Rain dampens first day of trout season

BY KEVIN WOODRUFF

Cold air, rain and strong winds were to blame for a relatively small turnout on the first day of trout season in the area.

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Waterways Conservation Officer Kadin Thompson described Saturday as a “slow day.”

“Because of the wind and rain it was a real slow day with a small turnout,” Thompson said.

He said that the first few hours of Saturday morning made for decent fishing, before the gusting winds and rain poured down on local anglers.

“It was decent fishing weather until the bad weather came in,” Thompson said.

Spot checks by Thompson at Lake Winola and Bowman’s Creek showed a small turnout with very few fish being caught.

“I also check up at Oxbow Lake, but by the time I got there it seemed everyone had left,” Thompson said.

“I saw a few people catching some fish, but no one was setting the world on fire.”

He said that the cold front that moved in on Saturday may have slowed the fish down.

“It depends on who you ask, some people say that cold fronts slow down trout,’ Thompson said. “But from my view, it just makes it miserable for fisherman to stand out there all day.”

Despite the slow day, Thompson is optimistic about the trout season.

“The good news is, there should be a lot of fish left out there to catch,” Thompson said. “And I expect as the weather improves that we’ll have more people coming out.”

And the PFBC will continue its trout stocking program locally until mid-May.

To view the PFBC’s trout stocking schedules visit www.fish.state.pa.us.