Randolph Fish Hatchery and Vol­un­teers Prepare For Trout Season Opener

CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, N.Y. -- Each year, the state fish hatchery in Randolph breeds and raises about 250,000 trout and with the help of many volunteers, including students, they're all released into streams and lakes across the state.  

Time Warner Cable News photojournalist Dan Wells has a look at some of the preparation that takes place leading up to opening day of trout fishing season.

"They renovated the hatchery here in 1933, said Barry Hohmann, NYS DEC fish culturalist. "It's an artesian well, the water comes up out of the ground at 2.3 millions gallons in a 24-hour period.  That's enough water flowing down through the hatchery to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool up in about five and 1/2 hours.  

"We're unique because we're one of only 12 hatcheries that have brood stock available. The eggs were taken a year ago last September, hatched out, so they're give or take a year and five or five months old. We over-wintered roughly 110,000 brown trout on this side of the hatchery and all those fish will be put out in local streams in Cattaraugus, Allegany and Chautauqua county," added Hohmann.

"Today I brought 11 students out to Allegany State Park to assist the New York State of Environmental Conservation stock fish," said Russell Lis, McKinley High School aquatic ecology teacher. "My whole purpose is to expose the kids to the outdoors, expose them to environmental education and occupations in the conservation field."

"It changes perspective about just being in the city, it really does," said Marcus Haykel, McKinley High School 9th grader.

"It's fun, we went pheasant stocking earlier in the year and we got to get new experiences in life, go out, see nature, it's really fun," said Leah Frost, another McKinley High School 9th grader.

"As a fisherman, I'm here just to help put the fish in, get some fish in so when trout season opens we have some fish to catch and I'm pretty excited right now, I'm pumped!" exclaimed Lis.

Trout season opens Friday April 1st.  The Randolph Hatchery will continue stocking lakes and streams with brown, rainbow and brook trout through May.