Photo By Bob Borgwat

New York’s 2007 fishing regulations permit catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only fishing for browns, rainbows and brookies during the off-season on an expanded list of streams this year.

That’s great news for “early bird” anglers who just can’t wait for trout season’s traditional April 1 opening.

“Providing some of the nation’s best fishing opportunities continues to be a goal,” stated the official announcement from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). “And adopting these changes to fishing regulations will provide benefits for sportfish populations and anglers across the state.

“These regulation changes are intended to enhance angler satisfaction while also protecting New York’s precious natural resources.”

Streams designated for year-round fishing are primarily in central and western New York. A sampling of Blue Ribbon trout waters affected by the new regulations includes Salmon Creek above Ludlow Falls in Cayuga and Tompkins counties; the Otselic River in Madison, Chenango and Cortland counties; Owego Creek, and both branches in Cortland, Tioga and Tompkins counties; East and West Branch Tioughnioga River in Cortland and Madison counties; Wiscoy Creek in Allegany County; East Koy Creek in Allegany and Wyoming counties; Elm Creek, Elton Creek and Mansfield Creek in Cattaraugus County; Cattaraugus Creek upstream from the Springville Dam in Wyoming, Cattaraugus and Erie counties; and Goose Creek in Chautauqua County.

Additionally, the regular open season on trout has been extended from Sept. 30 through Oct. 15 on much of the Delaware River system. That matches the regulations of neighboring states and increases fishing opportunities for New York’s anglers.

Anglers should check out all of the Extended Seasons in the current 2007 Freshwater Fishing Regulations booklet -- look for the new sections printed in blue ink.

Stocking of catchable-sized trout will start this year in late March and early April as usual, beginning with the lower Hudson Valley, Long Island and western New York, and then proceeding north to the Catskills and Adirondacks.

The DEC is expected to plant well over 2 million browns, rainbows and brookies in nearly 300 lakes and ponds and approximately 3,100 miles of streams across the state.

The species breakdown is expected to be similar to last year’s, when 1.8 million browns, 436,000 rainbows and 154,000 brookies were planted. Stocking 2-year-old brown trout -- which are 12 to 13 inches in length, with some going to 15 inches -- has proven popular with fishermen, and will be continued this year with an expected quota approaching 100,000 fish. In addition to stocked waters, of course, thousands of miles of wild trout streams offer exceptional fishing opportunities, with very few anglers on the water.

The following is a region-by-region look at New York’s 2007 trout season. What can anglers expect as they gather their gear for another great Empire State fishing season?

WESTERN NEW YORK
According to Joe Evans, a DEC fisheries biologist stationed at Allegany, surveys of Wiscoy Creek and its two main tributaries, Trout Brook and North Branch Wiscoy, provided estimates of 1,000 to 2,000 brown trout per mile. These two Wyoming County tributaries were also supporting an estimated 500 brook trout per mile.

“All of those fish, both browns and brookies, were wild trout, as these streams haven’t been stocked for decades,” Evans emphasized.