In Lackawanna County fish shot out of a yellow hose and into the lake at Merli-Sarnoski Park.
The surface of the water moved as hundreds of Brook Trout swam out into the lake in Fell Twp.
The fish were trucked up from the Benner Spring State Fish Hatchery in State College ahead of the first day of trout season on Saturday, April 5.
"Everywhere that we're stocking trout is open to the public," said Mike Parker, Communications Director for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. "So you know that's over 120 lakes, almost 700 stream sections all across the state."
The agency will stock waterways across the state with around 4.3 million trout this season.
At the Lackawanna County park, volunteers and Fish and Boat Commission employees hooked the hoses onto tanks on the back of a truck. Nate Hoffer, a fish culturist, pulled up the hatch to a door to release the trout.
A small group gathered on the park's beach. Smaller fish were piped into the lake first. Some tried to swim back up the hose. Then another truck pulled up with the trophy fish. Volunteers spilled buckets of the big fish into the lake. They used nets to flop the fish into the water. The trout squirmed in the outside air before gliding through the water.
“For the most part, the time to get out and fish for trout is between now and Labor Day," said Parker.
Trout season may be most popular for anglers, but it’s just the beginning of fishing opportunities in Pennsylvania. he said.
“You know, bass, catfish, walleye, up in the the Erie corner of Pennsylvania, world class Steelhead fishing like nowhere else in the country," said Parker.
A current state trout permit is required to fish for trout in Pennsylvania waters. The season begins Saturday at 8 a.m. and ends on Sept. 1. The extended season runs from Sept. 2 to Dec. 31.
For more details, visit https://www.pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat/fishing/all-about-fish/catch-pa-fish/trout.html
