WILTON – Come the first day of open-water fishing season on April 1, adults can no longer fish Wilson Stream from the outlet bridge downstream to the Route 156 bridge.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has designated that section for kids only, meaning that children 16 and under can fish it.

Contacted last week in Strong, fisheries biologist Dave Boucher called it a significant regulation change.

“There’s a departmentwide effort to provide fishing opportunities to kids to get them interested,” he said.

As if that wasn’t enough, the department will stock the stretch three times next month with a total of 750 yearling brook trout ranging in size from 8 to 10 inches as part of an experimental statewide “catchable trout” put-and-take fishery.

“This is all new and we’ll need feedback from anglers about what these fish are doing,” Boucher said. “If they’re not contributing to the fishing experience or people are not using them, we’ll do it somewhere else. It’s a bit of an experiment.”

During meetings with the public in the past few years, the department was asked to provide brook trout opportunities for urban areas and children. Opening up more waters to kids-only fishing and adding bigger fish is the department’s response.

The fish became available as a result of improvements at the Embden fish hatchery, department spokesman Mark Latti said by phone in Augusta last week.

“When the Embden hatchery renovations were done, all of a sudden, we were producing a lot more fish,” he said. “So, we’re supplementing our stockings or starting new ones. But we’re not going to stock on top of native populations or where trout are reproducing naturally.”

Besides Wilson Stream, which empties east from Wilson Pond, other waters scheduled to receive yearling brookies, are:

• Temple Stream in Temple, 500

• Muddy Brook just below the dam in Industry, 50

• Haley Stream in Rangeley, 300

• Webb River in Dixfield, 500

• Ellis River in Andover, 750

• Sunday River in Newry, 500

• Androscoggin River in Bethel, 500

Boucher said most of the waters have not been stocked regularly. Sunday River was last stocked with brookies in 1985.

“It fits the bill for these put-and-take spring yearlings, because its habitat isn’t going to support a fishery,” he said.

The Kennebec River below Solon and Sandy River below Phillips are also scheduled to receive yearling brook trout.

Regarding opening day, Boucher said best bets for fishing success will be the Kennebec and Androscoggin rivers.

“The water will be very cold, and there will still be lots of ice. The Kennebec below Wyman Dam is always an early season favorite for large rainbow trout, and the Androscoggin River below Gilead and Rumford may hold some large brookies and browns from last fall’s stocking,” Boucher said.

Big fall yearling brookies were also stocked in the Kennebec below Solon and Madison, and in the Sandy River below Phillips.

“If these fish held through last fall and winter, it should be fun,” he added.

The Rapid River in Upton is also unusually good in April if anglers want to trudge in to the inlet to Pond in the River in Township C or to the remnants of Lower Dam. Another popular spot, he said, is the Dead River below Long Falls, but, “expect a good crowd of eager anglers seeking nice-sized rainbows, salmon, and brook trout,” Boucher said.