Since space was limited in last week’s column, the in-season trout stocking schedule for Lehigh and Northampton County waters will appear in this week’s column.

In a conversation with a trout stocking volunteer about last week’s stream conditions, the volunteer admitted it was a cold one, but they managed to stock over 4,000 trout in Lehigh County streams.

The volunteer did say that some of the streams had edge ice making it difficult to stock at a few spots. The ice was so thick at a couple places, they couldn’t break it open with a sledgehammer.

In preparation for the April 6, trout opener, the following Northampton County waters have been or will be stocked with a combination of brook, brown, rainbow and a few golden trout. But not all streams received this combination. 3-1: Hokendauqua Creek, Indian Creek; 3-4: Minsi Lake; 3-6: Monocacy Creek; 3-14: Lehigh Canal; 3-15: Bushkill Creek; 3-26: Lehigh Canal; 3-27: Jacoby Creek, Martins Creek; 4-10: Hokendauqua Creek, Indian Creek; 4-14: Lehigh Canal; 4-15; Jacoby Creek, Martins Creek; 4-23: Monocacy Creek, Saucon Creek; 4-24: Bushkill Creek, Little Bushkill Creek; 5-1: Minsi Lake.

In Lehigh County, the following in-season stockings will take place:

4-8: Lehigh Canal; 4-11: Upper Little Lehigh, Swabia Creek; 4-12: Upper Jordan Creek; 4-14: Cedar Creek; Little Lehigh; 4-15: Coplay Creek, Upper Jordan Creek; 4-16: Upper Jordan Creek, Switzer Creek; 4-18: Lower Jordan Creek; 4-22: Ontelaunee Creek; 4-23: Cedar Creek, Little Lehigh, Monocacy Creek, Swabia Creek; 4-29: Lower Jordan Creek; 4-30: Coplay Creek, Trout Creek; 5-1: Upper Jordan Creek.

For those anglers who drift down to Berks County to fish, their pre- and in-season schedule is as follows:

3-4: Mill Creek; 3-5: Tulpehocken Creek; 3-7: Little Lehigh Creek (Berks County section), Swabia Creek (Berks Co. Section); 3-10: Saucony Creek; 3-11: Manatawny Creek, Scotts Run Lake; 3-12: Furnace Creek, Kaercher Creek Dam, Wyomissing Creek; 3-19: Hay Creek, West Branch Conestoga River; 3-27: Antietam Creek; 4-17: Little Swatara Creek; 4-22: Ontelaunee Creek, Tulpehocken Creek; 4-23: Swabia Creek (Berks Co. section); 4-24: Maiden Creek, Perkiomen Creek, Pine Creek; Antietam Creek, Antietam Reservoir, Hay Creek, Scotts Run Lake, Willow Creek; 4-30: Manatawny Creek; week of 4-21: Maiden Creek, Perkiomen Creek, Pine Creek; 5-1: Furnace Creek, Hay Creek, Saucony Creek, Tulpehocken Creek, West Branch Conestoga River; 5-5: Antietam Creek, Antietam Reservoir, Mill Creek: 5-6: Mill Creek; 5-8: Manatawny Creek; 5-15: Spring Creek, Tulpehocken Creek.

Since April 6 will be here before you know it, it’s a good time to check your fishing gear such as spooling fresh line onto your reel(s), checking line guides for looseness, looking for cracks in hip boots and other gear that’s used for the trout opener. Better do it now rather than at streamside.