Opening Day is, simply, created to sell licenses. Those here who are chronologically gifted, even more than me, remember when OD was a Big Thing. The papers (remember those?) covered it with stories leading up to it, pictures from the day, and reports from all the lakes as WDG did creel checks on most all lakes and reported it the papers the same night. There were Fishermen's Breakfasts that were fundraisers for local charities. It was about selling licenses, which is what supported the agency.

Back in my youth, and still today, there is more to fishing and hunting than the simple act of catching. OD is a social event. I think WDFW has lost sight of the fact that there is much more to resource catch/release/harvest than just the simple encounter.