April 1 start of the spring trout fishing season, which provides excellent angling opportunities thanks to DEC’s annual stocking program and wild trout fisheries. DEC’s extensive spring stocking includes nearly 1.9 million trout in waters statewide, enhancing the diversity of fishing opportunities available to anglers across New York 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 Acting Commissioner 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.”
Spring Trout Stocking
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. ‘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 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.
March 2025 Whirling Disease Response
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. 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. Learn more about how to protect waters from invasive species on DEC’s webpage.
Trout Fishing Resources
The popular Trout Stream Fishing Map on DECinfo Locator allows anglers to view trout stream reaches, color-coded by management category, as well as fishing access associated with those reaches. Links to the Trout Stream Fishing Map and a User Guide are available on DEC’s website.
Anglers can also use smart phones to find trout fishing opportunities around the state by accessing the Tackle Box feature in DEC’s HuntFishNY app. The Tackle Box provides one-stop-shopping for information on access sites, stocking, regulations and more. Information on how to download the app can be found on DEC’s website. Anglers are encouraged to check out these valuable resources when planning their next fishing trip.
2025 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide
A digital version of the new guide is available to download on DEC’s website. Hard copies of the guide are available wherever sporting licenses are sold. For locations visit DEC’s website.
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. This affordable opportunity for people to try fishing before purchasing their own gear supports Governor Hochul’s “Get Offline, Get Outside” initiative, to promote physical and mental health by helping New York’s kids and families to put down their phones and computers, take a break from social media, and enjoy recreation and outdoor social gatherings. For more information and a list of participating libraries, visit the DEC’s website.
DEC offers a host of resources for those interested in getting started in fishing. The I FISH NY Beginners’ Guide to Freshwater Fishing provides information on everything from rigging up a fishing rod, to identifying catch, and understanding fishing regulations. There’s also a video series on the DEC’s YouTube channel that complements the Beginners’ Guide. Information about ‘learn to fish’ clinics and other mentoring opportunities are also available on DEC’s website.
Have all the Finger Lakes news from Finger Lakes News Radio delivered to your email every morning for FREE! Sign up by clicking here
