Every spring, Pennsylvania’s parks come alive with the upcoming start of trout season, as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission restocks streams and opens this fishing season across the state. 

That process is no different in Greene County, where Ryerson Station State Park is among several locations receiving stocked trout.

Ryerson Station, a nearly 1,200-acre state park in Wind Ridge, receives three annual trout stockings in March, April and May. Rob Zombek, the park’s environmental educator, said the stocking process is a coordinated effort between the park, as well as the Fish and Boat Commission.

“They stock it with brown and rainbow trout. We don’t have any native brook trout here,” Zombek said. “The water in the stream can get up to above 70 degrees here, so the native brook trout are more in the Laurel Highlands and the counties in northern Pennsylvania.”

The fish are transported from Reynoldsdale State Fish Hatchery, located in central Pennsylvania, before being distributed into Ryerson’s waters. Zombek said that Pennsylvania anglers must adhere to a five-fish daily limit at seven inches a fish.

Ryerson’s trout opener, along with the rest of the state, is on April 5, which follows up the youth opener that took place on March 29. “It’s a highly anticipated event,” Casse Criss, the park’s manager, said. 

“That’s basically when the season here at Ryerson kind of picks up and our parking lot down by the office gets pretty full for the first couple of weeks of trout stocking,” Criss said.

The PA Fish and Boat Commission catches over 3 million trout every year statewide, according to Zombek. 

Trout restocking plays a larger role in the local culture. Fishing in Greene County is a tradition that connects people and gives them an outlet to have fun according to Criss. 

“People love to fish and it kind of brings them together. It gives them something to do and gets them out of the house,” Criss said. “Start enjoying the weather again and get out in nature.”

For those who may not have their own gear, Ryerson Station participates in the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s fishing tackle loaner program, allowing visitors to borrow rods free of charge. 

Additionally, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission website, the state offers two “Fish-for-Free” days annually, with the dates falling on May 25 and July 4 this year. Fishing licenses are not required, though all other Pennsylvania fishing regulations still apply.

People come from all over to fish at Ryerson, with Zombek recalling seeing people from as far away as Vancouver, British Columbia, to fish. 

Locally, both Greene County residents and Waynesburg University students can take advantage of the programs offered. Zombek encourages locals to not only fish at Ryerson, but to explore other parks as well.

“There are 124 state parks in Pennsylvania, and each one offers something different,” Zombek said. “If people can visit another park and learn more about conservation efforts like trout stocking, it makes them appreciate the process even more.”