Trout fishing season opens April 1 in St. Lawrence County and rest of the state.

The first day of trout fishing season is an anticipated event for thousands of anglers that will don their boots and head to their favorite fishing hole to wet a line and officially greet spring.

This year is a special year for inland trout fishing in New York as it represents the beginning of a new era of management based on the state’s new Trout Stream Management Plan, that was created in part by anglers, for anglers.

Through this plan, the Department of Environmental Conservation has made management of trout streams easier to understand and guided by fewer regulations. DEC hatcheries are changing production so yearling fish are larger.

In the future, every stream stocked receives some 12 inches or larger trout. DEC is drawing a distinct line between wild and stocked trout management, and beginning in 2021, habitat improvement serves as DEC’s primary tool for creating and retaining self-sustaining populations of wild trout.

Later on this year, DEC will also begin posting our stream access sites with new and updated information.

“Best of all, the fun does not have to stop in the fall as anglers will now be able to enjoy our trout stream resources through the fall and winter months thanks to the creation of a new catch and release season,” DEC said in a press release.