Ohio’s Rainbow Trout Releases Begin in March

Information and photo courtesy of Ohio Department of Natural Resources

WARREN COUNTY, OH  -- Rainbow trout releases will take place across Ohio during March through May in 2026, with CAESAR CREEK YOUTH POND scheduled to be stocked April 11, as long as areas are ice-free and accessible to anglers. 

Stockings of these public lakes and ponds are excellent opportunities for families to fish together. Fishing for catchable-sized trout is a great way to introduce young people to the outdoors. Rainbow trout are raised at state fish hatcheries and measure 10-13 inches before they are released by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. The daily harvest limit for inland lakes is five trout per angler. 

Every Spring 80,000 rainbow trout are released in public lakes and ponds across Ohio. Some trout stocking locations feature a special event on the day of the scheduled release, including youth-only fishing. Trout fishing opportunities for the public may be limited during special events. Fishing at state park youth ponds is only available for youth 15 years of age and younger for the first seven days after trout are released. After that week, these waters are open to anglers of all ages for trout fishing opportunities through the end of April. On May 1, these ponds return to providing youth-only fishing for the rest of the year.

Below is the release schedule for the state.

Yellow Highlight Indicates a new trout release location for 2026.

*For special angler events, fishing for the general public may be temporarily restricted during the event.

***Indicates a State Parks Youth Only Fishing Pond that will be “youth only fishing” for one week from the stocking date, then open to anglers of all ages from seven days after stocking through April 30, 2026, after which these ponds will return to youth only fishing until further notice.

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