Although it's been a cool spring, factors could come together quickly to make the early trout season a memorable one in Schoharie County.
Ice still partially covers some stocked ponds, but stream levels are low, making for good fishing conditions--even if the water's colder than usual.
That's the assessment of Mike Walchko of Cobleskill, a longtime angler who's an active member of Trout Unlimited.
"The early season should be good once the ice goes," Mr. Walchko said. "And once it starts going, it goes fast.
"The stream levels are lower than usual for this time of year, and they should stay that way unless we get substantial rain. That's good."
Chris Van Maaren, Region 4 fisheries manager for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, agreed with Mr. Walchko.
"Early water levels are usually too high to fish," Mr. Van Maaren said. "This year they're not too bad."
Mr. Walchko cautioned that trout don't become really active until the water temperature hits 50. He estimated that the temperature in most streams and ponds is in the 30s.
"But that could change quickly," Mr. Walchko said. "There's not a lot of snow, so there won't be much runoff to keep the water cold."
One mitigating factor may be damage done by Hurricane Irene in 2011. DEC's Rick Georgeson reported that hot, dry conditions last summer "hindered the ability of trout populations to rebound completely" after Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
Mr. Walchko added that Catskill Creek, which runs out of the Franklinton Vlai and into Albany County, suffered major damage from Irene.
"It was so devastated by the last couple of floods," he said of the creek, which is known for its rainbow trout. "It was just starting to recover from the flood of '96."
But on a positive note, Mr. Georgeson said DEC will resume its normal stocking operations that were suspended last year because of widespread storm damage.
On its website, DEC lists stockings for Schoharie County waters and others nearby. (See related story.)
Even though the water's cold, some stocking has already taken place, Mr. Van Maaren said. If a pond is frozen over, DEC will wait and stock later rather than stock those trout in another location.
Mr. Walchko cited the holding pond near Cobleskill's Dow Reservoir as a good trout pond, assuming it's free of ice. The same is true of Mallett Pond in Fulton.
For streams, he pointed to Panther Creek near West Fulton and West Kill in Blenheim.
"Panther Creek should certainly be fishable," Mr. Walchko said. "West Kill should be better later in April."
In fact, he believed most fishing spots would be in prime shape by the end of April. Mr. Van Maaren said the same.
"This should be a fairly good year, and a little warm-up would help," he said. "Lots of times the best fishing is the end of April, beginning of May. It can be as good as ever then."