TROUT OPENER: A BIG HIT IN 2010

(Trout Opener: a Big Hit in 2010 by Bob Phillips, first appeared in Lake Champlain Weekly in April 2010)
 
   April Fools day came and went without one person trying to play an April’s fool joke on me. At least I don’t believe anyone did. I was on the trout waters looking for trout on the first day of the opener. I suppose that one or two of those fishermen I spoke with could have been telling a whopper but it doesn’t necessarily have to be April Fool’s day for that to happen. Most of the accounts about the fishing I heard that day ran very consistent with one another, so I think I was getting the straight scoop.
   Trout opener was a beautiful day right from the start. It was above the freezing mark, maybe not by much at the dawning hour but it got up into the sixties before the day was done. Clear skies and a very light breeze when there was any breeze at all. Perfect spring day to be out on your favorite trout waters. Ice flows still cover many of our northern ponds and small lakes. The woods still hold some big patches of snow. On top of the few days of rain we experienced at the end of March, the waters were high but fishable.
   The small narrow creeks were running quite fast with the rain and runoff of the last few days. You needed to find stretches of flat, open areas on the rivers to be able to fish the opener. Some smaller creeks were lazy enough they could be fished easily, but in my immediate area I found the rivers much more to my liking. The usual fishing spots were busy with many fishermen, but not so many that we got into each others way. There were a lot fewer than many years. I believe many fishermen stayed home thinking the recent rains were going to make the waters to high and cold to be successful. That is too bad if you thought like that, because the fishing was excellent!
   I fished a couple hours in the morning before I came in to complete some work that needed my attention. I visited a couple of different spots to just check the waters and see what the rest of the day might bring. My first stop, I never even got out of my car. I saw that the water was racing through the ledges that I planned to fish and there was no sense in trying to fight that much water. The second stop looked much more promising.
   I had initially thought of fishing some of the smaller streams, so I brought my shorter spinning outfit for the morning trip. It was good for the first attempt I made at a small feeder brook. I got one strike from a trout but it was very half-hearted and I never hooked into him. Things were looking better all the time.
   The next stop didn’t produce even a strike. I was on a bigger body of water and soon found that the shorter spinning rig wasn’t as handy in this situation. I figured I would change to a longer outfit once I came out for the afternoon.
   It was at the next fishing hole that I saw the first indication that trout were present. One fisherman had caught a big brown trout. That was a nice trout to say the least. It was a 19-20 inch brown trout. I didn’t get a weight on it, but it was fat bellied and a beautiful fish. No one else was getting any strikes from trout, but it was encouraging at any rate. I neglected to ask him what he caught it on, but as I watched him fishing he seemed to be using a light colored, soft-bodied lure.
   I returned home during the late morning to take care of a couple of things that needed attention but determined to be back out as soon as possible in the afternoon.
   Early afternoon, I again hit the river and found the fishing much more pleasant than staying inside on such a beautiful day. During the morning I had already seen seven deer in three different places as well as other wildlife like turkeys and many songbirds. If nothing else happened it was still a pleasant outing.
   The first pool I hit was quiet. Nothing biting. No trout. Since this was the first spot, I was still optimistic. I headed down the road. The second hole was under a bridge. I always like fishing the holes around bridges. They seem to be deeper than other parts of the rivers and they seem to hold some of the nicest fish. A couple of US fishermen were already there when I arrived. I talked to one of them about how his day was going. They had caught one brown trout about 14 inches in length, but that was about it so far.
   I then went across the road to fish the other side of the bridge. I had switched my outfit to a seven foot spinning rod but I was still using the same terminal tackle on the end of the line. I don’t fish much with live bait, and very little with night crawlers or trout worms unless I am fishing for early trout. I had a gold trout spinner on a swivel with a single number 6 hook on the spinner with a couple of trout worms. I had added a couple of splitshot about a foot above the spinner for weight. I began casting this into the ripples and let it drift, then with a slow retrieve I kept it just off bottom as I brought it back through the eddy.
   On the third or fourth cast a trout struck! He was a nice looking one as he flashed around in the pool. I finally landed him and found he was sixteen and a half inches, weighing in at one pound and four ounces. My opener was complete. I was more than happy with that success. I fished a bit longer but I had other things pressing for attention so I quit a bit earlier than usual.
   Considering my own success and the reports of many fishermen I talked with, if you made excuse for not getting out on this opener in 2010 you really missed an opportunity. It was ideal fishing and that is enough said!
   Don’t pass up chances to get out fishing this year but get out afield and astream with your rod and reel