June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Inside the Outdoors - Trout opener is about anticipation
The first days of the trout season are rarely among the best. Most streams, fed by snowmelt, are cold, and the trout are too. Like any cold-blooded creature whose body temperature is regulated by its environment, cold means slower metabolism, and slower response, including to the baits or lures we drift or retrieve in front of them as they rest in a quiet pool, or seek shelter from the stream's current behind a log or boulder.
High water often accompanies the season's first days. Not only does this make locating the most likely trout-holding places less certain, but high, fast water can be murky with soil and forest debris washed into the stream, and stirred up from the bottom by its greater velocity. So, trout not only may be slower in their response, but may be less likely to see your offering unless it is spot-on to their location.
But an angler is always facing odds, short or long, when trying to catch fish. The only difference is that some odds may be better than others. Like the song says, an angler will "take my chances every chance I get." And that includes the early season when the chances are often the least favorable.
Trout fishing and outdoor baseball wouldn't strike you as having a lot in common. One is a spectator sport that takes place in an environment of noise, competitiveness, and a sea of humanity. The other is a one-on-one contest that takes place where nature is at its purest, whose practitioners prefer solitude to company - let alone a crowd - and are secretive and protective of their favorite trout spots.
But in April, both trout fishing and outdoor baseball are subject to the whims of Nature. Not just any Nature, but Nature Minnesota-style. I'm old enough to remember as a boy the first home of the Minnesota Twins, the old outdoor Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. I recall baseball seasons when mere days before the home opener, the grounds crew was cleaning the field of snow, and snow-outs - rather than rain-outs - were a genuine possibility.[[In-content Ad]]
So, too, do I remember trout fishing openers - at about the same date in April - being as wintry as February or March. For more than one opener, I've had to walk through calf-deep snow before slipping my wader-clad legs into the stream. Ditto for openers so cold that water from the stream would freeze my line to the guides of my fishing rod, and I would have to break it free with a gloved hand, or warm it to the thawing point in my bare palm.
Even though most trout anglers prefer solitude to a crowd, this may not be what they find on opening day. Compared to the number of lake fishing options in our Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota has a far fewer stream trout fishing opportunities. And, in April when there are few other open water fishing options - like lake channels, inlets and outlets where panfish might be tempted - many anglers are attracted by the novelty of trout fishing, and as a cure for cabin fever.
But when the lakes become free of ice, and even more when the general fishing opener rolls around in mid-May, the more serious trout fishermen will have the streams to themselves. The fishing is likely to be better then, too, with lower, clearer, warmer water, and more active fish.
For the April 16th opener, perhaps the best advice is to concentrate on the slower water in a stream, where a trout can exert the least effort in fighting the current. Fish slowly and deliberately, rather than expecting an aggressive pursuit of your bait or lure. And be sure to bring with you the attitude that there's a reason why we say we are going "fishing," rather than "catching." Easier fishing will most likely come later, but the anticipation will never be greater than on that first day
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