1. Troutnut Forum
›
2. Photography
›
3. Wisconsin 2008 Opener

14 degrees yesterday

i questioned my sanity as i got out on the water and walked through 2 feet of snow and 5 feet drifts on the banks.



Was a fine day...if you were a Polar Bear.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Nothing more exhausting or funny than walking through deep snow in neoprene waders. I remember the last time I did it with my brother - we definitely didn't hike in as far as we'd hoped to, and we laughed our freaking butts off the whole way as we fell down time after time. It wasn't quite as funny for me, though, as it was a week later when there was a crust on that same 2-feet of snow - my skinny 170 pounds could just barely walk along the crust, while his sorry 230 pounds would just barely fall through. Watching him put almost all his weight on each foot before it fell through, as well as the look on his face each time it did, was priceless.

-Shawn

Buggers and nymphs

slow and deliberate.



Buds biggest small stream brookie


Bud's First Tiger


Decent brown to start year off.

Lucky bastard! Our rivers are still under 4 feet of ice... though we finally did manage to pull a burbot up from under there!

Well I cannot lay claim to any of the fine specimens above, but just to be looked at as one of the "crazed ones" out there, I'll mention my first trout of the year, a 13.5" brown that took my hex nymph at about 4:00 in the afternoon. I was fishing on the White River in NW Wisconsin. The air temp. was about 27 degrees and the water 35. After three consecutive seasons going to the White for the opener, I have yet to have a multi-fish day. They're getting bigger though. It's gone from 11" my first year, 9" last, and almost 14" this year. All browns.

I couldn't have been happier on the ride home. All smiles....Cheers to 2008!

I too had a bit of luck on the opener. I caught a pretty little brookie on the Rush River. I was surprised because I hadn't caught a brookie there. It was on a little dry fly too! What a nice day to be out. Can't wait to go again next weekend...pray to the weather gods everyone!