NEW YORK STATE — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton recently announced the April 1 start of the spring trout fishing season. DEC’s extensive spring stocking includes nearly 1.9 million trout in waters statewide, enhancing the diversity of fishing opportunities available to anglers across the state. 

“While anglers willing to brave the cold can enjoy catch-and-release fishing for inland trout all year, the April 1 opener of the harvest season is still a much-anticipated date in New York,” said Lefton. “This is the true beginning of a long-awaited spring and a perfect time to get outside and enjoy time along a waterway near you.”

DEC trout stocking is in full swing with 1,873,980 catchable-size brook, brown and rainbow trout stocked in ponds and streams across the state from mid-March through early June. Spring trout stocking lists, including the scheduled week of stocking for trout streams, can be found at dec.ny.gov.  

The Trout Stream Fishing Map at dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/trout-stream-fishing-map-guide allows anglers to view trout stream reaches, color-coded by management category, as well as fishing access associated with those reaches. 

Anglers can also use smartphones to find trout fishing opportunities around the state by accessing the Tackle Box feature in DEC’s HuntFishNY app. The Tackle Box provides information on access sites, stocking, regulations and more. To download the app, visit www.dec.ny.gov.

To help make fishing more affordable and help inspire the next generation of anglers, DEC partners with many libraries across the state to provide a free fishing rod lending program. In addition to borrowing a book, library patrons can sign out a fishing rod and try fishing before purchasing gear.

The DEC reminds readers that information about fishing is available at www.dec.ny.gov.