Regional opening day

[Mike]

To all of those venturing out tomorrow...good luck. At the moment it looks to be a great day with respect to temperatures and flows, unlike last year's blow-out that sent many home or to lakes, at least where I was stationed that day in northern Lehigh Co.

 

[Jessed]

I might head out tomorrow before the sun sets, hopefully less crowds!

 

[Out4Trout]

I will be out at Mahoning Creek in Lehighton. I have many memories of fishing on opening day as a child and just want to be out for that reason. Im also taking my wife with as she is limited on the places she can go fishing with me and I always enjoy her company. Not expecting anything but a good time and some laughs.

I live for fishing the smaller native streams up her in the Poconos but again as a tradition, I will be out tomorrow to be part of the opening day fiascos : )

Tight Lines !!

 

[laszlo]

I usually make it yearly tradition, even if alone, but this year being a holiday weekend I'm actually traveling to a non-opening area. (western PA)

 

[afishinado]

I fish through the winter when the weather permits, but the opening day of trout is the official beginning of a fishing new season for me and is a great tradition. I Haven't missed one since my Dad took me out on my first trout fishing trip when I was 7 years old, and I always think of him on every opening day.

I remember going to buy my first set of rubber hip boots and new Eagle Claw fishing rod the night before my first season in a tiny sporting goods store (Zambors on Main St. in Pittston). The store was standing room only, crowded with guys buying bait and tackle for the big day. I recall catching one skinny little trout the next day from Ransom Creek (actually called Gardner Creek by most) and was very proud to bring it home for my Mom to see.

Now I can certainly take a trip to a wild trout stream like I do all winter, but choose to fish a stocked stream on opening day instead, like I fished when I was a kid. So I'll drive 20 minutes or so up the road to French Creek in the early afternoon sometime, when the crowds thin.

I fish in spots where no one else fishes because the "stream is fished out" and/or "that water don't hold any fish." Most opening days I C&R a 15 or 20 fish before heading home.

Like Mike said in the OP, conditions should be near perfect for anglers this year. Can't wait!

Good luck to all.

 

[jifigz]

Afishinado,

Very cool that you can connect the opening day frenzy to fond memories of your childhood. I never had anyone to go fishing with. I'm the only "outdoorsman" in my family and certainly the black sheep. Lol. Thank goodness for lots of good books I read as a kid because that is truly where my first knowledge came from.

I can enjoy the opening day and honestly I just enjoy going to a small lake like Greenwood Furnace and watching everyone haul the trout in. Tomorrow I will be fishing for smallies in the morning I believe. One thing I hate about the regional opener is that I live in a fringe county so the Juniata County streams get hammered extra because lots of guys from here in Mifflin County make the short drive down. I feel it works both ways too in that many Juniata County people drive up to Mifflin for that experience of fresh fish and a new season opener just two weeks later.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

I lived for opening day when I was a young buck many great memories of big fishing creek, bald eagle creek, and marsh creek.

 

[Canoetripper]

When I was a boy growing up I spent a lot of opening days at the Dream Mile Club in Blakeslee with my grandfather and then on the FFO section of Clark's Creek with my father.

When my father became the member at the Dream Mile Club we went back there. He moved to Colorado in the early 1990's, and I haven't fished an opening day since then. I moved to North Carolina in 1987 and spent 18 years there so I had no reason to drive over 400 miles or more for Pennsylvania's opening day when I had plenty of trout water in North Carolina.

I did make that long drive back to Pennsylvania for the opening of the rifle buck season, but that was a lot more because I wanted to spend time at deer camp with friends than I wanted to shoot a deer.

I have nothing against opening day, and hope everyone has a great time. I just don't have anyone left to spend it with.

When I was still in high school, our family had a cabin in the Michoux State Forest near Pine Grove Furnace. A friend and I started our day fishing a native stream from the cabin downstream to the mouth with Mountain Creek, and then finished the rest of the day on a very crowded Mountain Creek.

I'm not complaining about the crowd. This was back in the 1970's and there wasn't going to be any solitude on a heavily stocked trout stream.

 

[Tigereye]

I recall many opening days going back to the late sixties when my uncle would take me to the Lehigh river. It was the only place we fished. The Friday before we would go to Herrings Sptg Goods for minnows. I was fascinated looking at them in the tank. He taught me so much. Even tying the Lehigh river minnow rig which I still use occasionally on high water. I still have my falls river minnow bucket and tie my flies on the Thompson vise I got as a Christmas present years ago. 1st day I will start from uncle's rock

 

[Maurice]

I'll be down at the Woodbine Bridge (Woodbine and Owad Roads)on Muddy Creek sling burgers and dogs if you are fishing Muddy Creek in York County, stop over an say hello.

 

[Swattie87]

Maurice wrote:
I'll be down at the Woodbine Bridge (Woodbine and Owad Roads)on Muddy Creek sling burgers and dogs if you are fishing Muddy Creek in York County, stop over an say hello.

I always knew you were a bait guy. ;-)

 

[Mike]

Years ago, as a teen and long before Power Bait, one of our trout baits was Velveta cheese cut into mini-marshmallow size squares. If the fish weren't biting, we on occasion ate the bait. We usually carried corn, salmon eggs, and night crawlers as well, so the Velveta was expendable.

 

[afishinado]

Mike wrote:
Years ago, as a teen and long before Power Bait, one of our trout baits was Velveta cheese cut into mini-marshmallow size squares. If the fish weren't biting, we on occasion ate the bait. We usually carried corn, salmon eggs, and night crawlers as well, so the Velveta was expendable.

^You Berks County guys sure used fancy baits.
I will admit, though, corn for a streamside dessert....that was my favorite.

I used to dig my own worms, and found many in and just under the leaf piles left from the fall. We often netted our own minnows, most were black-nose dace in the streams I fished. They worked a lot better than the store-bought minnows, which I couldn't really afford at the time. anyway. Also salted minnow were popular and always a jar of Mike's Salmon Eggs as a back-up. They usually turned to jelly though because I left them in my stinky vest from last season. Good times.

 

[just_jon]

I will be out tomorrow in my new boat (Tracker Pro Guide 175). Still enjoy the tradition as well as fishing with old friends. A Mepps #1 should put some trout in in the livewells.

 

[Canoetripper]

Maurice,

I think I might make the road trip from Lancaster County over to York County to say hello. I will be sporting my Carolina Blue. I have a Juniata College education and a Pennsylvania DeLorme Atlas & Gazatteer so I ought to be able to figure out where Woodbine and Owad roads are on Muddy Creek.

CT

 

[Bamboozle]

"I love the smell of salmon eggs in the morning"...

...right around 07:57 when I bait-up for the opening bell...;-)

All kidding aside I haven't used them in years but I can conjure up the smell and excitement of my first Opening Day and many others before I got all full of myself fly fishing and stayed home.

My best opener was about 10 years ago when I went out for old times’ sake with some nephews of mine to Darby, caught trout on the first spinning rod & reel combo I ever owned for the first time in a zillion years, caught my FIRST trout ever on corn and found an arrowhead in the gravel.

I haven’t done an opener in years and can’t go out tomorrow but I have a few places in the crosshairs for next week.

To those heading out, enjoy the fishing and the memories!

 

[wbranch]

I became interested in fishing when I was 12 years old. It was in the summer and all I did at first was fish for WW fish. Then in the spring 1957 my Dad took me to a fishing store in Lynhurst, NJ and bought me a pair of vinyl stocking foot waders and a pair of black high top sneakers as my wading shoes. He had the similar get up as I did. We had spin rods and worms and I remember catching two little 9" rainbows in the Pompton River in Wayne, NJ. Every year after that for literally decades the anticipation of OD was tremendous and I would plan it for weeks and it was always fun going with Dad.

I've not fished any Opening Day in at least 15 years and I think that was on Clarks Creek before it was open all year long. A warden was watching me for half an hour before the official opener at 8:00 and said he couldn't believe I had the restraint not to fish earlier since there was no one else there and the pool was full of trout. He was scoping me out from bushes behind me.

I don't miss OD at all now that so many waters are open basically all year long. I might go out tomorrow to watch my grandson fish at Muddy Creek Forks. I hope everyone going out has a great day!

 

[trout624]

There's nothing quite like opening day in the Central PA region. I grew up on the Yellow Breeches and have always loved the tradition of opening day. Although I still get out on the water for each opening day, it's more just to witness the mayhem and loads of people on the stream than trying to fly fish in solitude. There's 364 days to do that.

It's a great day to remember fishing traditions and look back on good times that molded us into fishermen.

Hope everyone has a good one this year! Time to go catch some palomino with a corn fly!

 

[Canoetripper]

I missed the opening today. My 2005 Jeep Liberty failed inspection, and it is the last day of the month. I had no choice but to buy new tires.

New tires aren't inexpensive. I had to buy new tires to legally drive the next time I go fly fishing.

 

[CRB]

Hopefully you will get an april sticker so you can hit up OD next year with out worry.