Trout Season Opener Was Wet

A 10-inch Brook Trout was caught early on opening day of Trout Season on Wednesday. Cliff Mueller, of Stamford, used a Phoebe to catch the trout near Stamford. He released the trout back to the stream. Heavy rains overnight left streams swollen and in some cases murky, but obviously still fishable.

CATSKILL REGION – April 1 is known as April Fool's Day and while many of us consider it a day of playing harmless pranks, anglers revel in the fact it is also the beginning of Trout Season. The Opening Day of Trout Season is a rite of passage for anglers and no matter what the weather, you will find at least one avid angler with a line in the water.

Sometimes Mother Nature does have the last laugh, as only the hardiest endure the freezing cold that has greeted anglers on some opening days. On others, it has been balmy and the best openers are when you can dig your own worms. Those don't happen very often.

Some consider braving the elements, no matter what, to cast a fishing line into a stream or pond is an April Fool's joke.  Only the die-hard angler understands, that it isn't how long you fish, or if you catch a fish, but more that you simply went fishing.They are casting off the throws of winter, enjoying the arrival of spring and getting back into nature.

I have covered opening day for more than 40 years and I always find someone casting a line somewhere along the West Branch of Delaware River where you will find stocked and once in a great while a wild  brook, brown or rainbow trout.

Worms are the most effective bait for opening day and local bait carriers will have some to sell to those who will venture for that very first day of the season. 

There was an overnight downpour leading into Wednesday's opener and streams were high and some a bit murky. Those are not ideal conditions. The best conditions are when the water is clear enough so the fish will see the bait. In Trout Town, Roscoe, NY they were recommending streamers and nymphs but carried along some dry flies. 

But, like I said, it doesn't really matter if a fish is caught, it is the ritual of getting up early, dressing for the weather and having your bait and angling gear ready.

Cliff Mueller, of Stamford, used a Phoebe to catch his first fish of the season, a 10-inch natural brook trout. Almost on his first cast. He said the water was good when he started out, but it was starting to get murky and when the rain started, he was content enough to go home, get dry and have his breakfast. It wasn't the trout, he threw it back. He said she was full of eggs and letting the fish back to the water would allow a new generation to spawn. The area where he caught the fish was above the areas where the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) stocks trout.

The temperatures were in the 50s, the water was not freezing in the eyelets of the fishing poles, which I have seen. They did not need heavy winter  boots to get to the streambanks, which I have seen.

They came from near and far to fish in the West Branch and even farther downstream they were  hosting special events at places like Roscoe.

The prediction from Trout Towns on Tuesday was: The rain was bumping up the rivers a bit, however they were still clear as of Tuesday morning and still fishable. They were also predicting most of the streams were starting off in the mid-forties for water temps. The lower areas of the West branch were still too high to wade; Upper East branch is limited in areas but doable. Beaverkill and Willowemoc are fishable, but the rain could change that. The same could be said for the Neversink and Esopus. 

More toward the headwaters, the water is often swifter and the water temperature a little cooler, but the warmer temperatures made it bearable for anglers to stay at the stream a little longer before they need a warmup break. Although it was warmer, there was rain off and on for the remainder of the week. 

DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton was encouraging anglers to introduce someone new to the sport of fishing. She also said DEC trout stocking was in full swing with more than 1.7 million catchable-size brook, brown and rainbow trout being stocked.

The popular Trout Stream Fishing Map on  DECinfo Locator  allows anglers to view trout stream reaches, color-coded by management category, as well as fishing access associated with those reaches. Links to the  Trout Stream Fishing Map and a User Guide are available on DEC's website.

Anglers can also use their smart phones to find trout fishing opportunities around the state by accessing the Tackle Box feature in  DEC’s HuntFishNY app.  The Tackle Box provides one-stop-shopping for information on access sites, stocking, regulations and more.  Information on how to download the app  can be found on  DEC’s website: dec.ny.gov. Anglers are encouraged to check out these valuable resources when planning their next fishing trip.