A sure sign of spring is right around the corner. Trout season opens in just over a week.

Fortunately for us, we live near some of the best trout streams in the state.  Wild trout can be found at the lower end of the little Juniata River. Other places are Spring Creek, which runs through State College and Bellefonte; along with some spots in Penns Creek. These areas are all catch and release, and they hold plenty of nice trout.

There will be two opening days in Pennsylvania this year. The first opening day falls on April 2nd, but only for counties in the southeastern part of the state and selected streams. The second opening day, which includes Blair and Huntingdon counties is April 16th at 8 a.m.  For a full list of PA trout regulations click here.  

In this year’s season, the fish commission will be stocking a total of 3,898,300 trout including the following: brown, brook and rainbow. To add a little bit of excitement, the state will be throwing in 8,530 trophy trout, which are golden rainbow trout. They are over 1.5 lbs and 14 inches in length.

If you plan to head out to your local stream this spring, here’s a handy checklist of all things you’ll need to remember:

• A trout size fishing rod (4-6 ft light action reel with 4-6 lbs test line)
• Hip boots (lets you wide into streams)
• Fishing vest/tackle box (holds your hooks and bait)
• Bait (live worms, minnows , spinners or flies work best on local streams)
• Needle nose pliers (to remove hooks)
• A string or small rope (to keep your fish on)
• Polarized sunglasses  (lets you see into the water)
• Fishing license (if you are older than 16)

On the first opening day, we’ll head to a Licking Creek in Fulton County.  On the state wide opening day, we will go to several different spots. Our first stop will be up at Snowshoe in Beech Creek, and two other favorable places to fish, Bald Eagle Creek and the Juniata River.

There are so many great fishing spots in the area and over the next few weeks we will be profiling several of them in the Eagle Eye.

Good luck fishing and stay tuned for the Weekly Fisherman!