THE mild winter and current weather conditions should make tomorrow’s trout opener in New York State about as ideal as you’ll find for the first day of April.
Most of you will no doubt wait for the weekend, but for those of you who will be telling your boss that you’ve come down with a 24-hour virus, trout stocking is already underway and you should be able to find fish without any problems.
For the third consecutive year, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation is conducting experimental stocking of two-year-old browns that average 12-13 inches in length, with some as long as 15 inches. About 82,000 of these larger fish will be placed in 152 lakes and streams around the state. Overall, the DEC plans to stock 2.38 million catchable-size brook, brown and rainbow trout across the state.
If you’re heading upstate for the weekend, the first effects of spring are felt in the Hudson River Valley, where many of the streams were stocked during the past two weeks. You’ll find the most popular early season waters are Wappinger Creek, Peekskill Hollow Brook, the Bronx and Sawmill Rivers as well as the Ramapo.
In the Catskills, stocking is delayed until later in April to allow flows to recede and water temperatures to rise. In these streams, which include the storied waters of the Beaverkill, Willowemoc, Neversink and Esopus, you’ll find left over trout from previous years can provide good early season fishing.
On the Delaware River, the trout season does not begin until April 17.Other areas in Hudson Valley/Catskill region include 17 New York City reservoirs. Large brown trout, including occasional fish more than 20 pounds, can be found in these waters. Ashokan Reservoir also is famous for large rainbows that are produced upstream in the Esopus drainage basin. Lake trout are present in some of the deeper reservoirs, including Kensico and Rondout, The Neversink Reservoir provides the region’s only landlocked salmon fishery. You need both a state fishing license and NYC watershed permit, which can be obtained NYC offices in Shokan, Downsville, Grahamsville and Carmel, to fish the reservoirs.
The DEC will tag 1000 large trout scheduled to be stocked in Esopus Creek in Ulster County. If you catch one of these fish you are asked to send the tag, or its number, to DEC Region 3, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561. Be sure to include information on where and when the fish was caught and whether it was harvested or released.
Long Island lakes, ponds and streams generally provide excellent early season trout fishing. By the end of April, almost 27,000 trout, including 1900 two-year-old browns and 3000 12-inch rainbows will have been stocked on Long Island. For the best fly fishing this time of year, or almost any time of year, the Carmans, Connetquot and Nissequogue rivers in Suffolk County are highly recommended.
