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New York Opens for Trout and Salmon Fishing on April 1

By Tony Farina

Opening day for a trout fisherman.
A sumptuous reward for success.

Opening day for trout and salmon fishing is April 1 with high, cold water and icy banks and streambeds anticipated which could make for a dangerous early season angling, particularly in northern areas of the state.


Trout and salmon are popular sportfish in New York State with nearly 6 million days spent annually by New York anglers in search of trout and salmon.


Opening day conditions may be less than ideal for fishing and early season trout are typically lethargic. Anglers will have best success using bait and lures such as spinners that can be fished slow and deep.  Fishing improves markedly once water temperatures warm later in the spring.  This also encourages aquatic insect activity, which will improve opportunities for those preferring to use fly fishing gear. 


Some of the best fishing of the year in lakes and ponds occurs immediately following ice out, which can be as late as May in some northern Adirondack ponds. 


DEC plans to stock more than 2.1 million catchable-size brook, brown and rainbow trout in 307 lakes and ponds and roughly 3,000 miles of streams across the state.  Spring stockings will include 1.51 million brown trout, 432,000 rainbow trout and 158,000 brook trout. 

Approximately 97,000 two-year-old brown trout 12-13 inches in length will also be stocked into lakes and streams across the state. 


Roughly 2.05 million yearling lake trout, steelhead, landlocked salmon, splake and coho salmon will be also be stocked by DEC this spring to provide exciting angling opportunities over the next several years.  For those who prefer a quieter, more remote setting, more than 330,000 brook trout fingerlings will be stocked in 342 lakes and ponds this spring and fall, providing unique angling opportunities for future years.


For a list of waters planned to be stocked with trout this spring, go to www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30465.html. 


New York State remains near the top in hunter and angler licenses, an estimated 1.88 million anglers and 823,000 hunters, indicating a mostly stable group of participants.

 



 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter - Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. www.niagarafallsreporter.com

Mar26, 2013