Dave Patterson of Cabot helps his 2-year-old grandson, Silas Cairns of Butler, fish for trout at Glade Run Lake on Tuesday afternoon. Silas was joined on the fishing excursion by his sister, Briella, 5, and brother, Liam, 6. Trout season opened Tuesday.

The state started this year's trout season two weeks early on Tuesday in an attempt to reduce concentrations of people from fishing at the same time.

The move is meant as a coronavirus precaution as the number of cases in the state, and Butler County, continues to climb. To further discourage group gatherings, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission withheld a stocking schedule and list of waters that have been stocked.

But Glade Run Lake was stocked for opening day and at least more than 50 people were observed Tuesday morning taking to the water. Over the coming weeks, other fishing spots will be stocked.

The announcement provides an exception to Gov. Tom Wolf's April 1 stay-at-home orders for all 67 state counties.

The decision to start trout season early was made by the Fish and Boat Commission in consultation with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Office of the Governor and Pennsylvania Department of Health, according to a news release.

“We have already seen that anglers and boaters across the commonwealth are willing to adapt their behavior to include social distancing, and we ask everyone to follow their lead while enjoying outdoor activities during this challenging time,” said Tim Schaeffer, Fish and Boat Commission executive director. “The trout we have been stocking have had time to spread out, and so should you.”

Ashleigh Oesterling woke her best friend up this morning and told her “we have a fishing emergency, they opened up the season two weeks early.”And after applying for the license, the two were out fishing at the Glade Run.Dave Paterson from Cabot also took advantage of the opening by taking his three grandchildren to the lake. Paterson told his daughter he could take the kids out “and you can have a breather.”State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said trout fishing is an outdoor activity with naturally occurring social distancing, which played into the decision to allow fishing as an activity.“Today was actually a soft start. They didn't have the big events they typically have,” Levine said. “It's very important that social distancing be maintained.”In a prepared statement, the conservation department said anglers and boaters should limit travel by fishing close to home, cover their faces with a mask or other cloth covering, keep a distance of at least six feet from others (the length of arm with an outstretched fishing rod is a good guide), only go fishing with family members living in the same household, and never share fishing gear with others.They also noted that anglers should not be territorial and to move to another area if someone is already fishing in their intended spot.

Also on Tuesday during a different news conference, Lt. Scott Price, deputy commissioner of operations for the Pennsylvania State Police, said the trout season is an acceptable reason to leave the house.“At the end of the day, if you want to go out fishing, that's certainly permissible, an encouraged activity,” he said, advising people to comply with the virus precautions. “If our troopers stop somebody and they're going fishing, or anything with aqua culture, that's a permitted activity to engage in. So that's permitted.”He noted that, “it's perfectly fine to be out on the highways to get out to where you need to go to do so.”Price said that state troopers would not be specifically targeting people who may be violating the governor's stay-at-home order. Instead, he said, troopers will only broach the topic if they have already stopped motorists for something else like a traffic violation.“We're not stopping them simply to check on them,” Price said. “And hopefully we would have a very positive discourse about the importance of practicing safety precautions.”Eagle staff Harold Aughton and Nathan Bottiger contributed to this report.