Tuesday is the opening day of trout season here in New York. The season in Pennsylvania opens the following Saturday, April 5.

Trout fishing is a huge thing here in the Sullivan County Catskills and we have some world renowned trout streams. Roscoe, NY, in my unbiased opinion, correctly lays claim to the title of Trout Town, USA.

The DEC will be stocking 1,873,980 rainbow, brown and brook trout throughout the state between mid-March and early June, according to their website. These trout will all be of a legal size to be caught by anglers.

The state hatcheries were able to meet their goals for brown and rainbow trout but some of the browns are undersized due to lack of sufficient water from the drought, apparently. The brook trout have been affected by an outbreak of whirling disease at the Randolph hatchery which then was spread to the one at Bath.

On a historical note, whirling disease was found and eradicated at the Randolph hatchery about 30 years ago. The DEC has a plan in place to do the same thing this time. Apparently the disease came from native fish in a pond upstream of the hatchery that feeds it water.

FYI, whirling disease has no effect on humans. It is caused by a parasite that attacks a trout or salmon’s spine and makes the fish swim in circles (hence the name). It causes spinal deformities and sometimes results in a blackened tail fin.

There are plenty of resources available to trout fishermen on the DEC website. In addition to the 2025 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide (a must read because the rules vary literally from stream to stream and even on different sections of the same stream), there is a Trout Stream Fishing Map and User Guide. All of the stocking locations and numbers by County are on the website in a PDF file.

For folks that are new to trout fishing there are a series of YouTube videos on the DEC’s channel as well as the I FISH NY Beginner’s Guide to Freshwater Fishing booklet. Apparently, as part of the Governor’s “Get Offline, Get Outside” Initiative, there is now a program in libraries throughout the state where folks can check out a pole, just like checking out a book to read, and try fishing without having to invest in any gear. I have to admit that until researching this week’s column, I was unaware of such a program. Check with your local library to see if they are a participant.

Let’s all grab a pole and go catch some trout while we enjoy the outdoors!

John S. Van Etten is the current president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.