Staff photo by Fritz Busch Hutchinson DNR fisheries specialist Chris Foster displays a net full of trout used to stock Fort Ridgely Creek at Fort Ridgely State Park Tuesday.

FORT RIDGELY STATE PARK — Prospects for trout fishing enthusiasts took a turn for the better Tuesday as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources stocked a number of southwest Minnesota creeks with hundreds of brown and rainbow trout.

Hutchinson DNR fisheries specialist Chris Foster and fisheries technician Hannah Anema were part of a crew that stocked Fort Ridgely Creek at Fort Ridgely State Park with 300 brown trout and 300 rainbow trout.

Minnesota’s trout season opens this Saturday, April 16.

“I hope some fishermen catch some of these fish Saturday,” Anema said.

She said in past years, she’s caught her five-trout limit at the Fort Ridgely State Park Horse Camp, where creek water forms a pool. The creek bisects the park north to south.

Fort Ridgely Creek is 4.49 miles long in Nicollet and Renville counties. After stocking at Fort Ridgely, the DNR crew moved to nearby Spring Creek in Brown County.

Other designated trout streams stocked include Ramsey Creek in Redwood County, Redwood River in Lyon County, Sheldorf Creek in Cottonwood County and Seven Mile Creek in Nicollet County.

Because stream trout don’t reproduce in lakes, regular stocking is required to sustain these fisheries.

Each year, the DNR stocks southwestern waters in the state with rainbow trout, splake, brook and brown trout. Fishing seasons and regulations are more restrictive in these lakes to better manage the fishery.

Anglers must purchase a trout stamp and fishing license to fish designated trout lakes and streams. Trout fisheries allow regulation of trout fishing seasons and clears the way for restoration and habitat work to improve angler access and habitat.

For more information, visit mndnr.gov/fishing

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).