DNR Fisheries Service Stocks Nearly 12,000 Preseason Trout
Ponds, lakes, rivers in Central, Western and Southern Regions receive fish

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ANNAPOLIS — Taking advantage of the break in the weather, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service this week stocked 14 bodies of water in Central, Southern and Western Maryland with 11,950 preseason trout. The Fisheries Service will continue to stock additional areas as weather permits and it is expected that approximately 50,000 fish will be stocked during the preseason. All preseason stocking should be completed before the first Saturday in March. Trout season starts Saturday, March 26.

In the Central Region, the following bodies of water were stocked: Centennial Lake (750), Howard’s Pond (600), Daniel’s Dam area on the Patapsco (1,500), Lake Needwood (750), Elkhorn Lake (750), Morgan Run Special Area (1,500), Farm Museum Pond (750), Stansbury Pond (750) and Westminster Pond (500).

In the Southern Region, Lake Waterford (750), Hutchins Pond (400) and Allen’s Pond (450) were stocked.

In the Western Region, the Casselman River (1,500) and the Barnum area (1,000) were stocked.

The rearing of trout for the 2006 season requires that at least one raceway at the Albert Powell Hatchery near Hagerstown is cleared to receive the fingerlings from the hatch house. This allows DNR to grow the fish a little larger than some states. Some of the fish for the Eastern Region have been grown over the winter at the Unicorn Hatchery outside Millington, while fish to be stocked in the Southern Region were raised at the Cedarville Hatchery near Brandywine.

Most of the put-and-take trout fishing areas have brief closures periods for stocking. These closure periods allow stocked trout to spread out and acclimate to their new surroundings. Additionally, having a set opening day gives all fishermen an equal chance at catching fish. Anglers should check their Maryland Freshwater Sportfishing Guide for details concerning closure periods for their favorite waters. In addition, a trout stamp is required to possess trout in Maryland and to fish in special trout management areas.

The DNR trout stocking program is funded entirely by the sale of freshwater fishing licenses and trout stamps and Federal Sportfish Restoration Program (Wallop-Breaux) funds which are generated by anglers and boaters’ tax dollars. For more information about trout stocking in Maryland, visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/springtroutstock.shtml

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February 18, 2005

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov