DEC: Spring trout fishing season starts April 1

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reminds fishing enthusiasts that April 1 marks the beginning of spring trout fishing season. The harvest season will begin after year-round fishing was greenlit on most streams in 2021, with the “artificial lures only, catch-and-release” season kicking off on October 16, 2023, and ending on March 31.

“The mild winter afforded New Yorkers some trout fishing opportunities during the catch-and-release season,” Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “However, April 1, the traditional opening day of inland trout fishing season, brings the excitement to another level as spring arrives and the state’s streams and ponds are stocked to provide additional opportunities for anglers.”

1,909,450 catchable-size brook, brown, and rainbow trout have been stocked in streams by the DEC beginning in March. DEC’s spring trout stocking will include more than 1.9 million trout being stocked in waters statewide, offering extended fishing opportunities to anglers in New York State.