Trout Fishing Season Opens April 1, 2021 in New York State. and this provides new inland trout stream regulations that also take effect April 1 and a new interactive trout stream fishing map.
In the future, every stream stocked receives some 12 inches or larger trout. The 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.
The new regulations are as follows:
- Harvest Season – April 1 – October 15 (All categories)
- Wild and stocked streams – daily limit is five trout, with no more than two over 12″
- Wild-quality and stocked-extended – daily limit is three trout, with no more than one over 12″
- Wild-premier – daily limit is one trout of any size
- Catch and release season: October 16 – March 31; artificial lures only (all inland trout streams); some exceptions apply.
For a full listing of categorized streams, visit DEC’s website (PDF).
New Interactive Trout Stream Fishing Map
Through a new interactive map on DECinfo Locator, anglers can access information on stocking, fishing access, season dates and regulations. All Wild-Quality, Wild-Premier, Stocked, and Stocked-Extended reaches are mapped, and Wild categorized reaches will be mapped later this year.
New for 2021, DEC streamlined its annual fishing regulations guide
Winter Fish Kills -New Yorkers may be seeing more dead fish in the water this spring than in past years. Winterkill occurs when snow that accumulates on the ice reduces the amount of light penetrating through the water, inhibiting the photosynthesis cycle in plants and reducing the amount of oxygen (a byproduct of the cycle) available to fish and other organisms. The problem is exacerbated when fish die, as the decomposition process also consumes any available oxygen in the pond.
