid-December have been posted on the commission website but they are listed only by week rather than specific date, the commission announced Monday.
“This measure aims to provide some stocking information while continuing to discourage large gatherings planned around specific stocking events,” the commission explained in its announcement.
The commission also noted, “While there are usually fewer people fishing along lakes and streams during the fall and winter months, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, anglers who encounter other individuals or groups are encouraged to practice social distancing and remain at least 6 feet away (the length of a standard fishing rod) from other anglers who are not in your family group.”
The stockings will be done by commission staff, without volunteer assistance, Monday through Friday, and the schedule could change in response to local water conditions and other factors.
About 120,000 hatchery-raised rainbow, brown and brook trout will be stocked in more than 100 streams and lakes to replenish some of the most popular fishing spots across the state and to provide ice fishing opportunities as conditions allow throughout the winter.
Included on the stocking list are 32 waters in Pennsylvania state parks.
Trout stocked in fall and winter may be fished for immediately, but anglers ages 16 and older must have a valid Pennsylvania fishing license and trout permit.
During the extended trout fishing season September 1-February 28 the daily creel limit is three trout at least 7 inches each.
In spring the commission opted for an unannounced and sudden opening of the trout fishing season about 2 weeks early on a Tuesday rather than a Saturday followed by unannounced stockings by commission staff.
In April, as the traditional opening day of the trout fishing season approached, the commission worried about the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds that normally show up on the first day of the season.
“Spreading out that impact of the first day, that rush of activity,” overruled other considerations, Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the commission, explained at the time.
"The concern all along has not been with fishing. It was the number of folks that we would expect to see on opening day and our youth trout day, which is inherently a group activity.
“We considered the range of options available to us and what everyone coalesced around was what we did this morning,” which was the sudden opening of all trout seasons statewide on a Tuesday.
Other options considered ranged from continuing with the planned schedule to delaying the opening until the following month.
In spring the commission decided against posting any stocking schedules as “just one more way to not funnel anglers to specific locations,” he said.
Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
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September 22, 2020 at 08:00PM
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Altered fall trout stocking plan unveiled by Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission - pennlive.com
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