Starting this fall, anglers will have a new opportunity to catch large rainbow trout in the Trophy Trout section of East Creek in Rutland, Vermont.

“East Creek’s trophy section usually gets stocked with 1,250 two-year-old rainbow trout each spring,” said Austin Galinat, a fish biologist with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.  “This year we’re trying something new and stocking 150 big, year-and-a-half-old rainbows in the fall as well.  We want to give anglers an opportunity to stay out on East Creek through peak foliage and hopefully harvest one last trophy trout before the season switches to catch-and-release only in November.”

The trophy rainbows, raised at the department’s Bennington Fish Culture Station, will be the first fish released as part of a new pilot fall Trophy Trout stocking program in East Creek.  Similar to the department’s late season lake and pond stocking, the goal is to learn whether fall stocking can encourage anglers to explore unique river fishing opportunities outside of the normal trout season.

East Creek stocking will occur sometime in mid-October, with the exact date to be determined based on water level and temperature.  Following stocking, biologists will be on site conducting interviews with anglers to learn how the pilot program is received.

“While Vermont is home to many incredible wild trout streams that provide fall and winter catch-and-release angling opportunities, the idea here is to give anglers an extra chance to catch trophy-sized rainbow trout in a location that’s easy to get to,” said Galinat.  “We’ll distribute the trout from Patch Pond Dam down through the Giorgetti Ball Fields, and we’ll be out there listening to anglers’ experiences this fall to see if it’s working.”