Ryan Campbell will wake his daughters at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, sit down for breakfast and then drive to a spot near the Indian Mountain Rod and Run Club in Kresgeville.

“We stand by the creek until 8 o’clock,” said Campbell of Kunkletown.

And then, it’s lines in for Pennsylvania anglers. Saturday marks the first day of trout season for all counties.

For Campbell, it’s a day to spend time with family. It started with his father and grandfather, and continues now with his own children.

“Rylee’s been fishing with me since she was a year old, and McKenzie was about the same,” he said of his daughters.

The girls have turned into skilled anglers. During the recent Youth Mentored Trout Day, McKenzie, 10, reeled in a 4.5 pound trout and Rylee, 12, caught a 3.5-pounder.

“Both of those fish got fileted up and they’re getting ready for the grill,” Campbell said.

The family tends to use artificial “bait,” like spinners and trout magnet lures.

“Neither of the girls like touching worms,” Campbell said.

Michael Parker, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said the commission stocks 3.2 million trout each year.

“Those are the ones raised by the Fish and Boat Commission in our state fish hatcheries,” he explained.

The commission has assistance from about 150 cooperative nurseries, which raise fingerling trout provided by the commission.

“That contributes about a million more to the system,” he said, “so it’s really about 4.2 million trout stocked every year across the state.”

The trout stocking schedule can be found by using the FishBoatPA mobile app and website at www.fishandboat.com.

They average stocked trout is about a year old, measures 11 inches, and weighs a little over a half-pound. There are, however, some trophy-sized trout, Parker said.

“We keep a lot of trout that are 2 and 3 years old for spawning,” he explained. They will eventually be stocked with the other trout, and can be as long as 24 inches.

The commission distributes 2.2 million rainbow trout, 686,000 brown trout and 293,000 brook trout. About 70,000 trophy trout and 13,000 golden rainbow trout will also be placed in waterways. The golden rainbows are highly prized for their vibrant golden-orange pigmentation.

Keepers must measure at least 7 inches, and there is a daily creel limit of 5.

Parker noted that anglers over the age of 16 must purchase a fishing license and trout permit to fish for trout.

About 920,000 licenses were sold in 2021, he said.

“In 2020, the pandemic year, we sold about 20% more licenses than the previous year,” Parker said. “Last year, we maintained that number.”

At Shea’s Hardware in Palmerton, Jeff Miller said fishing license sales picked up earlier this week.

“We also had an uptick last week because Saturday was the mentored youth fishing day so that started the thought process, I guess,” he said.

He predicted that license sales will be at their greatest on Friday.

It’s a trend that Parker is familiar with.

“Most people procrastinate when it comes to buying their licenses. They’ll wait until the last minute,” he said.

Anglers are no longer required to display a printed copy of their fishing license on the outside of their clothing. They can even store their license digitally on their phones.

Another change is the state’s return to a single, statewide opening day. Over the past few years, there were two separate regional opening days, with the first for the state’s 18 southeastern counties.

To mark the start of trout season, many Pennsylvania state parks will open for camping Friday.

Among them are Locust Lake and Tuscarora state parks in Barnesville, and Hickory Run State Park in White Haven.

“Whether you’re a lifelong angler or discovering the sport of fishing for the first time this trout season, lakes and streams located within state parks are a great place to start,” Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the fish and boat commission said in a release. “Camping and fishing make the perfect combination for families looking for adventure and convenience as they make lasting memories on the water.”