Opening Day Plans

Of all people I can't believe I'm asking this, but what are everyone's plans for the opening day of trout season?? Are you gonna fish shoulder to shoulder on a popular stream, fish an off-the-radar un-stocked stream away from the crowds, fish for warmwater species, or just stay home?
 
I fish for trout every single month of the year, stockies and wild fish, heck I'll probably be fishing for trout tomorrow, but I still have an opening day tradition. Ever since I was really little I always spent opening day eve at my grandparents house. We'd scout out the stream, eat dinner, get our gear ready, and talk fishing late into the night. The next morning we'd get up super early and head out to a small local ATW to secure our spot. Some years we'd even bring a little camping stove and cook up some breakfast until the 8am start time, and then it was fish on! After a good morning of fishing we'd head back to the house and cook up our catch, and after dinner we'd head back out to catch(and release) a few more if we didn't already fall asleep from the lack of sleep the night before. Doesn't sound like much, but it was always a big day for us, and still is. Nowadays it's hard for my grandpa to fish with us, but he still looks forward to my brother and I coming over every year for opening day and sharing stories with each other.
 
Anyone else have any special traditions they'd like to share?

Delaware river striper fishing. 2 30 plus lb fish in last 3 years. 50-60 fish days on boat not uncommon. Netted a friends 51 lb fish in 2011. All my trout fishing is done by opening day, but maybe I should take a limit out there for bait.

I hope to be fishing on open water at Pymie. 

For many years, I'm guessing nearly 20, I headed to a great stocked freestone creek in North Central Pa with my dad, brother and family friends. We rent 2 sites side by side, with our 2 campers set up year round. The campground sits along some of the best trout pools I've ever fished. It's impossible to recant all the stories and memories I've made there. The majority of fish stocked were put in at a metal, open grate highway bridge which had a deep pool directly underneath it. It was always exciting walking the bridge the day before the opener, peering down at the possibilities below. The trout always had a knack of holding in the deepest most inaccessible sections of the pool directly under the bridge. Concrete piers channeled the water underneath the bridge and the water was swift and deep. Boulder size rocks below the water level ran along the piers beneath the bridge and made for a precarious perch. How many times I was under that old bridge in the cold pouring rain with the roar of truck traffic rattling my ear drums as they passed above. I relocated to TN in 2011 for my job, my family still makes the trip. I'll probably be floating in my fishing kayak somewhere looking for brown or green fish on the first day this year.
 
Tightlines!!
 
 

Fish the same creek I have since I was a kid, my family owns stream property on a stocked stream, so I have my choice of spots on that side of the creek pretty much to myself.
 
After that, everyday somewhere else, mostly streams, not much into lake fishing for trout after March, unless it's with my kids.

I'm getting the hell out of Pennsylvania & floating the White River in Arkansas for 3 days.

Bull Shoals/Rim Shoals, we'll call it when we see the flows once we're there.  It's big where we'll be too, but so are the browns & there won't be mud, for at least 7 miles below Bull Shoals dam.

Good old smoked stockers. Amen to that. Fill them stringers up! Tight lines...

Arthur on Sunday.  Whatever we can get to bite, though an early channel cat would be nice with some panfish.  Got some gills in the barrel today despite them stocking my bait pond of choice full of those stupid trout.  If I want retarded farm trout I'll go to Wholley's.  

I'll be trolling on Erie, looking for that 13# walleye

I havent went out opening day for 10 years. It was always just me and Dad till he passed. Wonderful memories. Just not the same. Plus its a side show. I moved here to Erie Co. 7 years ago and got hit by the Chrome bug anyway...lol. Its another side show but its a funny side show to me.  Stockies just dont cut it for me now. If I ever do after small trout it will be on Venango Co.'s wild Brookie streams. Have fun folks!!!