Spring Trout Fishing Season starts April 1 (DEC)
The spring trout fishing season starts tomorrow, April 1.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s extensive spring stocking includes nearly 1.9 million trout in waters statewide.
The stocking of catchable-size brook, brown, and rainbow trout stocked in ponds and streams across the state is continuing through early June. ‘Stocked-Extended’ streams, specified in the Inland Trout Streams Regulations section of the Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide, will receive fish every other week for two months to provide season-long opportunities for angler success. Most stream stockings will include larger stocked trout (12 inches or greater) as 10 percent of the total number. Spring trout stocking lists, including the scheduled week of stocking for trout streams, can be found at the DEC’s website.
Hatcheries met the production target for rainbow and brown trout, but drought conditions in 2024 caused water supply constraints at some hatcheries, inhibiting brown trout growth. Therefore, many stocked brown trout will be less than the desired nine inches in length at the time of stocking.
Brook trout production was affected by an outbreak of whirling disease at the Randolph hatchery and related DEC actions at the Bath hatchery earlier this month. Many streams will receive fewer brook trout this season. To offset this loss, some ponds will receive surplus brown trout and rainbow trout. Brook trout reared for Adirondack ponds were not exposed to whirling disease so these fingerlings will be stocked as planned.
Whirling disease is a parasite that affects trout and salmon, causing the fish to swim in circles, develop blackened tails, or have spinal deformities. It was likely introduced from wild fish in a pond that feeds Randolph hatchery. Whirling disease is not harmful to humans or other mammals but there is no known cure for whirling disease in fish.
Brook trout at Randolph hatchery were euthanized to control the disease. Brook trout at Bath hatchery that were transferred from Randolph earlier this year were also euthanized to further prevent the spread. Whirling disease is controlled through depopulation, so the impacts should be limited to this season. The DEC controlled this disease at Randolph Hatchery through depopulation when it was detected at the facility about 30 years ago.
DEC Fisheries staff are developing strategies to mitigate potential outbreaks of the disease at hatcheries in the future. Anglers and boaters can do their part on waterways by following recommended guidelines, such as properly cleaning, draining, and drying their boats and gear to lessen the likelihood of spreading whirling disease and other invasive plants, animals, and diseases.
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