When a Pennsylvania angler hears “stocking,” their thoughts almost always turn to trout. Considering the Fish & Boat Commission stocks nearly 3.2 million trout annually, this is not a surprise. However, plenty of other species are stocked each year, and without these stockings, some of your local fishing spots would likely be far less popular.

Aside from trout, the Commission stocks a wide range of what are called warm water/cool water species, including muskellunge, channel catfish, and black crappie. However, one of the most popular species is walleye, and the numbers are staggering. In 2025, for example, 43 stockings are planned in 30 of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties. These stockings will include 1,762,000 fingerlings and 12,875,000 fry!

Although this far exceeds the total number of trout stocked this season, walleye are often considered a distant cousin when it comes to the attention they garner. Why is this? Why aren’t anglers following trucks loaded with walleye, looking to fill their creel? Or lining the banks waiting for fish to be dumped at their favorite walleye hole?

This is because walleye are too small to be caught when stocked. Unlike trout, which are stocked as a put-and-take fishery, walleye are stocked to build a future fishery. To accomplish this, walleye and most other warm or cool water species are stocked as fry or fingerlings. Usually, these fry and fingerlings will not reach a harvestable length for 3-5 seasons, or longer. Plus, the reason for the larger number of fish stocked is that many will not survive to adulthood. Birds will consume some almost immediately after stocking.

Others will become a food source for predator fish until they grow too large to be eaten. Studies indicate that nearly 40% of these fry and fingerlings will be lost under ideal conditions.

So, how does stocking fry and fingerling help walleye anglers? The 2025 stocking will not positively impact this year’s fishery. As stated earlier, it will be 3-4 years before anglers start seeing these fish in their nets. However, by conducting these stockings, which occur annually on the same waters, the Commission is ensuring the future survival of catchable populations. Although most of the waters selected for walleye stocking were traditional homes to native populations, conditions have often changed, usually due to human interference. They can now not support natural reproduction at the level needed for recreational fishing.

To determine where to catch adult walleye, look at past years’ data. For example, if looking to catch stocked walleye in 2025, you would look at stocking records prior to 2022. Locally, the Allegheny Reservoir received 6,000,000 walleye fry, consistent with stocking for 2020 & 2021. Looking back even further, you will see that between 2015 & 2019, the Allegheny River was also stocked from Kinzu Dam to the confluence of Tionesta Creek with a total annual number of 3,534,040 fry! While the Allegheny River has been removed from the walleye stocking program due to improved natural reproduction, the sheer number of fish stocked over this 5-year period boosted the local angler’s ability to catch legal adult walleye today.

Next time you are looking for someplace to catch walleye, check out the Commission’s historical walleye stocking data. Then, when you are reeling in your personal best, consider whether that fish was born in that water or got there via the Commission’s Fish Uber Service, aka a stocking truck.