MJL Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 I find a lot of people hate fishing the trout season opener. Most hate crowds and fishing the shoulder to shoulder conditions. Many hate the antics that go along with it (ie. Garbage, less than ethical angling, etc). I love fishing the opener purely because of the tradition it holds for my dad and I. Like Christmas, it instills a feeling of anticipation and excitement. I don’t get to fish for steelhead much anymore because of my schedule. I know in the tail-out below the bend in that special part of the river, fish are waiting for me - whether or not they take the bait is something else. With that said, the 2007 season opener was more of a journey for me than just one single day of fishing. Captain’s log – So it begins April 18, 2007 I finally have the free time to re-build my float rod for the coming opener. A Raven IM9, I bought back in 2001. It was starting to show its age with scratched/chipped guide wraps and ferrules – It’s been to hell and back. The warranty expired long ago and I was unsatisfied with the factory guides that they provided – I had issues with them snapping in the past. Off to the store for new guides. New Ferrule/guide wrap – Originally it was solid blue – now a translucent red/gold/black mix The dinner table – Watching the epoxy dry. I do have a motor but being the anti-social hermit that I am (with nothing better to do at 2:30am Thursday morning), I decided to turn them by hand. April 21 Took the rod out for a test drive at the Credit River. All went well with the rod. Unfortunately my waders weren’t the same. Found 2 holes in the inseam area around the knee. The water was relatively warm, I was unsure if my waders were leaking or if I accidentally pi$$ed my pants. I guess it’s better I discovered them before the opener. I found this great product in the local fly shop. If you own neoprene or breathable waders, THIS IS A MUST HAVE ITEM. Only costs $10 but the fact that you can repair waders in MINUTES rather than HOURS (even when wet), is priceless. All you need is shade to apply it and sunlight to cure – Or the UV lamp made by the same company. Waders were repaired on the same day April 27 4:30pm I finished writing my last final exam for the semester and headed to a couple tackle shops for some supplies. Floats, leader material, fly tying material, soft-plastic micro jigs, etc. 11pm I tie 24 spawn sacs and realize that I’m out of spider thread – subsequently all tackle shops are closed. Luckily I had 20.5 worms in my refrigerator for extra bait if need be. Rest of the gear is assembled and ready to go. April 28, 2007 2 hrs of sleep, I’m good to go – Coffee puts me to sleep so it’s pure adrenaline and excitement keeping me awake. Arrive at my spot at around 5:30am and start fishing By 9am, 7 fish landed between 2-8lbs with countless lost. One from the early morning Most memorable fight of the day. This buck took me up and down river and through a stretch of fast water before I landed it. Speedy devil he was. The camera died after taking 4 pics. The rechargeable batteries didn’t hold their charge At the end of the day (4pm), I managed to bank a total of 9 fish on float and fly tackle and lost count of the numbers I lost – Lack of fishing practice = Rust. My main mission was to Christen my new float reel and I accomplished it (Thanks for the reel dad, you can use it to – Happy retirement – Just don’t drop it). Had a great time fishing with my dad, who wasn’t as lucky as I was, but managed to get the big fish of the trip (the camera died just before he landed it). Overall it was a memorable trout season opener for both my dad and I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen-fire Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 wow...awesome write-up man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Sounds like your good day was well deserved! Really nice job on the guide wraps btw, the rod looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Clemens Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Nice report MJL. I really like the sign on the kitchen table ... Do NOT touch. I doubt I would get away with that one. Looks like some nice payoff and you were ready for them. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryceBurzynski Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Nice report, nice fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike the Pike Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Nice fish too bad about the batteries .This is why all anglers should bring extra batteries this will provide more pics for us OFNERS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccmtcanada Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Hey...nice job out there! It was cool to see a bit of the prep in your report too. Nice fish...sounded like a memorable opener thats for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Great report MJL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2kptbo Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Thanks for sharing, good report and good fishin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snag Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 You are definately one dedicated angler! Great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007 Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Nice report MJL. Some beautiful fish there. Looks like you've got the gift of catching more than just big carp. Thanks for sharing your journey. 007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Awesome report... well written and wonderful to read. It is definately about the journey! Great pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bly Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Nice report and fish!! Wonderful that you and your dad have this tradition bly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishindevil Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Great,story/log you have there from the beginning to the end,when you were out at the trout opener,thanks for sharing,nice pics as well....cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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