New York Anglers Rejoice As Trout Season Kicks Off This April

Anglers, are you ready for Trout Season? It's been a while, but the urge to get back to the water to fish is great after a long, hard winter.

New York State is full of great places for trout fishing, and on Wednesday,  April 1, 2026, the long wait is over to fish for wild and stocked trout throughout the Empire State.

Read More: New Rules Managing Deer In New York State

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, over 1.7 million catchable-size brook, brown, and rainbow trout have been and are being stocked in waters across the state from mid-March through early June.

The DEC noted that drought conditions at Catskill Fish Hatchery during the late summer and autumn of last year (2025) reduced the water supply to a level that inhibited brown trout growth.

As a result, the DEC says that on average, yearling trout from this facility will be shorter than the 9-inch target size at stocking, but growth rates could be improved with normal rainfall at the Catskill Fish Hatchery with normal rainfall.

New York’s season opener is a welcome sign of spring for trout anglers. I encourage anglers to introduce someone new to recreational fishing this year and enjoy Getting Offline and Getting Outside to experience some of the greatest freshwater fishing opportunities in the nation. - NYS DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton

Stocked-Extended streams will be receiving fish every other week for two months, and most stream stockings include larger trout as 10% of the total number.  Spring trout stocking list information for Southern Tier New York counties is below. Just click on the county for all the information, including the water (river, creek, etc.), town, number of fish, date, species of fish, and size in inches.

• Broome County
• Chemung County
• Chenango County
• Delaware County
• Schuyler County
• Steuben County
• Tioga County
• Tompkins County

And here's something cool for anglers, according to the NYS DEC: Use your smartphones to find trout fishing opportunities around the state by accessing the Tackle Box feature in the DEC’s HuntFishNY app. It features accessing sites, stocking, regulations, and more. Get more information on how to download the app on the NYS DEC website.

Happy fishing!