STROUDSBURG, Pa. — It was trout stocking day on Tuesday, a day many in the Poconos have been patiently waiting for.
Volunteers by the dozens filled up buckets and nets with trout and set them loose at McMichaels Creek near Stroudsburg.
Anglers like Ron Jones of Montvale, New Jersey, have helped for 20 years.
"When you love something, you enjoy it. I love the water up here. People are great, and the camaraderie we have with everybody goes on and on for years and years," Jones said.
It's the first year the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has allowed volunteers to help stock again since the coronavirus pandemic.
For Fred Boenig from Emmaus, it's his first time taking part.
"I spent the last year learning how to fish. So part of that instruction is knowing where the fish are and being involved in helping out to keep the streams full of fish and meet all the fellas that are along the stream. You learn a lot from these old-timers," said Boenig.
Some parts of the creek are not accessible to the state track, so volunteers load up some trout, put them in buckets, drive them in a pickup truck, and bring them right down to the creek.
It's all in preparation for opening day on April 2. There is now only one opening day of trout season, instead of splitting northern and southern Pennsylvania into two openings.
The change happened two years ago when the coronavirus pandemic started as a way to keep everyone from traveling to another area to fish.
"It just made sense to keep going. We got a lot of positive feedback that people enjoyed having one day to get out there and fish anywhere they want, especially the counties that are close to the southeastern part of the state," said Alec Delong, Waterways Conservation Officer for the Fish and Boat Commission.
"It keeps the crowds down. You know you have everybody down south coming up for us, and we have everybody from the north going to them," Jones said. "So now everybody's happy."
Trout season opens statewide on April 2.
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