CNBNews

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has completed the 2024 spring trout stocking season, placing 219,000 rainbow, golden rainbow, and brown trout in 119 waterbodies from December to May. Overall, brown trout averaged about a half pound each with rainbows and golden rainbows slightly larger. In addition, 325 trophy-sized trout from the Albert Powell Hatchery and another 270 from the Bear Creek Hatchery weighing four to ten pounds each were mixed in the loads for added excitement. Trout for the spring season were reared at the Bear Creek, Albert Powell, Unicorn, and Joseph Manning Hatcheries.

This year, DNR held Maryland's inaugural Youth Trout Fishing Day; if you participated, please help us plan for next year by filling out a brief survey.  

As one season is wrapping up, preparations for next year are ongoing. Trout hatchery staff have begun grading and setting up raceways for production of fish for 2025. About 45,000 trout are being moved from the hatching trays to indoor circular tanks. Once the these juveniles reach 300 fish per pound they will be transferred to the outside raceways to continue the grow out process.

Meanwhile, Mettiki Hatchery graded and transferred 75,000 juveniles to Bear Creek Hatchery and will continue to culture 50,000 fry for later transfer to Bear Creek. Those trout will be reared at Bear Creek until they are stocked out next spring as adults. On a personal note, the department says a fond farewell to two longtime Coldwater Production staff, Marshall Brown (right) and Eric Bittner (above), who retired this spring, each with more than 30 years of service. We wish them well in their retirement.

DNR's Freshwater Fisheries and Hatcheries staff work diligently to provide the best fishing opportunities and experiences possible while providing a number of useful online tools, including general trout fishing information, stocking updates, and both a public angler access and trout stocking activities map to help make your fishing trips a success.

Thank you for fishing in Maryland!