A sure sign of spring: On April 14, Mass Wildlife delivered about 400 rainbow trout to their new home in Crystal Lake. With only about a half-hour notice of the event, City Councilors Martha Bixby and Alan Lobovits were on hand to welcome the new residents. Newton Recreation Manager Carol Stapleton said:
Every year, for as long as I can remember, right after ice-out, Mass Wildlife stocks the lake. It’s such a wonderful experience for kids. About 400 fish arrived around 1PM, and by 5PM there were 13 or 14 kids fishing.
Lots of fishing folks tune into the Mass Wildlife trout-stocking website to see when each of the 450 locations are scheduled to be stocked, and they’ll be fishing here in no time.
The state grows the fish in hatcheries in Belchertown. It’s a great trip for families to tour the hatcheries.
Mass Wildlife lists five hatcheries that the public can visit and notes, “We do not have staff to offer tours, so be advised that your visit will be self-guided.”
It’s not just humans who look forward to Crystal Lake being stocked with trout every spring. Councilor Bixby noted that the following morning, there was an osprey over the lake. Carol Stapleton said, “Yes, every once in a while, we see an osprey hanging out and then beating into the lake. Some people think they must be following the Mass Wildlife trucks down Route 9! We’ve heard about a bald eagle being somewhere around here, so maybe we’ll see a bald eagle at the lake.”
