With outdoor sports fans heading outdoors for fishing season, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers the following tips for trout fishing:

• Water temperatures can be cold in the spring due to snowmelt and cold rains. If water temperatures are low (35-40°F), look for trout holding in deeper, slower moving water. Slow drifts and getting your lure (try heavy nymphs) down near the bottom to these less active fish can improve your chances of getting bites.
• If you’re unsure on where trout are feeding in the water column, try rigging two flies, one large dry fly, with a sinking nymph tied as a dropper off the bend of the hook of the dry fly. This way trout have their choice of whether to feed on the surface or underwater.
• Don’t be afraid to walk. New York state has plentiful access along trout streams whether it be public fishing rights, state lands or parks. The anglers who are willing to walk further from the parking lot and away from where most of the other anglers are fishing will often be rewarded for putting in the extra effort. The DECinfo Locator and Tackle Box feature in the HuntFishNY app are free map-based interfaces for finding these trout stream access across the state.
• Many of the major insect hatches of mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies occur in the spring and trout, whether they’re stocked fish or wild fish, will gorge themselves on these easy meals. You can search for hatch charts online or call a local fly shop to find out what hatches are likely occurring in your area, as well as what flies you should use to imitate them. However, spin fisherman can learn from insect hatches as well. The best advice would be to think smaller with your lures, as even a 20” trout will eat a tiny mayfly. Spin fisherman will have success throwing tiny lures like gulp grubs, and trout magnets that might not imitate anything but may have roughly the same size and profile as the insects that the trout are accustomed to eating. If you do find yourself using baitfish imitations, still think small. For example, small phoebe spoons and mepps spinners will often outperform larger lures you might use for bass and other species.
• Large spring storms can “blow out” trout streams by increasing the flows and turbidity (the amount of sediment in the stream), so it’s good to get into the habit of checking US Geological Survey’s (USGS) flow graphs before you head out. Doing so can drastically increase your success in trout fishing. Learning what flows a trout stream fishes best at, as well as when it’s too high to fish/too dangerous to wade, can really make or break your fishing trip.