PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from March 24.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) reminds anglers that the opening day of trout fishing season is this Saturday, April 1.
Fishing licenses are required and can be purchased in person or online. Click here for a list of locations or to access the online application.
Anglers may begin casting their lines at 8 a.m. to catch the 3.2 million adult trout that the PFBC has stocked for the season. These trout are an average of 11 inches long and weigh a little over half a pound.
The agency has stocked and will continue to stock a variety of the fish, including rainbow, brown, brook, trophy-sized and golden rainbow trout throughout the season. A stocking schedule can be found here.
Nurseries will continue to raise trout to aid in stocking an additional 1 million trout as the season progresses.
The Commission reminds anglers that during the regular trout season (opening day through Labor Day), fishers may keep up to five trout per day measuring at least seven inches long. During an extended season from September 5 through February 19, 2024, the daily limit is three trout.
Here are the PFBC's proper catch-and-release techniques to use when harvesting is not permitted or anglers choose not to keep the trout they catch:
- Land your fish as quickly as possible and don't play the fish to exhaustion. Excessive stress and exhaustion increases post-release mortality.
- Use a landing net (rubber or rubberized mesh is best) to better control your catch and reduce trauma associated with handling.
- Keep the fish in the water as much as possible. The chance of a fish being injured increases the longer it is held out of the water.
- Wet your hands, your net, and other materials that touch the fish. Don't handle fish with a towel or rag. This helps to keep a fish's protective mucus or slime layer in place.
- Hold the fish upside down while removing the hook. This can calm the fish for quicker unhooking and release.
- Use hemostats or long nose pliers to aid in removing a hook quickly and safely. Use barbless hooks or pinch down barbs on existing hooks with small pliers to make removing hooks easier.
- When not possible to remove the hook without harming the fish, cut the line or harvest to eat (subject to season, length, and creel limits).
- Avoid contact with the gills and do not handle by placing your fingers under the operculum (gill cover).
- Hold the fish upright underwater after unhooking until it can swim away on its own. If necessary, gently hold the fish out of strong current until it revives.
If fishing from a boat, be aware that the PFBC's cold water life jacket requirement is in effect through the end of April. Under this rule, anyone aboard a boat 16 feet or less, including all canoes and kayaks, is required to wear a life jacket. Children ages 12 and under are always required to wear a lifejacket while boating in Pennsylvania.
The PFBC also reminds boaters that regulations have changed on lakes that permit only the use of electric motors, including all PFBC owned or controlled lakes, some state park lakes and other special regulation lakes specified under 58 Pa. Code § Chapter 111. Under these changes, electric motors of any size may be used, but they must not exceed slow, no wake speed on these select waters.