2025 statewide lake opener 4/26 thread... share plans/photos/etc

Josh

Josh

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Yes, yes, many lakes are year round or opened last month. But the general statewide lake opening day is tomorrow, 4/26.

Anyone going out and hitting a favorite? Anyone taking kids to hammer the stocked trout? Make a post and share your plans or photos of your success (or lack thereof).
 
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Josh said:
Yes, yes, many lakes are year round or opened last month. But the general statewide lake opening day is tomorrow, 4/26.

Anyone going out and hitting a favorite? Anyone taking kids to hammer the stocked trout? Make a post and share your plans or photos of your success (or lack thereof).
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I rent on the shore of a lake in Mill Creek. Opening day is tomorrow! Starting tomorrow, I'll have a couple rods strung up and waiting and I'll proably take a least a few casts every day until the lake closes in October.

Edit: and it's a derby lake, maybe I'll win a prize!
 
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I'm probably going to go make a few casts on a smallmouth lake from a shore spot I know. I think there's a tournament going on, so I probably won't bother to drag the boat/kayak out yet.
 
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First time in 50 plus years of living in the NCW I have not even bought a license. Currently fighting a legal battle and extremely stressed out over current political turmoil. I know, go fishing and take your mind over these struggles. It just doesn't work that way.

Best of luck to others and their families on a relatively "no wind" day.
 
Flymph said:
First time in 50 plus years of living in the NCW I have not even bought a license. Currently fighting a legal battle and extremely stressed out over current political turmoil. I know, go fishing and take your mind over these struggles. It just doesn't work that way.

Best of luck to others and their families on a relatively "no wind" day.
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Good luck in your legal battle!
 
Well, I made a few ceremonial casts, but no dice. Probably should have been set up for perch rather than smallies, as I could see a billion of them around.
 
My local lake was a boat show for sure. I was anchored up in my Nucanoe and there were lots of extremely close passes by other boaters trolling around or even anchoring up a boat length or two away from me :cautious:. At first I thought about asking for courtesy space but then I decided it wasn't worth it. Maybe a passive aggressive cast right in front of them.

I caught and released a dozen or so of the little stockers that weren't much larger than the bait that stripers from a couple days ago were eating. Fish cops were checking licenses at the launch which was a first in my experience. They gave a "no pfd" warning to a fellow kayak flyfisher but seemed to ignore the bros in the boat with the 140hp engine on the 10hp or less lake. I asked one cop who enforced that rule and he said "ah, I guess we probably do..." and walked away.

Lots of bird flybys and gorgeous weather. All in all a nice outing but I'm looking forward to midweek.
 
Anyone else remember when the local paper would list the most popular lakes by county for the entire state and how many fish per angler were caught on opening day? The News Tribune did that for years.
We always did Mineral Lake for our opening day planterfest.
SF
 
Yer old...
;)
TV always had a blurb with some kids with a sickly pellet head stocker on a dock somewhere too.
 
Stonedfish said:
Anyone else remember when the local paper would list the most popular lakes by county for the entire state and how many fish per angler were caught on opening day? The News Tribune did that for years.
We always did Mineral Lake for our opening day planterfest.
SF
Click to expand...
Yep. We did Lake 12 out by Black Diamond. Get there early, wait in line to launch, then park the car and trailer out in/along the main road about a 1/4 mile away. Troll Dick Nite's with a swivel for weight and everyones got limits in like 40 minutes. Fetch the car and wait again. What a zoo, and great memories.
 
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