As we all patiently wait for the first signs of a spring warm-up, so do the trout.  When water temperatures are near freezing or are sustained in the 30-to-40-degree temperature window, a trout’s metabolism slows way down, and it enters into a period without much calorie consumption and certainly not much swimming exertion.  

They still eat in these conditions, but are not likely to move much for a meal; they will focus on the current that brings food from upstream almost directly into their mouths.  

In the past, April 1 marked the beginning of statewide New York trout fishing and an unofficial start to most fishermen’s spring season.  But the laws have changed a bit over the years, and catch-and-release trout fishing is now legal year-round and statewide in New York, although April 1 still marks the beginning of trout harvest season on most inland waters.   

Pennsylvania has a much more convoluted statewide trout fishing and harvesting program.  Each waterway is designated under a certain classification of trout fishery, and each has its own set of laws pertaining to catch and release and harvesting trout.  It is wise to know the laws for each body of water you plan to fish, so you know you are fishing ethically and within the bounds of the state law.  

April 4 does mark the opening of trout harvest in most of the state’s stocked trout waters, which is the date many people wait all year for.   

I am a fisherman by trade, and spent most of my childhood fishing the waterways within 75 miles of the town where this newspaper is published, Narrowsburg, NY.  The funny thing is, I don’t really look forward to April 1 as an opening day for trout season, for a variety of reasons.  Reason number one is that more often than not, April 1 is miserable weather; it’s cold, and the month gives us wind, rain and maybe snow.  It is Mother Nature playing her April Fool’s trick on us for thinking it will be a great day to go fishing. 

Reason two is that more often than not, the rivers and creeks are very high due to spring runoff and rain.  Many ponds and lakes are often still frozen, but with not enough ice to safely ice fish and too much ice to open-water fish.  

Reason three is that I prefer eating walleye and panfish over trout. 

Now, obviously, every year is different, but from a professional-fishing guide standpoint, I have learned that in over a decade, more than half of my first-week-of-April fishing trips get canceled due to terrible weather or unsafe fishing conditions.  

So as eager as we all are to get out there on April 1, it is often during that first warm-up after April 1 when the trout will really start biting, and you can have a quality fishing outing. 

I do remember one opening day story: My father and now-business partner had convinced me, as a 12-year-old, that we would go fish the Neversink River on opening day.  This was a snowy year, and the snow was so deep as we approached the river’s bank that it was over the height of my hip boots.  Subsequently, I had snow going to the bottom of my boots before we even got to the water.  My father is 6-foot-5-inches and had waders on, so he was staying dry and had the long-leg advantage through the deep snow.   

We split up by a few hundred feet once we got to the river, and fished our chosen spots.  It was a gray day, 40 degrees Fahrenheit, all too common in our area during this time of year.  I wasn’t as much of a fisherman then as I am now, and I am sure I would have rather been doing just about anything else that day.   

It wasn’t long before I heard my dad shouting from upstream; he was hooked up.  I ran up to see what he had in his net, and sure enough, it was a beautiful brown trout.  I remember it measuring about 18 inches.

We released it back to its habitat that day.  We like eating fish, but rarely do we keep sizable trout. 

After all my nay-saying about cold water and bad weather on April 1, I am sure it will be a beautiful day with great conditions this year.  At least we can hope for it, because often the anticipation of a successful fishing day is the best feeling, regardless of the day’s actual outcome.  Good luck to all the trout fishermen and -women out there.