PA 2017 Adult Trout Stocking Schedules Now Available

Scott Shindledecker

Scott Shindledecker

Published February 2, 2017 5:31 am
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HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced Wednesday that the 2017 adult trout stocking schedules are now available online and on the PFBC’s “FishBoatPA” mobile app.

Anglers can easily search the trout stocking schedules for locations and dates of interest.

To view the list, simply go to www.fishandboat.com, click on the link “Fish” in the upper right corner, then select Trout Stocking Scheduleshttps://fbweb.pa.gov/stocking/TroutStockingDetails_GIS.aspx. From there, select a county and enter start and end dates from the calendars at the top of the page. Then press “Go.”

For anglers with smartphones, an even easier way to view the schedules is through the FishBoatPA app, which is available for free from the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Included in this year’s stocking lists are the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters, a program where 14 waters across the state will be stocked with large trout, measuring 14-20 inches.

Approximately 4,500 large trout will be distributed among the 14 waters at a rate of 175 to 225 per mile, which is comparable to the numbers of similarly sized fish in Pennsylvania’s best wild trout waters.

The program was launched last year with eight waters. This year six new waters are being added, including Oil Creek. Select here to see the complete list of waters.

The 2017 season will open March 25 for the Mentored Youth Trout Day program in 18 southeastern counties, including: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York.

The following weekend – April 1 – kicks off the Regional Opening Day of Trout Season in the same 18 southeastern counties.

A second Mentored Youth Day will be held on April 8, the Saturday before the April 15 regular opening day of trout season for the rest of the state.

“The mentored youth program has been a very popular program from the moment we launched it in 2013,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “It encourages adults to take kids fishing, to show them that fishing is fun, and to promote active, outdoor recreation.”

To participate in the mentored youth program, adult anglers (16 years or older) must have a valid fishing license and trout permit and be accompanied by a youth.

Youth anglers must obtain a free PFBC-issued permit, or a voluntary youth fishing license (only $2.90including all fees). Both are available at www.GoneFishingPA.com or at any of the more than 900 licensing agents across the state.

For every voluntary youth license sold, the PFBC receives approximately $5 in federal revenue from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Act program, which provides funds to states based on a formula that includes the number of licenses a state sells.

All revenues earned from a voluntary youth fishing license are dedicated to youth fishing programs.

The PFBC annually stocks approximately 3.15 million adult trout in more than 720 streams and 120 lakes open to public angling.

These figures include approximately 2 million rainbow trout; 640,000 brown trout; and 500,000 brook trout. As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length.

In addition to these fish, the PFBC plans to stock about 8,700 trophy golden rainbow trout that weigh an average of 1.5 pounds and measure at least 14 inches long. Also, PFBC cooperative nurseries run by sportsmen’s clubs across the state will add another 1 million trout to waters open to public angling.

A majority of the trout waters will be stocked in advance of the mentored youth days. But some of the waters may not be stocked in time due to weather, water conditions and scheduling logistics.

Also, special regulation areas, like Catch and Release Fly-Fishing Only or Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only, are not included in the mentored youth program.

Changes for the 2017 season include new waters, waters restored to the stocking program, and the removal of waters from the stocking program.

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