Part of Pennsylvania Gives Kids a Jump Start on Opening Day Fishing

The 18 county area that makes up southeast Pennsylvania will have an earlier opening day for trout season for kids but only on certain waters.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced the start of a pilot program called the Mentored Youth Trout Day.

“The Commission is piloting the Mentored Youth Trout Day as part of its goal to keep young anglers and their families fishing,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “The pilot program gives us the opportunity to gauge interest and to determine the feasibility of expanding the program across the state.”

To participate in the program, kids under the age of 16 must register with the PFBC before joining a mentor angler, who must have a current fishing license and trout permit. They will then be able to fish on the Saturday before the southeast opener on the select waters from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“The waters will be stocked to ensure a plentiful supply of fish to catch for the youth day and the regular season to follow,” said Laurel Anders, PFBC director of Boating and Outreach.

The 12 waters in the program include (by county):

Adams – Waynesboro Reservoir
Berks – Antietam Lake
Berks – Scotts Run Lake
Bucks – Levittown Lake
Cumberland – Children’s Lake
Cumberland – Doubling Gap Lake
Dauphin – Middletown Reservoir
Lancaster – Muddy Run Recreational Lake
Lebanon – Lions Lake
Lehigh – Lehigh Canal, Section 8
Montgomery – Deep Creek Dam/Green Lake
Schuylkill – Locust Lake

“Registration is free and youth will have the opportunity to receive a free one-year subscription to the Pennsylvania League of Angling Youth (PLAY) newsletter,” added Anders. “The PLAY newsletter is written for young anglers and includes articles and activities on fish, fishing, and PA’s aquatic resources published four times each year.”

On-line registration is currently available on the PFBC website at: http://fishandboat.com/MentoredYouth.htm. Paper registration forms will be available at many of the Mentored Youth Trout Day locations starting Feb. 1, 2013.

The regional opening day of trout is March 30, 2013. The Mentored Youth Trout Day is March 23, 2103. The statewide opening day of trout is April 13, 2013.