In 2024, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 697 streams and 129 lakes open to public angling.
Approximately 2.4 million rainbow trout; 702,000 brown trout; and 132,000 brook trout will be stocked in Pennsylvania streams and other waterways.
The average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds.
The 2024 trout average size and total numbers of fish stocked are similar to the number of trout stocked over the past decade.
PFBC will also stock approximately 70,000 brood fish, which are 2.5 to 3.5 year-old hatchery-raised rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout measuring 14-20 inches.
Roughly 70% of the larger brood trout will be stocked into streams and lakes during the preseason prior to opening day of trout season, and 30% will be stocked during in-season replenishment stockings.
In 2024, the PFBC will stock approximately 14,000 golden rainbow trout weighing an average of 1.5 pounds. Prized by anglers, these unusual trout are identified by vibrant golden-orange pigmentation.
Approximately 75% of golden rainbow trout will be stocked during the preseason, and approximately 25% will be stocked in-season.
In addition to trout raised at state fish hatcheries, PFBC cooperative nurseries operated by sportsmen’s clubs and other groups across the state will add another one million trout to waters open to public angling throughout the year.
PBFC publishes a trout stocking schedule that is searchable by county, lists the waterways in alphabetical order, and indicates stocking dates, meeting locations for volunteers, and the species of trout that are planned to be stocked at each location.
Once again included in this year’s stocking lists are the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters, a program where sections of 24 streams across the state are stocked with large trout measuring 14-20 inches and managed under Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only or Miscellaneous Special regulations.
Under the program, approximately 10,000 large trout will be distributed among the streams. The trout will be stocked at a rate of 175 to 225 per mile of stream, which is comparable to the numbers of similarly sized fish in Pennsylvania’s best wild trout waters.
In 2024, Pennsylvania’s statewide Opening Day of Trout Season will be held on Saturday, April 6. A single, statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day will take place on Saturday, March 30.
To participate in trout fishing and keep trout, anglers ages 16 and older are required to possess both a fishing license and a trout permit.
Anglers and boaters can purchase 2024 Pennsylvania fishing licenses, launch permits, and boat registration renewals on the PFBC website, the FishBoatPA mobile app, or by visiting one of approximately 700 retail license issuing agents.
source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission