LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — The trucks pulled into the parking lot of Lily Lake in Conyngham Township on Thursday, ready to stock the water for trout season.
Officials with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission say depending on where they are, the process is a little different.
"We're here at Lily Lake. Typically, when we stock a lake, we just back a truck up, and we offload the fish right from the truck through a hose into the lake," said Waterways Conservation Officer Aaron Lupacchini.
People come out to watch the Fish and Boat Commission stock the water with rainbow and golden trout.
Chris Bunk and his 5-year-old son Gage from Shickshinny decided to check things out. They quickly got put to work.
"I said it's something he's never done, I've never done, so I said it's a good idea to go out; the weather is not bad, why not?" said Bunk.
David Seitzinger of West Wyoming brought his kids Austin and Levi to the lake. He says helping to stock has become a family tradition.
"I grew up fishing. My dad took me all of the time, and when we first started taking Austin, we'd go with his grandfather, and we really enjoy it and do this every year," said Seitzinger.
Lily Lake is the first waterway in our region to be stocked. But the Fish and Boat Commission could use some extra hands to help them stock the other locations.
"On a streamside (stocking), we have to make multiple stops along the road. Typically, the officers are busy determining where fish go and traffic control, so the more volunteers we have to carry fish, the better off we are," explained Lupacchini.
You can find a full schedule of trout stocking by county here.