State quietly opens trout season early as COVID-19 precaution
Across the state, trout season opened unexpectedly Tuesday. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission opened the fishing season with no prior announcement abruptly at 8 a.m. as a COVID-19 precaution to avoid the crowds that traditionally gather for the season opener.
The measure allows properly licensed anglers and youth to begin fishing for and harvesting trout immediately.
All regulations, sizes and creel limits apply. Private property laws apply.
“We realize that this announcement is another disruption to tradition, but it is in the best interest of public health and safety,” said Tim Schaeffer, PFBC executive director, in a statement. “We have already seen that anglers and boaters across the Commonwealth are willing to adapt their behavior to include social distancing, and we ask everyone to follow their lead while enjoying outdoor activities during this challenging time. The trout we have been stocking have had time to spread out, and so should you.”
The agency said the decision was made in consultation with the office of Gov. Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The decision was intended to “discourage concentrated gatherings of people
that may have occurred on the traditional opening day, to minimize intrastate and interstate travel and to reduce the threat of illegal poaching in waters that have already been stocked.”
The scheduled opening was to be April 18 in all counties. A statewide Mentored Youth fishing day April 11 has been canceled.
Anglers and boaters were urged to abide by social distancing guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the governor’s stay-at-home order regarding COVID-19.
“Groups of people will be advised to spread out,” said Mike Parker, Fish and Boat spokesman. “Under the governor’s order, outdoor recreation is only an approved activity if guidelines are followed. … We can’t have a situation where people are bouncing from creek to creek and fishing the way they’ve always fished. It’s just too dangerous this year.”
Non-resident Pennsylvania fishing license holders should comply with the CDC travel advisory urging residents in several states, including New York and New Jersey, to refrain from nonessential domestic travel.
Fishing and boating is permitted in Pennsylvania state parks and state forests. DCNR is encouraging people to fish and conduct other outdoor recreation within 15 minutes of their homes. Anglers should note that state park facilities, including restrooms, may be closed.
“Outdoor recreational activities, including fishing, lift our spirits and help relieve stress, but they need to be done with attention to social distancing guidelines to help protect ourselves and others, and slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Cindy Adams Dunn, DCNR secretary, in a statement. “That means practicing physical distancing of six feet, avoiding crowds and staying close to home, and being prepared with a mask and hand sanitizer.”
Stocking in Approved Trout Waters has not been completed. Mr. Parker said PFBC staff will continue to stock trout throughout the spring. Previously announced stocking schedules were scrapped weeks ago to limit workers’ exposure to the virus. No workers, he said, were known to have contracted COVID-19. Urban areas and other popular trout-fishing locations open to fishing were given priority, but access to some waters may be restricted by landowners or municipal governments.
“Some places have not been stocked yet. Other places, people are going to find lots of fish because multiple stockings planned through spring were combined into one stocking,” said Mr. Parker.
The 3.2 million state-raised trout, and another million raised in cooperative hatcheries, will ultimately be stocked, he said.
The Mentored Youth Trout Day will not take place as scheduled. The PFBC said it will honor all Voluntary Youth Fishing Licenses purchased in 2020 for all mentored youth fishing opportunities during the 2021 season.
The decision to open the season without giving anglers prior notification was difficult, said Mr. Parker.
“We had a full range of options, from no change to closing trout season entirely,” he said. “There was some disagreement [among Fish and Boat commissioners]. But the executive director’s decision, it was agreed, was the best way to protect anglers’ health and not spread the disease.”
He said Fish and Boat, Mr. Wolf and the Department of Health recommend that people practice the following social distancing guidelines while fishing to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
• Stay home if you do not feel well.
• Keep at least 6 feet, the length of a standard fishing rod, between you and the nearest angler.
• To protect particularly vulnerable children and seniors from the virus, people who do not live under the same roof, including family members and friends, should be extremely careful. Children may unexpectedly require assistance that brings mentors within 6 feet or in direct contact. Keep children from wandering into the personal space of others.
• Cover your face with a mask or cloth covering.
• Avoid crowds. If you arrive at a fishing spot that is already occupied, find another location.
• Do not share fishing gear.
• Do not carpool.