DNR stocks St. Peter trout ponds ahead of Stream Trout Opener

ST. PETER, Minn. (KEYC) - Ahead of this weekend’s stream trout opener, the DNR is stocking local waterways with trout.

More than 5,000 rainbow trout are being stocked into the St. Peter trout ponds during the month of April, with 1,500 getting stocked Thursday.

The area is a “put and take” water, meaning the water is stocked with the intention of fishermen taking their catch home.

The DNR said that southern Minnesota doesn’t have many options for trout fishing, so filling areas like these gives anglers a unique opportunity.

“If you’re in south-eastern Minnesota you already have lots of wild trout streams but here in south-central Minnesota, we don’t have as many, so this is something that is unique here,” the DNR’s Scott Mackenthun said. “Of course, there’s a lot of trout streams on the north shore of Lake Superior, but elsewhere around the state not as many, and that’s why this is something of a unique opportunity.”

While the season opens this weekend for the St. Peter trout ponds, other areas like Hiniker Pond can’t be fished until the regular fishing opener on May 9.

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