While you may have celebrated the mild winter we received here in Central New York, if you're a fisherman, you'll celebrate even more. Thanks to the mild winter, many streams are being stocked early with trout before April 1st.

According to Outdoor News, the DEC are hard at work stocking these streams earlier than the April 1st date. Get ready for some great fishing.

“We don’t do a real lot of pre-April 1 stocking, but we do some,” DEC Fisheries Bureau Chief Phil Hulbert said earlier this month. “We like to have the waters warm up a little (before stocking trout). But the regional managers feel it’s important to get some fish out, and they identify waters where stocking is appropriate, weather permitting.”

And as of late week, the weather was poised to allow for many streams across the state to potentially receive their trout allocation prior to opening day. Even in the North Country, some waters are stocked with trout ahead of April 1st to give anglers the opportunity to observe the season kickoff. Statewide, DEC officials said trout production this year was solid.

Make sure you have your fishing license ready for the 2016 season.


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