Harrisburg, February 2, 2022 – Despite the news delivered by Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog today, State Senator Jim Brewster said there are real signs that spring is on the way.
“With due respect to Phil, for thousands of Pennsylvanians like me, this week’s release of the Trout Stocking Schedule is enough to let us know to start preparing for spring,” Brewster said. “It’s time for anglers across Pennsylvania to get their maps and equipment together to pick out their prime spots and be ready to cast.”
In Punxsutawney today, Phil predicted six more weeks of winter.
The trout stocking schedule is searchable by county, lists the waterways in alphabetical order and indicates stocking dates, meeting locations for volunteers, and the species of trout that will be stocked.
In 2022, Pennsylvania will return to a single, statewide Opening Day of Trout Season on April 2. A single, statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day will take place on Saturday, March 26. Under this change, which will result in a longer regular season for trout statewide, the practice of holding a separate regional opening day and mentored youth day for Pennsylvania’s 18 southeastern counties will no longer occur.
Senator Brewster, also the Chairman of the PA Senate Game & Fisheries Committee, volunteers annually to help with the stocking and urged others to do the same.
“Volunteering is a good way to give back to the sport that gives so much to families in our region,” he said. “It’s a great way to initiate young people into giving their time to help their communities.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will be welcoming the volunteers to help distribute approximately 3.2 million hatchery-raised adult trout to hundreds of waterways statewide throughout the 2022 season. The PFBC is proud to partner with conservation groups, schools, and walk-up volunteers to help spread out the trout in local waterways. Volunteers are asked to keep the safety of PFBC staff and other volunteers in mind, obey traffic laws while following stocking vehicles, and stay home if they are not feeling well.
For more information on trout stocking, visit the PFBC website.