Trout, Salmon Fishing Season Set To Start In NYS

Get your rods and reels ready. Trout and salmon fishing season will begin in New York Monday, April 1. Anglers can look forward to good fishing with this spring's planned trout stocking for 2.33 million catchable-size brook, brown and rainbow trout in 311 lakes and ponds and 2,845 miles of streams across the state.

In addition, the DEC will stock nearly 1.5 million yearling lake trout, steelhead, landlocked salmon, splake and coho salmon this spring, according to information from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

Stocking supports the state's growing sport-fishing industry, which generates an estimated $1.8 billion in economic activity each year.

To find the plan for your county's spring trout stocking, visit the DEC's website by clicking here.

Cuomo said, in a prepared statement, that New York is home to world-class trout and salmon fishing in almost every corner of the state.

"Heading out on opening day is a cherished tradition for generations of families, and I encourage New Yorkers and visitors alike to get outside and enjoy all the great fishing that our water have to offer," he said.

Spring stockings will include 1.74 million brown trout, 433,855 rainbow trout and 157,200 brook trout. Approximately 97,000 2-year-old brown trout 13 to 14 inches in length are included in the brown trout total. Brown trout and landlocked salmon can be caught early in the season and close to shore in many of New York's larger waterbodies, such as Lake George, Lake Champlain and select Finger Lakes.

For those who prefer a more remote setting, almost 311,000 brook trout fingerlings will be stocked in 350 backwoods lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks this spring and fall, providing unique angling opportunities for future years. New York's protective air quality regulations have led to the recovery of ponds damaged by acid rain, allowing for the restoration of fish to these waters. Eleven of these newly recovered ponds will be stocked in 2019. Anglers should not forget the many opportunities to catch wild trout in waters that don't appear on the stocking lists such as the Delaware tailwaters below the Cannonsville and Pepacton Reservoirs.

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