“The End Marks the Beginning,” and the title of this piece pretty well sums up what happens in March when it comes to our fishing seasons.

Our ice fishing is coming to a close, and our trout fishing season is soon to get underway.

Yes, some fishermen are still getting out on the ice as we move into March, though caution is advised as the lakes begin to lose good ice. Compared to the past few winters, this ice fishing season has been longer and has featured some pretty good ice; our last trip out found us on 14 inches of ice.

Like a lot of other dedicated fishermen, however, my thoughts are quickly moving from drilling holes in hard water to wading a nearby trout stream with a flyrod in my hand.

This early spring period, of course, is when the trout stocking begins; stocking actually started February 16th, and this year the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission plans to stock 3.2 million trout, 70 percent of which will be stocked prior to the opening day.

Both lakes and streams are being stocked; 130 lakes and 684 streams will receive trout.

As expected, most of the trout being stocked will be rainbows, with 2.3 million being stocked. The next largest batch of trout to be stocked will be 698,000 brown trout, followed by 128,000 brookies and 18,000 golden trout. Of those trout being stocked, 72,000, and that includes browns, brookies, and rainbows, will be of “trophy size” or between 14 and 20 inches in length.

So, when does all this fishing fun begin?

The Mentored Youth Trout Day opens on March 28 at 8 a.m. The creel limit is two trout of at least 7 inches. The regular trout season opens on April 4th at 8 a.m. The creel limit is five trout a day with a minimum size of 7 inches.

Bear in mind that there are a number of special-regulation fishing areas open year-round, but special regulations apply, and those regulations differ for each area. I highly recommend that you check out page 24 of your “2026 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary” to make sure you are in compliance in the area you are fishing.

Of course, the big question is, “What do you need to go out and catch a bunch of those trout?”

Answering that question would probably take at least ten more columns this size, and I’m not sure that would even be enough.

One point I think applies to pretty much all your trout pursuits is that you should keep your fishing equipment geared to the fish you are after. A light or ultralight open-faced spinning gear for bait and small lures, with line of around 4-pound test, is probably a good choice.

If fly fishing, I would go with a 7 or a little longer fly rod on small to medium streams, and an 8 or a bit longer on larger streams. This lighter equipment makes it much easier to detect trout strikes.

Of course, there’s a whole lot more to catching trout, but that will require a number of additional fishing stories, and I intend to look into that.

Now, I have to get out and do some field research, so I’m better prepared to talk about trout fishing.

See you on the stream.