Kids can trout fish this Saturday; Full season starts Apr. 5

(WHTM) – It’s almost time to grab a fishing rod and try to snag a big fish. Mentored Youth Trout Day is this Saturday, March 29 where kids can learn how to fish properly with parents or guardians.

“It’s the future of the sport. It’s the future of conservation,” Tim Schaeffer, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said. “If you connect to the water early, you’re more inclined to care about water quality when you get older.”

“The youth are allowed to keep two fish,” Jeff Sabo, the director of the law enforcement bureau for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “The adults are allowed to fish, but they’re not allowed to keep any fish on Mentored Youth Day. The emphasis there is that we would like the adults to be mentoring more than they are fishing.”

Trout season fully gets underway on April 5.

“We’ve been hard at work stocking 3.2 million trout like we do every year to make sure the waters are ready for the anglers in Pennsylvania,” Schaeffer said.

Pennsylvania sold over 767,000 fishing licenses during the 2023-24 fiscal year, a slight decrease from the previous year.

Schaeffer credits the success and buildup of trout season to all who cast a line.

“Everything we do is with and on behalf of those fishing license dollars. So thank you for allowing us to do what we do for you,” Schaeffer said.

All kids 12 and under must wear a life jacket if they are on a boat according to Pennsylvania law.