The Big Day

Saturday (April 1) is "the big day" for trout fishermen. It is the opening day of the regular trout season and is the day that I believe more people are in Pennsylvania's outdoors than on any other day.

All stocked trout waters have received their preseason allotments of legal-size trout from stockings by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and from cooperative hatcheries operated by sportsmen's clubs. There are more trout finning the waters of the state's trout streams on the opening day than there will be for the rest of the season.

It is a big day for families. If you drive along area streams, you will see members of families fishing together. I have noticed this is particularly true along Canoe Creek. In some spots families lay out blankets and set their coolers alongside so that they can have their lunches beside the stream while they fish. I have also observed that some first-day fishermen camp out in tents alongside streams where they have permission to do it. I suspect that these are mainly young fishermen. We older anglers are unlikely to spend nights stiffening up on the cold, hard ground waiting for the 8:00 a.m. start. (I prefer the creature comfort of sleeping in a nice, warm bed.)

One of the greatest opening-day family fishing spots is a half-hour from the Cove: the pond at the Bellwood Sportsmen's Club. Anglers there can even obtain food from the club during the morning. At 8:00 a member of the club announces that the season is beginning. Immediately, anglers cast a hundred or more lines into the pond. Inevitably, some of the lines become tangled, but I have never seen an argument as a result. Instead, the anglers calmly untangle the lines. Though adults are allowed to fish, the fishing at the pond is mainly an event for kids. Though I have not seen it happen, I think that some of the bigger trout could yank some of the smaller kids into the pond.

Though some anglers use lures and even flies to fish during the opening day, it is mainly a day for fishing with various types of baits. Earthworms are the old stand-by. Some people prefer smaller mealworms or maggots. Others like to use forms of Power Bait to attract opening day trout. On various streams you might observe serious big-trout fishermen using minnows as their opening day bait.

The opening day of trout season is a wonderful day. It sets the stage for the months-long season for fishing for trout.