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HARRISBURG -- Anglers looking forward to Pennsylvania's popular spring trout season have another tool at their fingertips. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is pleased to make its 2023 adult trout stocking schedule available using the FishBoatPA mobile app and website (Fishandboat.com).
"While many anglers still have their rods and tackle boxes stored away for the winter, the release of our trout stocking schedule is always highly anticipated and is a reminder that spring fishing opportunities are just around the corner," said Brian Wisner, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Hatcheries. "This schedule is the blueprint we use as we build a world-class stocked trout fishery in all corners of the Commonwealth over the next several weeks. Anglers can review the stocking schedule to find out which local waters will be ready for some great fishing very soon. So, buy your fishing license and trout permit, get your gear ready, and start planning now for those trout fishing adventures that await."
The trout stocking schedule is searchable by county, lists the waterways in alphabetical order, and indicates stocking dates, meeting locations for volunteers, and the species of trout that are planned to be stocked at each location. In 2023, Pennsylvania's statewide Opening Day of Trout Season will be held on Saturday, April 1. A single, statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day will take place on Saturday, March 25.
To prepare for the start of the season, stocking operations are set to begin the week of Feb. 21. Anglers should note that fishing is not permitted on lakes and streams designated as Stocked Trout Waters from Feb. 21 to the opening day of trout season, with the exception of the Mentored Youth Trout Fishing Day, unless waters are included in the Stocked Trout Waters Open to Year-Round Fishing program.
3.2 Million Trout
In 2023, the PFBC will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 697 streams and 126 lakes open to public angling. These figures, which are consistent with the number of trout stocked over the past decade, include approximately 2.3 million Rainbow Trout; 707,000 Brown Trout; and 168,000 Brook Trout. As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds.
Volunteers
The PFBC will be welcoming volunteers to help distribute approximately 3.2 million hatchery-raised adult trout to hundreds of waterways statewide throughout the 2023 season. The PFBC is proud to partner with conservation groups, schools, and walk-up volunteers to help spread out the trout in local waterways. Volunteers are asked to keep the safety of PFBC staff and other volunteers in mind and obey traffic laws while following stocking vehicles.
Licenses and Permits
To participate in trout fishing and keep trout, anglers ages 16 and older are required to possess both a fishing license and a trout permit. Anglers and boaters can start preparing for opening day of trout season right now by purchasing their 2023 Pennsylvania fishing licenses, launch permits, and boat registration renewals online at www.fishandboat.com, the FishBoatPA mobile app, or by visiting one of approximately 700 retail license issuing agents. By purchasing licenses and permits online, customers can save time and avoid long lines in stores when waiting to purchase a license closer to the start of trout season. Anglers may store an image of their license digitally on their phones as proof of possession.
The PFBC thanks anglers for supporting aquatic resource conservation and recreation programs through the purchase of their fishing licenses. The PFBC is a user-funded agency that receives no Pennsylvania General Fund tax revenue. Funding generated through the sale of fishing licenses supports hatchery operations, fisheries management, law enforcement, and infrastructure improvements to provide high-quality and convenient public access to fishing and boating opportunities.
Adult trout stocking program changes
Each year, the PFBC adjusts its adult trout stocking program based on several factors. A waterway may be added, extended, reinstated, or removed depending on existing or pending changes to angler access, changes to designations on streams managed for wild trout populations, water quality issues that may threaten the survival of stocked trout, and maintenance being performed to dams and other infrastructure that result in the drawdown of impoundments or decreased water flow.
Waters replaced
When survey data suggests that a waterway is no longer suitable for adult trout stocking based on a loss of angler access, environmental factors, or designation as a Class A wild trout stream, the PFBC makes every attempt to reallocate fish to a comparable location nearby. When inadequate angler access is the reason for a removal, locations are monitored for improvement, so these waters can be considered for reinstatement to the stocking program if access is improved. When a water is designated as a Class A wild trout stream, it is among the "best of the best" of the wild trout streams in Pennsylvania. These streams support a population of natural reproducing trout of sufficient size and abundance that support a long-term, year-round fishery, and do not require stocking to maintain angling opportunities. Removing a newly designated Class A stream from the Stocked Trout Waters (STW) program allows the PFBC to optimize stocked trout angling opportunities by establishing a new STW in a nearby water or improving existing opportunities in a nearby STW by increasing the allocation of fish stocked during the preseason and/or in-season stocking periods.
Childrens Lake,
Cumberland County
This 8.9-acre impoundment will be temporarily removed from the trout stocking program due to a complete drawdown of the lake currently underway to allow for maintenance and repairs to the dam. Maintenance and repairs are scheduled to be completed in 2023, and the lake will be reinstated to the trout stocking program once conditions allow following refill.
Seven Mountains Boy Scout Pond, Centre County
This 2.5-acre impoundment will be removed from the adult trout stocking program due to a complete drawdown of the pond to allow for maintenance and repairs to the dam and spillway. Maintenance and repairs are scheduled to be completed in 2023, and the pond will be reinstated to the trout stocking program once conditions allow following refill.