# The Last Saturday in April: 91 Days to Go



## fishenrg (Jan 9, 2008)

I've actually never counted down days to trout opener before. This year, I have to admit, I'm hooked. I used to be more of a walleye guy (still like all kinds of fishing of course) but I really got "hooked" on trout fishing this past summer. Now if I can just hook some trout, not just myself! My only trout this year was a tiny 4" thing that I couldn't tell you the species, caught on a dry fly. It was super colorful...blue on top, fading down to a reddish bottom.

Anyway, I like within minutes of the Platte so I've just been exploring it on my own. Lack of fish doesn't stop me, I know that will change once I get it figured out. I just love the action, the meditativeness, the solitude.

One other date I'm looking forward to is March 31....Tigers opener! Nothing I love better than exploring a stream while listening to the Tigers on the radio.

I'm certainly not ready to give up fly fishing, but I'm definitely curious about spinner fishing for trout. Whit...any good locations of technique info? My go to lure on a number of small lakes around me is a black rooster tail spinner. I catch everything on them from pike to bass to walleye. Would love to maybe use them in a river too, sounds interesting. Is it worthy of a new thread?

Countdown is on, maybe I'll see some of you on the river this year. Though where I've been I have yet to see a single person!


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

My favorite trout lure is a roostertail spinner. I have caught 80% of my trout on them and fish them a lot. I like yellow,whit, and black, also blue dun used to work well,but they dont make the pattern anymore.


I also cannot wait until the trout opener. I hope to go to the UP and trout fish, something I haven't done yet, of course depends on water and weather. If I'm not there I will be at a couple of my favorite haunts, nothing like native brookies, and the chance to catch a whopper brown.


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## tgafish (Jan 19, 2001)

thousandcasts said:


> Oh boy, here we go with this again. I guess when your body gets to the point where it can't handle real fish, then you have to downgrade to what works, so kudos to you Whit for still finding a reason to get those old bones out of bed. :lol:


:lol::lol:
Pics of fish like this have him running for the Geritol now:evilsmile


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

"_*Pics of fish like this have him running for the Geritol now"*_:evilsmile


Actually Geritol is my carp doughball scenting secret. I drink it and also soak the shredded wheat doughballs in the stuff........:lol:

That's a nice brown by the way!


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## Erik (Jan 17, 2000)

Hey now, don't be rushing winter away just yet! Spring will come eventually. Till then I plan to enjoy every minute of winter. As a matter of fact I just tied up about 54 bags of fresh steelhead roe to dunk in the river tomorrow


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

I can't wait for the opener either. Ralf has a new driftboat he is on the way to pick up. My buddy Jon has Ralfs old driftboat. I have decided to pick up a new 4 wt and have been tying itty bitty bugs for a while now.
If ya can't beat 'em............


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## Splitshot (Nov 30, 2000)

As the days get longer, the pull of the river gets stronger. I had a great year last year and think this year will even be better.

I kind of cleaned my gallery out like I do every year, but I left a few. This is one of the wild browns I caught in a little river last year.









This is one my son caught in another river we fished the year before.









Can't leave my grandson Jake out of a thread like this. He actually caught 6 or 8 this size on a great day. He is quite the little fisherman.









This might not be the biggest, but one of my favorite trout pictures.









I'll be looking for more of these this summer as well. I'm ready now. lol


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## trinibob (Mar 8, 2004)

my cousin at the little man.
back in 2005


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

just alittle over 2 more months!!!!!


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## Thunderhead (Feb 2, 2002)

I heard that there might be some " Major Rule Changes " that would move the opener up to July 1st ????????????????????


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Thunderhead said:


> I heard that there might be some " Major Rule Changes " that would move the opener up to July 1st ????????????????????


 
Thomas,
Keep that up and you shall be condemned to the nether regions where all evil-doers descend...........:lol:


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

I guess you'll have to be content to study my avatar picture for now, since I am unable to post pictures yet. Anyway, that is me holding a 27", 7lb. resident Brown Trout from an undisclosed Northwestern Michigan steam.

Fishing little rivers for big resident Browns in May and September is what I love to do most. I can hardly wait.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

drgulian said:


> I guess you'll have to be content to study my avatar picture for now, since I am unable to post pictures yet. Anyway, that is me holding a 27", 7lb. resident Brown Trout from an undisclosed Northwestern Michigan steam.
> 
> Fishing little rivers for big resident Browns in May and September is what I love to do most. I can hardly wait.


How about giving some more info in your profile! It sounds like you'll fit right in with the other trout fishing nuts in this forum..............:lol:


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## WILDCATWICK (Mar 11, 2002)

Week and a half and it's up to Wisconsin for there early season opener! Just hoping that the rivers aren't flooded out. One month of fishing there then it's over to the family property on the East Branch of the Ausable for the opener over there!!!!!


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## Butch (Aug 29, 2001)

Whit1 said:


> How about giving some more info in your profile! It sounds like you'll fit right in with the other trout fishing nuts in this forum..............:lol:


Whit, you're probably just jealous, and "know" you can I.D. the river and specific hole from the background in DrG's pictures:lol::lol: But I know I wish I had caught a 27" stream brown, so when you find out where and how to do it, please let me know :help:. Just kidding (except about me wanting to catch a 27" stream brown).

Butch


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Butch said:


> Whit, you're probably just jealous, and "know" you can I.D. the river and specific hole from the background in DrG's pictures:lol::lol: But I know I wish I had caught a 27" stream brown, so when you find out where and how to do it, please let me know :help:. Just kidding (except about me wanting to catch a 27" stream brown).
> 
> Butch


Guys, don't let this fella fool ya. He's one of the best stream trout guys that I know of and a great guy to fish with despite his propensity to give ol' Whit a hard time.........:lol:


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## Butch (Aug 29, 2001)

Whit1 said:


> Guys, don't let this fella fool ya. He's one of the best stream trout guys that I know of and a great guy to fish with despite his propensity to give ol' Whit a hard time.........:lol:


Whit, thanks for the kind words. In fact, those words are so kind, it almost seems like you're trying to butter me up for something...:16suspect 

No matter how many nice things you say about me, I'm still not going to give you the hatchery truck delivery schedule that I get from my secret MDNR hatchery truck contact person:corkysm55. Just kidding everyone, Whit would probably rather pass a kidney stone than follow a hatchery truck to his fishing spot for opening day:yikes:. 

Butch


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## flyrod4steelhead (Mar 14, 2002)

Hope to be up at the cabin for the opener again this year. Was at the cabin for the opener last year and float the PM. Didn't do worth a damn, not even a steelhead. So I think, i'm going back to the smaller rivers, like the one not to far from my cabin, vs the bigger rivers. 

Besides, me and my dad found another section of river that look's very promising for some worm dunking, spinners, and mayde a rapala or two


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## mondrella (Dec 27, 2001)

Butch said:


> Whit, you're probably just jealous, and "know" you can I.D. the river and specific hole from the background in DrG's pictures:lol::lol: But I know I wish I had caught a 27" stream brown, so when you find out where and how to do it, please let me know :help:. Just kidding (except about me wanting to catch a 27" stream brown).
> 
> Butch


By the pics of trout you have caught and discussing stuff in PM's its just a matter of time. I have a feeling this is your year. I have a good feeling about this year I think it may be the best year for really big fish in 4 or 5 years. Its been a few years since I got one 27" last years numbers of 20 to 23 inch fish should hold good for this year. 
I personally hope to spend most of May searching for a mythical 30" resident stream brown. I know they exist and some time I will land one. I cannot wait. 
So many places to fish and so little time.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Only Twooooooo more months 'till troutin' time, but I am already chompin' at the bit. The high-pithched cry of the trout-hound will soon be heard echoing through the tag alder choked, hipboot-sucking mud, beaver infested stream in The Valley of the Brookie,"Troooooooouuuuuut".


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

It is getting closer!!!! I just got a dozen new mepps aglia spinners of ebay for dirt cheap today. I have all my gear ready to go. I am getting my tax return in the next week or so and I am going to get a new fly rod as well.....don't tell the old lady!!!! I am so pumped for this year. I plan to hit several locations I haven't fished in a few years as well as some new creeks and rivers.


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## GVSUKUSH (Mar 9, 2004)

Milt,

I've had $465.22 taken out of my wages this year for Social Security.......or as I like to call it the "Milt Whitmore Night Crawler and Reading Glasses Fund".

You're welcome.


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## EisingOutdoors (Feb 12, 2008)

Guys I am glad to hear that my brother and I are not the only ones talking about opening day. This year we plan on video taping the first weekend. We have been putting together a very amature fishing video for about two years. We plan on posting it to youtube this spring. I can't wait for the first big rain in May!!!!​


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

GVSUKUSH said:


> Milt,
> 
> I've had $465.22 taken out of my wages this year for Social Security.......or as I like to call it the "Milt Whitmore Night Crawler and Reading Glasses Fund".
> 
> You're welcome.


 
Kush, your contributions and acceptance of this very basic fact of life is appreciated. However I had cataract surgery on both eyes in January. My vision went from 20:400 to about 20:25. I do need some minor distance correction and bifocals for reading. This was covered by my vision insurance. While your input of dollars is appreciated I'd rather they go towards a new driver for golf and two new reels for my beach/pier rods

:lol:


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## Barfly (Jan 29, 2008)

If my adding is correct there are now 51 days till opener? Question for you guys: I've never used spinners much but I'm gonna try 'em this year. I've got a few Mepps Aglia's and I just picked up a bunch of Wordens Roostertails. Which do you like better and how do you fish them? Do you pull them thru deep holes or skim them across shallow ripples? Slow water/fast water?
Thanks,
Richard


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## vando45 (Feb 25, 2004)

I like Panther Martins. Try different presentations. In slow water I've had luck casting upstream and retrieving downstream, in faster water cast across and let it swing.


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## P.C. Tweek (Aug 30, 2007)

It's March 26th and I'm freaking out...the season opener is so close and yet, so far away!!!!!! I can't wait, last year I caught my biggest Brown Trout ever in 28 years chasing stream trout. The trout was 25 inches, 6lbs. taken opening day 2007. I have trouble inserting pics of it here, but I do have pictures on my avetar and gallery for everyone to check out.

Tweek,


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

P.C. Tweek said:


> It's March 26th and I'm freaking out...the season opener is so close and yet, so far away!!!!!! I can't wait, last year I caught my biggest Brown Trout ever in 28 years chasing stream trout. The trout was 25 inches, 6lbs. taken opening day 2007. I have trouble inserting pics of it here, but I do have pictures on my avetar and gallery for everyone to check out.
> 
> Tweek,


Here you go!


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## Barfly (Jan 29, 2008)

30 daze


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## Queequeg (Aug 10, 2007)

Nice fish. I've got all next week off and I don't know what I'm going to do.


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## P.C. Tweek (Aug 30, 2007)

A huge thanks for helping me post that pic of my biggest Brown ever. Larry Walters wrote an article about my fish in the August 2007, Woods and Waters magazine. 

Thanks again,

Tweek,


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

26 more days......I am going insane


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## foxfire69 (Sep 10, 2006)

Ok...Panthers are my #1 producer...Dilly worms and Flys #2...what was that about using spawn bags?? I guess we shouldn't forget Mepps spinners and earthworms!! Do I take just 1 day vacation for Monday...or 2 including Tuesday?? Hmmm!


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## troutslayer819 (Jan 5, 2008)

ive gotten so anxious over the past 3 or so months iv had my stuff ready for about 2 or 3 months already...i cant wait


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## Barfly (Jan 29, 2008)

13 days!


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Barfly said:


> 13 days!


Once the Masters if over (no it doesn't supercede The Last Saturday in April, but does distract me from thoughts of Trout Camp) I'll be going into Opening Day mode bigtime.

It's at this time of year that I take out Robert Travers' book Trout Madness and once again step closer to Trout Heaven through it's well-worn pages.


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## Mitch (Jan 10, 2003)

Unfortunately my opening day won't be until Sunday as I'm not able to head north until Saturday afternoon. I'm just glad to be able to fish opening weekend, I haven't been able to fish the opener in the last 7 years.

Mitch


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Mitch said:


> I haven't been able to fish the opener in the last 7 years.


 

And the fish have been very grateful to you..........:lol:

Let's get together to do a stream this spring. It's my turn to take you.


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## Mitch (Jan 10, 2003)

Whit1 said:


> Let's get together to do a stream this spring. It's my turn to take you.


Find a date that works for you and give me a little notice so I can take the day off....

Some of us do work ya know?



Mitch


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Mitch said:


> Some of us do work ya know?
> 
> 
> 
> Mitch


 
And I am very grateful for your Social Security contributions young man........:lol:

I'll send you a PM.


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