With Year-Round Trout Seasons, April 1 Marks End of
Catch-and-Release-Only and Start of Harvest Season
More Than 1.8 Million Trout Being Stocked Statewide
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos
Monday announced the upcoming start of the spring trout fishing season,
which provides excellent angling opportunities statewide thanks to the
State's extensive stocking program and considerable number of wild trout
fisheries. DEC's spring trout stocking begins in March and runs through
early June, and includes more than 1.8 million
trout stocked in waters statewide.
"Fishing in New York
State is a highly anticipated, world-class experience that brings
seasoned and amateur anglers to our waters in every corner of the State
every spring," Commissioner
Seggos said. "DEC's
extensive fish stocking efforts throughout the State are certain to
complement our existing healthy fisheries and make the upcoming harvest
season a success."
Trout Fishing
For decades, April 1 was the
traditional "opening day" of trout fishing season. This year,
the date marks the opening of the harvest season for trout because
year-round fishing was made available on most streams with the
implementation of an Oct. 16 - March 31 artificial lures-only catch-and-release
season.
Trout Stocking
DEC stocking trucks have
already begun hitting the roadways and trout stocking is in full swing
with 1,872,105 catchable brown, rainbow, and brook trout stocked in ponds
and streams across the State this spring. Stocked-Extended streams
(listed in the Trout Streams section of the 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, can be found at DEC's
website. Additionally, DEC recognizes some fisheries rely on stocked fish
to reach a certain size before they can be harvested. Visit DEC's website
to find locations
where these put-grow-and-take stockings of brook trout, lake trout, and
Atlantic salmon take place.
New Fishing Regulations
DEC recently announced the adoption
of new freshwater fishing regulations that
will take effect on April 1. Following a public comment period on draft
proposals earlier this year, the new regulations reflect the input and
support of the angling community in DEC's efforts to make fishing New
York's waters less complicated. Of particular interest to trout anglers
is a new statewide regulation for rainbow trout, brown trout, and splake.
The regulation creates consistency with inland trout regulations and
expands opportunities for year-round fishing. A complete
compilation of changes and an assessment of public comment associated
with the rulemaking can be found at DEC's
website.
New Trout Stream Signage
As part of DEC's efforts to
make fishing more enjoyable, DEC has posted "Management
Category" signs on most of the State's 1,500 miles of public fishing
rights. Management categories make a sharp distinction between wild trout
management (wild, wild quality, wild premier) and stocked trout
management (stocked, stocked-extended) - more details (PDF) can
be found at DEC's website. These signs convey not only the management
category for a particular stream reach, but also the regulations
associated with the reach. Anglers are advised to look for the white and
green signs with a trout when fishing trout streams with public fishing
rights.
Trout Stream Fishing
Opportunities
Last year DEC launched an
interactive Trout Stream Fishing Map to provide anglers with
one-stop-shopping for information about stocking, fishing access, season
dates, and regulations on DECinfo Locator.
Anglers will be able to view trout stream reaches color-coded by
management category and fishing access associated with those reaches.
These layers will allow trout stream anglers to plan their trips and find
their preferred trout stream fishing experiences. The Trout Stream
Fishing Map and a User Guide are available on
DEC's website. Anglers are encouraged to check out this valuable resource
when planning their next fishing trip.
2022 Freshwater Fishing
Regulations Guide
The new guide with
recently adopted regulations changes is
posted on the DEC website. Hard copies of the guide are currently being
produced and guides are anticipated to be available at License Issuing
Agents by the second week of April. Hard copies can also be requested by
emailing FWFish@dec.ny.gov. In
2021, DEC removed advertisements and articles from the annual fishing
regulations guide to make it easier to use. This approach and larger
print size continues this year, along with more improvements to
facilitate finding regulations. Measuring 5 ½ x 8 ½ inches, the new guide
allows anglers to keep a copy in their glovebox or tacklebox.
|
