Trout season opens early amid coronavirus pandemic

Trout season opened Tuesday in Pennsylvania — almost two weeks ahead of schedule, according to the Fish and Boat Commission.

Trout fishing started at 8 a.m. The first day of the season had been slated for April 18.

“We realize that this announcement is another disruption to tradition, but it is in the best interest of public health and safety,” commission Director Tim Schaeffer said.

About two-thirds of the state’s trout have been stocked and employees are working long hours to make sure the remainder of the fish make it into the water, commission Sgt. Mike Walsh said.

“Our staff has been working very hard and as quickly as we can,” he said. “Most traditional stocking points are being stocked.”

Anglers and boaters are being asked to maintain a 6-foot social distance from others on the region’s waterways to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Opening up the season immediately “is intended to discourage concentrated gatherings of people that may have occurred on the traditional opening day,” according to a news release. The move could minimize travel and reduce the possibility of poaching in waters that have already been stocked.

State Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said health officials had been in discussions with the Fish and Game Commission for some time, and Tuesday was a soft start without the usual events and fanfare.

“Trout fishing is an outdoor activity, and … it naturally would have some social distancing,” she said.

Larry Myers, president of the Forbes Trail Trout Unlimited chapter in Westmoreland County, said Tuesday’s news was a surprise, but he welcomed it.

“I think this is a smart move … to make this type of an announcement to avoid the large crowds,” he said. “I think they will lessen the impact drastically.”

Chuck Buffington, president of the Penn’s Woods West chapter, also supported the decision. The chapter is based in Allegheny County.

“The last thing you want is a traditional opening day,” he said. “It won’t be this big crush.”

Still, it hampers an annual first-day tradition for many that Myers likened to a “national holiday.”

“A lot of the folks will get together with friends and family” and fish in large groups, he said. “It’s not just the fishing; it’s the socialization.”

The commission is asking anglers to avoid those bigger groups, stay close to home, wear a mask, not share fishing gear and stick with members of the same household. Social distance can be measured by stretching out an arm while holding a fishing rod. Anyone who doesn’t feel well is asked to stay home.

Tuesday’s weather could diminish the number of anglers to open the season, Myers said. The National Weather Service in Moon called for rain and storms throughout the day, which Myers said would result in swollen, muddy waters.

“That’ll keep a lot of people away,” he said.

Commission employees have been stocking streams without the help of volunteers this year. They were operating under an accelerated schedule but not all waterways have been stocked, according to Tuesday’s announcement. Information about which streams have been stocked is not being provided to the public this year.

Walsh said float stocking, or spreading trout along streams, isn’t happening this year. His area includes Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties.

“That, unfortunately, we can’t do right now because we don’t have the manpower to do it,” he said.

Walsh asked anglers to alter their behavior this trout season.

“I know that people love to camp out at this time of the year,” he said. “I have a lot of friends that I won’t be fishing with at least until this is all over.”

Mentored Youth Trout Day, which was set for Saturday, will not take place. Pennsylvania fishing licenses can be purchased online at fishandboat.com or 814-359-5222. Fishing licenses are not required to be displayed — a digital copy can be shown to a conservation officer.