-
- Species
- Whitetails
- Rut Reporters
- Deer Camp
- Big Game
- Small Game
- Birds
- Special Methods
- Bow Hunting
- Conservation
- Heroes of Conservation
- Hero for a Day
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
- Land for Sale
-
- Species
- Bass
- Trout
- More Freshwater
- Saltwater
- Catchbook
- Special Methods
- Fly Fishing
- Hook Shots
- Conservation
- Heroes of Conservation
- Hero for a Day
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
- Land for Sale
-
- Health & Fitness
- F&S Adventurer
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
-
- Rifles
- Shotguns
- 2nd Amendment
- SHOT Show
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
Merwin: Lost Magic & Opening Day
Recent Comments
Categories
- Ammunition (1)
- Animal Attacks (4)
- Bass Fishing (267)
- Big Game Hunting (1)
- Bird Hunting (1)
- Bow Hunting (2)
- Camping Gear (3)
- Close Calls (3)
- Deer Hunting (1)
- DIY (1)
- Fire (1)
- First-Aid (2)
- Fishing (721)
- Fishing Gear (52)
- Fly Fishing (237)
- Gear (43)
- Guns (2)
- Hook Shots (1)
- Hunting (7)
- Hunting Gear (3)
- More Freshwater (250)
- Other Survival (4)
- Rifles (1)
- Saltwater (226)
- Shelter (1)
- Shooting Gear (1)
- Shotguns (1)
- Small Game (1)
- Survival (11)
- Survival Gear (2)
- Trout Fishing (276)
- Trucks (3)
Recent Posts
- Vintage Tackle Contest: Soap-A-Lure
- Peeing Swimmers Kill 500 Fish in Germany
- 40-Pound Kamikaze Barracuda Launches Assault on Anglers
- Protect Your Skin: How to Use Sunscreen and Keep it Off Your Lures
- Killer Snakeheads: The Real and the Hollywood Varieties
- Vintage Tackle Contest: Whirlaway Rod & Reel Combo
- What Were Some of Your Milestone Rods?
- Smallmouth Jerkbait Tips from Bass Pro Bill Lowen
- How to Free-Line Live-Bait Minnows to Catch Shy Brown Trout
- Vintage Tackle Contest: Heddon Crazy Crawler
Archives
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
Syndicate
The Honest Angler
in your Inbox
April 01, 2009
Merwin: Lost Magic & Opening Day
By John Merwin
Today is the traditional Opening Day of trout season in New York state. It is also April Fool’s Day. Some will wisely assume the two are somehow connected.
The water temperature of the Beaverkill, that most famous of Catskill trout rivers, this morning is 42 degrees. The weather forecast calls for cloudy skies with afternoon rain showers and air temperatures also in the 40s. It is a lovely day for playing cribbage by a warm wood stove; somewhat less lovely for trout fishing.
Many fishermen, of course, will be undeterred by the weather. Any fishing is better than no fishing, and April 1st is as much a celebration of the start of a new season as it is about trout. At least I hope it is. Standing in a cold rain and trying to catch a 9-inch brown trout from a snow-melt swollen river might otherwise be hard to justify.
For many of this country’s trout rivers, there no longer is an Opening Day. Fishing seasons often now extend year ‘round, sometimes with very short seasonal closures to protect spawning fish. The annual April start of Catskill trout fishing used to be a serious event, duly reported on by New York metro newspapers such as the Times and the sadly defunct Herald-Tribune. These days it passes without a ripple in the news.
When I was a kid, Opening Day was like Christmas morning. It was impossible to sleep the night before because of all the anticipation. I think as the idea of Opening Day seems to be slowly disappearing that we’re losing much of the magic, too....
ADVERTISEMENT
Today on Field & Stream
Loading...
Visit Our Sister Sites at Bonnier Corporation
| Enthusiast | Kiteboarding | QUAD | SKI | Skiing | Scuba Diving | Sport Diver | TransWorld Ride BMX | TransWorld Business | TransWorld Motocross | TransWorld SKATEboarding, | TransWorld SNOWboarding | TransWorld SURF | WakeBoarding | WaterSki | Warren Miller Entertainment | WindSurfing |
|---|---|
| Travel | Caribbean Travel & Life | Destination Weddings & Honeymoon | Islands | Meeting Traveler | Resorts & Great Hotels |
| Lifestyle & Shelter | Florida Travel & Life | Garden Design | Home Ft. Lauderdale | Home Miami |
| Luxury | SNOW | Spa |
| Marine | Boating Life | Cruising World | Fly Fishing in Salt Waters | Power Cruising | Marlin | Motor Boating | Sailing World | Salt Water Sportsman | Sport Fishing | Yachting | NewBoats.com | UsedBoats.com | YachtBroker.com |
| Outdoor | Field & Stream | Outdoor Life | SHOT Business |
| Parenting | Babytalk | Parenting |
| Science | Popular Science | Science Illustrated |
| Saveur | Saveur |
| Working Mother Media | Working Mother |
| Entertainment / Events | World Entertainment Services | World Sports & Marketing |
Fieldandstream.com is part of the Field & Stream Network, a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Copyright © 2012 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Comments (20)
In the part of wisconsin I live there aren't what seems to be many trout streams, so opening day of trout season seems to be nothing special here.
Where I live in Northwestern PA, Opening Day of Trout is huge, probably the only thing bigger is Opening Day of Firearms Deer Season. In order to secure one of the good spots on the streams around here, you have to be in position at 3 AM, and you're not even allowed to fish until 8. By that time, it's already shoulder to shoulder, fishing for stocked browns, and a few steelhead. The news stations all cover the event, and it's usually in the front section of the local news paper, the Erie-Times.
i cant wait to get outta school i dont care its raining in NY right now
I know what you mean. Parts of the blue ribbon catch and release streams in Michigan are open year round, but we do have opening day (last Saturday in April) on other waters. Since the change in regs it's not as big a deal as before. But its a traditional rite of spring that many of us look forward to every year, even if we have "cheated" a bit by warming up in other waters. I'll be heading up to the Au Sable to stop into my favorite fly shop to say, "Hi!" and check out a couple of spots and take a diversion into the woods to check on deer and turkey.
Fishing is not always the best, though I did hook into my biggest brookie on opening day last year, but it is great to have something to look forward to. Anticipation .... And just think, only 5 months until the grouse opener.
Can't remember the last Opener i fished, several years ago, maybe longer. Now i wait a couple weeks till it's a bit warmer. Of course, i'm driving 300 miles to camp, so it makes sense to wait for the weather. If i lived near a decent stream, i'd wet a line for sure, assuming i could find some elbow room.
It is tough for me to wrap my head around "opening day" for fishing... In Colorado we can catch whatever we want whenever we want. Opening day for us means we can kill stuff, not catch it...but it does sound like it can be a circus in other parts of the country!
I've got to admit that I probably fished for trout 25 days last year here in PA, but haven't hit an opener in years. I like the peace and quiet most of the time, some company some of the time, but never the crowds. I might fish this Saturday, but it's not going to be an approved trout water.
I fish all winter in many year-round conservation stretches near me, so opening day in NJ (which is totally brutal) doesn't mean much. Our season opens this Saturday, but I just trout fished two weeks ago.
But I'll still go as it's been tradition for my dad and I since I was old enough to cast. And every year I say I'm just going to relax and have fun, but I'll still be on the river at 4 waiting for 8 to cast. It's just in my nature even though I could care less about the scrawny little turds my state stocks for opening day.
JC, you may have just talked me out of gettin my Garden State license for this year.
im goin out to buttern ut creek this weekend
I have never experienced an opening day of trout season. As long at the good Lord keeps me healthy I'm gonna continue to hike to the unmolested waters of the back country. I'm not opposed to fishing with others on occasion but I prefer peace and solitude when I'm on the river.
JCarlin...don't do that!!! You have to make it like you're shipping off to war! Survival of the fishiest. He who has the most stockers wins! Like those T-shirts at the beach say, "New Jersey: Only the Strong Survive."
Ha. Goes to show you how much I know about opening day. It's not this Saturday in NJ...it's the next one. Oops
This is a completely foriegn subject to me. I can't even begin to comprehend standing by a stream in one spot for four hours waiting to cast. This is made even stranger by the fact that you are waiting for crappy little stockers that have never seen anything but tank walls and protien pellets. Maybe I'm just a damn hick from the deep south, but that's not my idea of fun. I'd much rather sit in a tree stand for ten hours straight, staring at a lifeless green field while the tempature continues to drop and then hover at a toasty 20 with wind chills right around 10.
"foriegn," "protien," "tempature." I promise I'm going to start reading back over these BEFORE I submit them. BTW, that "i" before "e" saying is complete BS.
A season closure wouldn't hurt some of the streams in this part of Western Colorado.
Virginia just like many other states did away with the Opening Trout day. Now that you can fish year round, they have something they call Trout Heritage Day. They predetermine which streams they are going to stock, and you cant fish them two days prior, then 9am. It is this saturday. So in essence you get the feel of "Opening" Day, but we have been able to fish all year long.
No opening fish days here in Utah. We don't even have morning opening times because we can fish 24 hours. THe opening day magic goes to hunting seasons- except the opening day of general mule deer- that is just madness with flying bullets.
I'm going to agree that when I was a kid, opening day was like Christmas. IT WAS!! I couldn't wait for daylight. I didn't sleep. All I could think about was "Opening Day". I was always out at first light. Ahh, the memories of days gone by. All good memories.
in fishing deffinetely but in hunting schools close down in some states for deer
Post a Comment
Where I live in Northwestern PA, Opening Day of Trout is huge, probably the only thing bigger is Opening Day of Firearms Deer Season. In order to secure one of the good spots on the streams around here, you have to be in position at 3 AM, and you're not even allowed to fish until 8. By that time, it's already shoulder to shoulder, fishing for stocked browns, and a few steelhead. The news stations all cover the event, and it's usually in the front section of the local news paper, the Erie-Times.
I fish all winter in many year-round conservation stretches near me, so opening day in NJ (which is totally brutal) doesn't mean much. Our season opens this Saturday, but I just trout fished two weeks ago.
But I'll still go as it's been tradition for my dad and I since I was old enough to cast. And every year I say I'm just going to relax and have fun, but I'll still be on the river at 4 waiting for 8 to cast. It's just in my nature even though I could care less about the scrawny little turds my state stocks for opening day.
In the part of wisconsin I live there aren't what seems to be many trout streams, so opening day of trout season seems to be nothing special here.
i cant wait to get outta school i dont care its raining in NY right now
I know what you mean. Parts of the blue ribbon catch and release streams in Michigan are open year round, but we do have opening day (last Saturday in April) on other waters. Since the change in regs it's not as big a deal as before. But its a traditional rite of spring that many of us look forward to every year, even if we have "cheated" a bit by warming up in other waters. I'll be heading up to the Au Sable to stop into my favorite fly shop to say, "Hi!" and check out a couple of spots and take a diversion into the woods to check on deer and turkey.
Fishing is not always the best, though I did hook into my biggest brookie on opening day last year, but it is great to have something to look forward to. Anticipation .... And just think, only 5 months until the grouse opener.
Can't remember the last Opener i fished, several years ago, maybe longer. Now i wait a couple weeks till it's a bit warmer. Of course, i'm driving 300 miles to camp, so it makes sense to wait for the weather. If i lived near a decent stream, i'd wet a line for sure, assuming i could find some elbow room.
I've got to admit that I probably fished for trout 25 days last year here in PA, but haven't hit an opener in years. I like the peace and quiet most of the time, some company some of the time, but never the crowds. I might fish this Saturday, but it's not going to be an approved trout water.
It is tough for me to wrap my head around "opening day" for fishing... In Colorado we can catch whatever we want whenever we want. Opening day for us means we can kill stuff, not catch it...but it does sound like it can be a circus in other parts of the country!
JC, you may have just talked me out of gettin my Garden State license for this year.
im goin out to buttern ut creek this weekend
I have never experienced an opening day of trout season. As long at the good Lord keeps me healthy I'm gonna continue to hike to the unmolested waters of the back country. I'm not opposed to fishing with others on occasion but I prefer peace and solitude when I'm on the river.
JCarlin...don't do that!!! You have to make it like you're shipping off to war! Survival of the fishiest. He who has the most stockers wins! Like those T-shirts at the beach say, "New Jersey: Only the Strong Survive."
Ha. Goes to show you how much I know about opening day. It's not this Saturday in NJ...it's the next one. Oops
A season closure wouldn't hurt some of the streams in this part of Western Colorado.
Virginia just like many other states did away with the Opening Trout day. Now that you can fish year round, they have something they call Trout Heritage Day. They predetermine which streams they are going to stock, and you cant fish them two days prior, then 9am. It is this saturday. So in essence you get the feel of "Opening" Day, but we have been able to fish all year long.
No opening fish days here in Utah. We don't even have morning opening times because we can fish 24 hours. THe opening day magic goes to hunting seasons- except the opening day of general mule deer- that is just madness with flying bullets.
I'm going to agree that when I was a kid, opening day was like Christmas. IT WAS!! I couldn't wait for daylight. I didn't sleep. All I could think about was "Opening Day". I was always out at first light. Ahh, the memories of days gone by. All good memories.
in fishing deffinetely but in hunting schools close down in some states for deer
"foriegn," "protien," "tempature." I promise I'm going to start reading back over these BEFORE I submit them. BTW, that "i" before "e" saying is complete BS.
This is a completely foriegn subject to me. I can't even begin to comprehend standing by a stream in one spot for four hours waiting to cast. This is made even stranger by the fact that you are waiting for crappy little stockers that have never seen anything but tank walls and protien pellets. Maybe I'm just a damn hick from the deep south, but that's not my idea of fun. I'd much rather sit in a tree stand for ten hours straight, staring at a lifeless green field while the tempature continues to drop and then hover at a toasty 20 with wind chills right around 10.
Post a Comment