Gone Fishin g
@HOCK_BROS
by CMVB STAFF Article originally published in 2022 Vol. 4; revised for 2025
Fishing season is here again - what a wonderful way to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors! Before you hit the water, we wanted to share some important information that will help make your next angling trip a resounding success. Statewide Opening Day of Trout – April 5th – End of Trout Regular Season – September 1st – Extended Season: All stocked trout waters, streams plus lakes and ponds: September 2nd to December 31st.
Stocking: In 2025, the PFBC will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 691 streams and 130 lakes open to public angling. These figures, which are consistent with the number of trout stocked over the past decade, include approximately 2.4 million Rainbow Trout; 693,000 Brown Trout; and 125,000 Brook Trout. As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds. The PFBC will also stock ap- proximately 72,000 trophy-sized brood fish, which are 2 ½ year-old and 3 ½ year-old hatchery-raised Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, and Brook Trout measuring 14-20 inches. Roughly 70% of these large fish will be stocked into streams and lakes during the preseason prior to opening day of trout season, and 30% will be stocked during in-season replenishment stockings. In 2025, the PFBC will stock approximately 14,000 golden Rainbow Trout. In addition to being stocked during the preseason period before opening day, these highly prized fish featuring vibrant gold- en-orange pigmentation and weighing an average of 1.5 pounds will be stocked during in-season replenishment stockings. Approx- imately 75% of golden Rainbow Trout will be stocked during the preseason, and approximately 25% will be stocked in-season.
MINIMUM KEEP SIZE: 7 inches FISHING HOURS: 24 hours a day, after the 8 AM opener
Extended season regulations only apply to waters managed as Stocked Trout Waters (STW). All waters downstream of STW are no longer managed under extended season regulations.
Other Important Fishing Season Dates: Opening Day of Walleye & Sauger: Saturday, May 3
Re-opening Day of Bass: Saturday, June 14 – while Bass Season is open year round, there is a no harvest period from 12:01 a.m. the second Saturday in April (April 12, 2025) to 12:01 a.m. the second Saturday in June (June 14, 2025). During the no harvest season, anglers must immediately return any bass to the water and are prohibited from casting into spawning beds. Fish For Free Days: Sunday, May 25, 2025 & Tuesday, July 4, 2025 (Independence Day) are the 2025 Fish-for-Free Days. Fish-for-Free Days allow anyone (resident or non-resident) to legally fish on Pennsylvania waterways on the designated days with NO FISHING LICENSE REQUIRED (Trout/Salmon and Lake Erie permits are also NOT required). All other fishing regulations still apply.
2025 Columbia Montour Master Angler Passport
There will be a brand new initiative in 2025 for Columbia & Montour Counties: a Master Angler Passport! Organized through the popular fishing tournament company, iAngler, this program will allow visitors and residents alike to get out on the water in our counties and record the fish species you catch in the iAngler mobile app. This is a FREE passport designed to be fun for the public. Those anglers who catch enough species throughout the year will be awarded the title of “Mas- ter Angler” for Columbia & Montour counties in 2025. To learn more, please visit: itourcolumbiamontour.com/master-angler-passport.
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