McKeesport, February 27, 2013 – State Sen. Jim Brewster today said local anglers can now access statewide trout stocking schedules online.
“While this may not guarantee that you’ll catch the big one, it sure can’t hurt your chances,” Brewster said. “I urge people who enjoy fishing to take a look at the wealth of information on the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s (PFBC) website.”
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[/frame]Brewster said the commission is stocking adult trout in a variety of lakes and streams statewide this year and has posted “where” and “when” those fish will be released at www.fishandboat.com. Anglers can easily search the trout stocking schedules for locations and dates of interest. He said the list can be reached through the link for 2013 Trout Stocking Schedules. Just select a county and start and end date from the calendars at the top of the page. Then press “Go.”
He said the search results will provide each body of water within a county that is scheduled for stocking, the section of water, the date, the species of trout, the meeting place and time, the hatchery stocking the section, the regulations that apply and even the latitude/longitude number.
Brewster said his local office staff stands ready to help those without computers or those who have trouble accessing the PFBC internet site.
The PFBC annually stocks approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 735 streams and 123 lakes. These figures include approximately 1.84 million rainbow; 836,000 brown; and 509,000 brook trout. As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches. The PFBC also plans to stock about 8,500 trophy golden rainbow trout that weigh an average of 1.5 pounds and measure at least 14 inches long.
Brewster said about 52 percent of the trout are stocked prior to opening day; 43 percent are stocked between opening day and June; and the rest are stocked from October through February of the following year.
He added that cooperative nurseries run by sportsmen’s clubs across the state will add another 1 million trout to waters close to them.
The 2013 season will open at area lakes and streams on April 13.
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