DEC Announces April 1 Start of Spring Trout Fishing Season

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the 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.   

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.