NORTH WEBSTER — This year’s stocking of 400 rainbow trout in Wyland Lake at Tri-County Fish & Wildlife Area will take place in mid-March, a month earlier than in previous years.

As a result, trout fishing at the 6-acre Kosciusko County lake will be open immediately to anyone with a fishing license and trout stamp.

In recent years, Department of Natural Resources officials hosted a youth fishing event at Wyland Lake in mid-April and scheduled the stocking at that time. However, participation has been light and the event has been discontinued.

One goal of the DNR trout stocking program is to encourage families with kids to fish together, according to DNR fisheries biologist Jed Pearson. But meeting that goal at Wyland Lake proved to be too ambitious because the trout moved offshore and were mostly available to anglers with boats.

“As many parents know, getting kids to sit quiet for very long in a boat can be trying,” Pearson said. “Fishing from shore is a lot easier to handle.”

The DNR is also stocking 400 trout nearby at Sand Lake in Chain O’Lakes State Park, south of Albion, and 3,000 trout in Cedar Lake, north of Columbia City. Most of the trout in these lakes are also caught offshore.

For families who desire shoreline trout fishing, the DNR will stock 200 rainbow trout and host a fishing event at a pond in Morsches Park in Columbia City. The stocking is scheduled for later in April, with more details to follow.