Regional Mentored Youth Trout Day set for this weekend
Call it an early casting call with the first of four stages of Pennsylvania’s much anticipated trout season set to kick off this Saturday, March 25, with our Southeastern Regional Mentored Youth Trout Day. Participating counties include Berks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties as well as 15 others: Adams, Bucks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York.
The next stage occurs on the Southeastern Regional opening day on April 1 followed by the statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day on April 8 and finally the regular statewide opener on March 15.
Now in its fourth year, the popular and occasionally controversial Mentored Youth Trout Day program provides adult mentors with an opportunity to take kids fishing before the traditional rush of the regional and statewide opening days of trout season.
The way the program was originally designed, mentors were permitted to creel a few trout themselves, leading some cranky old timers to complain that the program was an unwelcome break with tradition and that unethical mentors abused the program in order to pocket too many trout for themselves prior to the official opening day. But the program has been tweaked so that, although mentors are still allowed to fish, they must follow catch and release regulations. While some abuses may still linger, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PF&BC) firmly believes that the benefits of the program, particularly in recruiting youngsters into the ranks of life-long anglers, far outweigh any negatives.
“The Mentored Youth Trout Days program has developed into our premiere spring event for kids,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “Pennsylvania is a trout state and we have a rich history of celebrating the opening days with family and friends. The mentored youth program adds another chapter to this history by focusing solely on kids. It’s an opportunity to show them that fishing if fun and to promote active outdoor recreation.”
Last year more than 25,600 kids signed up to participate, either by purchasing a $1 voluntary youth fishing license or by acquiring a free mentored youth fishing permit. On these two days, participants can fish in any PFBC-stocked trout water. Kids can keep two trout which must measure at least seven inches. Mentors must have a fishing license and trout stamp. Because the program is focused on kids, adult mentors are encouraged to fish with the children and provide encouragement and tips, but they are now required to release their catch to the water unharmed.
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.
“It’s important for anglers to visit our website at fishandboat.com for an updated list so they know exactly what waters are being stocked,” added Arway. “We want mentors and kids to have fun and to catch fish, so we don’t want them to inadvertently show up at waters which have not been stocked.”
For anglers with smartphones, an easy way to view the stocking schedules is through the FishBoatPA app, which is available for free from the Apple App and Google Play stores.
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.
Another great smartphone resource for anglers, especially with trout season coming up, is the mobile device app Stream Map USA, brought to you courtesy of Mike Gogal and his Gogal Publishing Company out of Warrington.
This app lets you explore even the most remote rivers, lakes, and streams. Finding them is simple. Just type in a name and you immediately get turn-by-turn driving directions right to streamside. Search for any water across the entire region or limit your search by state or even search an individual county. Once you locate your water, simply touch the map to add a waypoint. Then tap “Go” for turnby-turn driving directions right to the water.
Stream Map USA’s searchable color coded maps can be viewed over roadmaps, satellite images, or high resolution topographic maps. It even includes USGS Stream Gauge markers that provides instant access to current water conditions through the US Geological Survey’s National Water Information Service.
Stream Map USA is currently available for purchase on the App Store and Google Play. Each edition is priced at $9.99 and can be installed on multiple devices including both phones and tablets. For those interested in learning more, visit StreamMapUSA.com or search for it in your phone’s app store.
An updated blueprint for continued management and protection of Pennsylvania’s fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
This revision updates the 2005 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan that has guided management of the Commonwealth’s troubled wildlife for the past ten years. The approved 2015-2025 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan ensures the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) remain eligible for federal funding through the State Wildlife Grant Program.
“The Service is confident that the Plan will yield great benefits for the conservation of Pennsylvania’s fish and wildlife resources,” said James W. Kurth, USFWS Deputy Director for Operations. “We look forward to working with you as you implement it.”
Using the best available science, the Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission coordinated the congressionally-required 10-year update of the Commonwealth’s existing wildlife action. Also contributing technical expertise to this reorganized and updated plan were federal and other state agencies, conservation organizations and several universities, including a small army of affiliated biologists and other professionals. Administered by both commissions, this plan is a road map for all Pennsylvanians interested in wildlife conservation.
“Our new plan keeps us on the course we charted for wildlife conservation a decade ago,” emphasized R. MatthewHough, Game Commission executive director. “But making progress and protecting imperiled species in the face of mounting development and environmental problems will not be easy. It will take a greater commitment from more Pennsylvanians and more funding for wildlife to stay the course.”
Tom Tatum is an outdoors columnist for Digital First Media. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.