Trout fishing season in Finger Lakes tributaries is set to kick off on April 1, but there was a notable lack of rainbow trout found in initial Catherine Creek testing.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials began their annual March sampling of trout spawning in Seneca Lake tributaries on Monday, March 21. High water levels and fast-running currents made it difficult to collect samples at the site in Schuyler County, according to Daily Messenger.
DEC Region 8 fisheries biologist Brad Hammers said warmer weather will increase trout spawning, and that some trout will inevitably be found in tributaries by April 1. The DEC also samples rainbow trout spawning in other Finger Lakes tributaries, like Naples Creek and Cold Brook, tributaries of Canandaigua Lake and Keuka Lake, respectively.
The DEC stocks many streams with hatchery-raised trout each spring. You can find more information on trout stocking by county here.
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