Young anglers and their adult mentors can get an early start to trout season by fishing one of 12 waters on March 23, the weekend before the regional opening day.

The 12 waters identified today by the Fish and Boat Commission are part of the Mentored Youth Trout Day program, a new pilot project begin launched within the 18-county southeast area that makes up the regional opening 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.”

Under 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. Waters included in the pilot are listed below.

“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.

Online registration is currently available on the PFBC website. Paper registration forms will be available at many of the Mentored Youth Trout Day locations starting February 1.

“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.”

For a list of designated Mentored Youth Waters and more information, visit the Mentored Youth Program webpage.

NewsClip: Lakes Figure Prominently In New Youth Trout Program

12/31/2012