The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Trout season set to begin on April 1
State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos reminded New Yorkers of the April 1 start of the trout fishing season, a spring tradition bolstered by DEC’S extensive stocking program and New York’s world-renowned wild trout fisheries.
DEC’S spring trout stocking, which began in March and runs through early June, will include more than 1.9 million trout being stocked in waters statewide, enhancing the diversity of excellent fishing opportunities available to anglers in New York State.
“The mild winter afforded New Yorkers some trout fishing opportunities during the catch-and-release season,” Seggos said. “However, April 1, the traditional opening day of inland trout fishing season, brings the excitement to another level as spring arrives and the state’s streams and ponds are stocked to provide additional opportunities for anglers.”
April 1 marks the opening of
the harvest season after yearround fishing was greenlit on most streams in 2021, with the implementation of an Oct.16 to March 31 “artificial lures only, catch-and-release” season.
DEC trout stocking began in March and will include the placement of 1,909,450 catchable size brook, brown, and rainbow trout in streams and ponds across the state by early June.
Stocked-extended streams, listed in the Inland Trout Streams Regulations section of the freshwater fishing regulations guide, will receive fish every other week for two months to enhance season-long opportunities for angler success. Most streams will also receive a seeding of larger stocked trout. Spring trout stocking lists, including the week of stocking for trout streams, may be found at https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/ freshwater-fishing/stocking/ spring-trout-stocking
Visit https://dec.ny.gov/ get-involved/huntfishny-mobile-app for more information on the Huntfishny app and Tackle Box feature. Anglers can view trout stream reaches, color-coded by management category, and fishing access associated with those reaches on the Decinfo Locator at https://gisservices.dec.ny.gov/gis/dil/.
Links to the Trout Stream Fishing Map at https://dec. ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/troutstream-fishing-map-guide and a User Guide as well as fishing regulations and planned stockings listed by county are available on the DEC website.
A digital version of the 2024 guide is available to download at https://dec.ny.gov/thingsto-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations. Hard copies are available wherever sporting licenses are sold.