However, it is not business as usual for the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. They have announced changes to the trout season & to the adult trout stockings throughout the state. They will not be allowing volunteers to assist in the stocking this season & they will be consolidating stream stockings. What this means is that your favorite stream will be stocked with trout in only a few places where access is easy from the road (think:bridges). In addition to that, your stream might be stocked only once this year, rather then the stockings being spread out across the prime months of the trout season. Yes, trout will migrate, but only so much. If you fish stocked waters & go far from the road, you will probably notice a decrease of the trout population.
This is a shame, as the volunteers who assisted the Commission stock trout (of which I am one) did a lot of work to make sure that the fish were spread out so that the trout were not overcrowded & put in spots that offered food & shelter. This certainly allowed for more fish survival & better fishing. I don't envy the Commission folks who have to do the stockings all themselves. It will be a huge task without the aid of the volunteers.
I hope that you all stay safe & healthy as we go through this trouble & that it passes quickly. Please know that I'll be here, working on all your fly rods & accessories every day, so please feel free to reach out & contact me. As I said at the beginning, I hope this is the last & only time I need to address this issue. Stay safe, everyone!
I think this tune by the Doors states it all very well: