Anglers from 18 southeastern counties are gearing up for the March 30 opening of trout, which marks the unofficial start of the 2013 fishing season.

“The buildup to opening day is just as exciting as the day itself,” said John Arway, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “Anglers are busy cleaning their gear, stocking up on supplies and hopefully buying a few new rods and reels. And stocking schedules are posted to the Commission’s website, so the last step for anglers is to pick the spots they want to fish that day.”

“I’ll be at Opossum Lake in Cumberland County to celebrate the reopening of the lake, and encourage the public to join us and try their hand at catching some of the rainbow trout we’re stocking there,” he added.

The 18 counties open March 30 include: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, and York.

April 13 is the traditional opening day for the rest of the state.

Visit the PFBC’s website to see detailed stocking schedules, which can be easily sorted by county. The schedule shows what waters will be stocked, the date and time, and a meeting place where volunteers can gather to help with the stocking.

“While opening day is one of the biggest fishing days of the year, it’s also one of the biggest social events,” Arway added. “Research shows that when it comes to fishing, anglers like being together with friends and family just as much as they like catching fish.”

The PFBC’s "great white fleet" of stocking trucks has been busy since mid-February replenishing Pennsylvania's waterways with a fresh supply of brook, brown and rainbow trout. Every year the PFBC stocks about 3.2 million trout in waterways across the state.

More than 850,000 anglers buy a fishing license each year.

For the first time this year, anglers can purchase multi-year fishing licenses, including a resident three-year license for $64.70 or a resident five-year license for $106.70. Resident three-year and five-year trout permits cost $25.70 and $41.70.

A one-year resident fishing license costs $22.70 and a trout-salmon permit is $9.70. A license is required for anyone 16 and older. Licenses can be purchased at sporting goods stores and online at www.fishandboat.com.

3/25/2013