Adams Lake to Receive 600 Rainbow Trout from Kincaid Hatchery March 13

Approximately 600 rainbow trout are being stocked at Adams Lake today, Friday, March 13, transferred from the Kincaid State Fish Hatchery in Pike County as part of Ohio's statewide spring fishing program, according to a People's Defender column published March 10 and corroborated by the Ohio Division of Wildlife's official stocking schedule.

Adams Lake is one of 90 locations across Ohio receiving fish this spring. The Ohio Division of Wildlife announced that more than 85,000 rainbow trout will be released statewide beginning March 12, with stockings continuing through May as long as waters remain ice-free and accessible. "The locations were chosen to give as many anglers as possible a chance to reel in these feisty fish in March, April, and May," the agency said in a Facebook post announcing the program.

The fish arriving at Adams Lake were raised at Kincaid, one of three state hatcheries producing trout for the program. The other two are London State Fish Hatchery in Madison County and Castalia State Fish Hatchery in Erie County. Trout reach 10 to 13 inches before release, and the agency describes the stockings as "designed for high angler success and harvest," calling them excellent opportunities for families and a practical way to introduce younger anglers to fishing.

The daily harvest limit at Adams Lake and other inland lakes is five rainbow trout per angler. The Ohio Division of Wildlife advises that success rates are highest immediately after stocking: "Anglers will find the most success when fishing in the days just after the fish are stocked."

Adams Lake sits alongside several other southwest Ohio sites on the statewide calendar, including Caesar Creek State Park's Youth Pond, Cowan Lake State Park's Youth Pond, Rocky Fork State Park Beach Pond, Rush Run Wildlife Area Pond, and Sycamore State Park Pond. The 2026 program also introduces three new release locations statewide: Stoner Pond and Starr Lake in Lucas County and Wingfoot Wildlife Area in Portage County.

The spring 2026 total of more than 85,000 trout exceeds the 80,000 figure the ODNR cited as its annual average in 2021, reflecting a modest expansion of a program that has long anchored the early fishing season across Ohio's public lakes and ponds.