There is no question that the question of the day recently has been “When are the trout going to be stocked?” I always tell folks that we have to wait until the water cools to stock those catchable-size rainbow trout, a cold-water fish, in parks and urban waters around the state. That happens every fall in October, pretty much the same time from year to year.
We cannot tell people when and where until we know. These fish come from more than one state fish hatchery, and the stockings involve several stocking trucks and personnel. It takes us a bit to get all the logistics figured out and then get the word out. We know now, so here ya go, Fall Trout Stockings:
Fall Trout Stockings
Locations-Quantities: (Weather Dependent Schedule)
Completed:
Rock Creek State Recreation Area 296
Grabel Ponds-Fort Robinson 800 each
Carter P. Johnson-Fort Robinson 2375
Bessey Pond near Halsey 500
Gracie Creek Pond near Burwell 850
Bridgeport NW Pit 1400
Scottsbluff Zoo Pond 900
Morrill Middle Pit 450
Morrill North Pit 1350
Barnett Park, McCook 1000
Oxford City Lake 300
Elm Creek near Red Cloud 1000
Crystal Cove Lake-South Sioux City 4250Week of October 12:
Fort Kearny Lake 6, 1200
Windmill SRA Lake 2, 600
Holdrege City Lake 2000
Humphrey Pond-Ogallala 900
Bridgeport Middle Pit 1000
Curtis Golf Course Pond 150
Melham Park-Broken Bow 1500October 12: Fremont SRA Lake 2, 4250
October 13: Standing Bear, Omaha 4000, David City Park West Pond 600
October 14: Lincoln-Holmes Lake 3000 and Bowling Lake South 400
October 15: Omaha-Standing Bear 3000 and Benson Park 1000
October 16: TaHaZouka Park-Norfolk 1500, Pawnee Park West Pond-Columbus 1500Week of October 19:
Rock Creek State Recreation Area 2000, Birdwood WMA near North Platte 4000October 19: Mahoney State Park 1500 and Lake Halleck-Papillion 1200
October 20: Such’s Lake Grand Island 650, Heartwell Park Hastings 900,Omaha Hitchcock Lake 450, Omaha Towl Lake 300
October 21: Auburn Fairgrounds 800, Falls City Stanton Lake 600, Humboldt City Park 600, Ord City Lake 1500, Pawnee City Lake 300, Ansley Lake 1200, Seward-Independence Landing 600
October 22: Weeping Water Pond 1500, Steinhart Park Nebraska City 1200Week of October 26:
Fremont Lake #2 750, Niobrara State Park 750, Grove Lake near Royal 1500November (After Cormorant Migration)
Crystal Springs-Fairbury 1000
Let me provide my usual reminders with this fall’s stockings: Here are some ideas on How To Catch ‘Em. Here is one idea on What To Do With ‘Em, and here is another one.
And let me again say that these fish are being stocked so that a lot of beginning anglers, especially kids, will have an opportunity to catch these fish and “get hooked” on fishing. We are NOT stocking them for adults to fill their freezer. That happens and that is why I mention this every time we stock these put & take trout in urban and parks waters–take a few home to eat, but most of all grab a kid and take ’em fishing!