Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission finishes its slate of winter trout stocking on ice

Barnsville, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission stocked more than 1,000 rainbow trout at Locust Lake State Park in Schuylkill County Dec. 16 in one of its final trout stockings of 2025.

While most of its trout stocking is done into streams and lakes in the spring when 3.2 million trout are stocked statewide, the commission stocks about 130,000 trout into 100 popular waterways during fall and winter.

Trout were also stocked into Kaercher Creek Lake, Berks County.

Waterways Conservation Officer Andrew Fish was on the scene to oversee the stocking.

“A lot of people don’t realize the opportunity they have to catch trout year-round,“ he said. “Right now, we’re stocking Locust Lake, and it’s the last stocking in Pennsylvania for the year 2025. The lake has about 5 inches of ice right now.”

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The commission crew used axes and shovels to clear the ice to make a big enough hole to put the fish into the lake. They deposited some of the fish into the water with hand-held nets to show some of the trout to people who were watching.

The majority of the fish were put into the lake from a tube from the stocking truck.

“So, between fall and winter, we put about 130,00 trout out,” Fish said. “We’re putting about a thousand trout out today, which is plenty of fish for fishermen to come out and try their best.”

He advised those unfamiliar with ice fishing but wanting to try it to seek guidance from someone with ice-fishing experience “That way you feel more comfortable on the water when you go out by yourself,” he said. “And that way they can kind of teach you the ways of safe ice, how to tell whether or not it’s safe to be out on the water.”

Fish noted that anyone venturing onto the ice should wear a life jacket or coat with flotation built in.

For ice-safety tips and to find great places to fish, he urged anglers to visit Fishandboat.com.

Bob Riscorla, of Pottsville, came out to Locust Lake to watch the stocking. He intended to catch a few of the trout that went into the lake.

“I just got back into ice fishing last year, and I have a new auger on the way,” he said.

“ I loved doing it 20 or 30 years ago, so I just retired, and here I am.“ I knew the lake was to be stocked, so I thought I’d come up and watch. They put some impressive-size trout, some beautiful fish in there. I didn’t see anything small.”

“And yeah, you bundle up.

A shelter isn’t bad. Up here, winds can get fierce. Especially on Locust (Lake). A little bit of a shelter isn’t bad, we have one, too. I’d rather be inside it than in the house.”