The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will begin stocking approximately 326,000 rainbow and brown trout into freshwaters across the state for spring trout fishing enthusiasts in early February depending on the weather, stream and ground conditions.
“Spring trout fishing is a great tradition” says DNR’s Assistant Fisheries Director Don Cosden. “In many areas it’s the first chance anglers have to get out of the house after a long gray winter. There’s nothing like the strike of a good fish to reconnect you with nature, and we’ll have some nice trout for anglers to pursue this year, including a few up to seven or eight pounds.”
The stocking schedule table is now online (www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/) and will also be available at DNR Regional Service Centers and license vendors by late January.
DNR’s Fisheries Service encourages anglers to check out the Google Map of stocked streams to get directions and more info on trout fishing locations. Stockings listed on the schedule as pre-season usually start in the eastern part of the State in early February followed by western region stocking as things warm up. Watch our Web site or call 1-800-688-3467 for updates.
DNR’s Fisheries Service also reminds anglers to clean and dry their gear between streams and outings in order to protect our fish populations and keep their habitat healthy. The recent discovery of the invasive algae didymo, which can make it difficult to fish while choking off key food sources for trout, on the lower Savage River illustrates how easily troublesome organisms can be moved between watersheds. The continued presence of didymo in the Gunpowder Falls catch and return area and the presence of whirling disease in trout in the Barnum area of the North Branch of the Potomac River make it imperative that we be more diligent than ever.
A good scrubbing with dish soap or a 5 percent salt solution is an easy way to prevent the spread of these invaders. DNR asks anglers to use the convenient wader wash stations recently installed at several key wild trout areas including the Gunpowder River, Savage River, the North Branch of the Potomac (Barnum area), and Big Hunting Creek.