Trout

[Stein]

Forecast on the left side looks less than wonderful, but for some reason I feel the need to fish the opener.

Who is going out?  I'm going to make an effort to get the boy on a tagged fish this year if we have to clean the lake out.

[Jonathan_S]

I'll be taking some kids out for the opener. Good, cheap fun for them. A quick 10-15 fish and some hot chocolate on the way home.

[BigGoonTuna]

It seems like it gets less attention every year here. I remember the local lakes having lines of trailers waiting for the gates to open at dawn. Hardly hear anyone talk about “opening day” any more. Maybe it’s because a lot more lakes are year round now?

[Stein]

Could be.  Some years, I hit the opener on lakes that were open all year.  Old habits are hard to shake, I remember having to fish for tiny brook trout in the streams waiting for the magical weekend to hit the monster 10 inchers on the lake.

[Bullkllr]

We used to joke that Clear Lake became the 3rd largest city in Thurston County on opening weekend. Now that it (and most others) have gone "mixed species" and/or year 'round there really isn't much point to being there on the opener. It was a pretty fun event, imo.

[blackpowderhunter]

i remember to this day when i was a kid hitting the opener with my dad in our canoe, and sitting in the pouring rain.
the pancakes he made when we got home were delicious though 

[Mtnwalker]

I remember not wanting to play little league because it interfered with the trout opener every year  Failor was always a zoo

[HikerHunter]

I've been participating in the fish opener since I was a kid. I remember having to launch on the narrow shoulder of a 35 MPH road at a local lake because the regular launch had so many trailers backed up. One year, my dad took me out on a pouring down rain opener when I had a high fever. My mom still gives him a hard time about it. This might be the year I get to take my son out on the opener in the pouring rain, minus the fever though...

[vandeman17]

I remember one opener back in the early 90s at Jameson Lake. Fishing with my old man and sister and came back to the truck to find out the keys were locked inside. My old man was able to open the rear slider just enough that I could squeeze through and reach the keys. Would have had to bust out a window if that wouldn't have worked

[rasbo]

Mineral lake was crazy and a blast years back

[7mmfan]

I haven't missed an opener except for last year. And this year now. My son will be old enough next year to plan on going out on the openers again though, so I hope to keep the tradition alive. We have always gone to Winthrop area and camped for the weekend. Love that trip.

[pd]

I've been participating in the fish opener since I was a kid. I remember having to launch on the narrow shoulder of a 35 MPH road at a local lake because the regular launch had so many trailers backed up. One year, my dad took me out on a pouring down rain opener when I had a high fever. My mom still gives him a hard time about it. This might be the year I get to take my son out on the opener in the pouring rain, minus the fever though...

Meh.  You survived, right.  Tell your Mom it's just the way it is.

[Alchase]

Wow, you guys are glutens for punishment.
Fishing opening day, when most of the good fisheries are open all year, 

The last time I fished the lowlands opener, was in 89, on Lake Wilderness in Covington.
A buddy and I got there at 4:00 am.
Had to park over a mile away after launching my boat.
It was so crowded,  not one boat could troll.
In 5 hrs. Saw one fish caught, a hatchery 10 incher.
Had idiots on both shores loving three once weights 1/2 a crossed the lake, for the sole reason of snagging maters rigs and stripping them off.

We decided to leave, and it took 2 hours to get our turn on the boat ramp.

The time before that was at Mineral Lake
One idiot was so drunk, he actually fell out the door of his van, into the water at th boat ramp. We waited over an hour before they could figure out who was going to drive and retrieve their boat. Mean the driver was still sitting in the water blocking the ramp.

Since those two, I stay as far away from lakes on opening day as I can.
Besides I usually had a decent supply of silvers and Kokanee befor the opener happens.

[boneaddict]

Seems pretty anti climactic to me with all the early openers or other fishing ops.   Not like it was for sure.

[BigGoonTuna]

We used to joke that Clear Lake became the 3rd largest city in Thurston County on opening weekend. Now that it (and most others) have gone "mixed species" and/or year 'round there really isn't much point to being there on the opener. It was a pretty fun event, imo.

that notoriety kept me away from there until just last year.  was sort of anticlimactic going out there a week after the opener with 1 trailer at the launch.  nice lake for sure, some big bass swimming around in there!

i fished hicks lake for something like 15 straight years on the opener, used to live a mile from there.  i remember when i used to get into the big perch there on opening day, never seem to catch them until later in the spring anymore.  sure wish i could get my kids to sit still long enough to safely take them out in the boat...maybe next year.