Harrison Cub Scouts help stock trout for fish commission at Deer Lakes Park in West Deer

When Ethan Borland heard he would be helping to stock trout at Deer Lakes Park, he didn’t get excited. He had no idea what that meant.

The 9-year-old’s perspective would change as he held a white bucket filled with trout to toss into the water.

“It was pretty fun,” he said.

Borland was a part of Cub Scout Pack 186 out of Harrison helping out the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission on Saturday morning.

The Scouts wern’t fazed by the unpredictable weather as they braved through rain, sleet, sunshine and freezing cold to help throw trout into the water.

Cub Scoutmaster Dan Dobies said the pack has helped stock fish before. Covid prevented them from stocking last year, but Dobies hopes to see this become an annual tradition.

The activity aims to “help get them outside and away from ‘the devices,’” he said, referring to video games and the like.

“Hopefully this gets them interested in fishing,” he said.

Eight buckets filled with trout were rotated between a dozen Cub Scouts and their parents to stock the park’s three lakes. They had two minutes from the trout being in the bucket to the time they were tossed into the water for their chances of survival to be high.

Amadeo Bolcato, 8, was excited. He had never stocked trout before.

“I just wanted to pet the trout,” he said.

State Sen. Lindsey Williams made an appearance to help provide lunch bags to the Cub Scouts and adults. She interacted with the Scouts, quizzing them on their knowledge of state senators. This was her third time coming out to help stock fish, and her first time doing it with Cun Scouts.

“It is always great serving the community and making sure our lakes are fully stocked for anglers,” she said.

Waterways Conservation Officer Mike Johnson said the commission has regularly worked with schools programs, organizations and other outreach efforts to spread the word about conservation and stocking trout. Anglers are allowed to keep five legal-sized trout per person each day during the season.

He said the commission was established in 1866, and has stocked over 3 million trout statewide.

“We want to provide people the opportunity to fish. They would have to go out far up north to fish for wild trout,” he said.