When you are fishing for trout on the trout opener,in lakes, what is the earliest time you can start fishing? could you start at midnight? or do you have to start at first light? Thanks for the info!!

Every time I have fished a trout opener (for lakes) it's always been at 12am. I don't think there is the concern of poaching when it comes to hatchery trout as there is with salmonids, so they don't care about making it a sunrise start

I like to sit by the fire the night before and swap stories and lies with my family and friends. My younger boy will go to bed and my eldest will stay up with the men now that he's 18 and in the Nat. Guard. I only have him for a short while before he goes to AIT and possibly war (his unit's there now). I'll turn in after a few beers and cigars and we'll get up in the morning, maybe even after sunrise, and fish.

And I'll try to remember each of those days as long as I'm lucky enough to have them.

Bay Lake used to look like a minature city after 12:00 at night, with all the lanterns. I know of at least one child that was conceived in a camper there on opening night, when a cold wife came to bed at 3:00 P.M. and her husband did his best to warm her up. I always thought the baby should have been named trout or someting like that - maybe Rainbow?

IMHO,

If you need to fish at midnight to catch fish...,why not find someplace less crowded or that has more fish? Kidding.... sorry about the earlier post, feeling a little emotional.

I am considering launching friday night, and sleepin in the boat and fish when i wake up. Anyone ever try that? either that or drink some coke a cola clasic!!! mmmmm caffine!!!

I'm heading out at 9:00pm the night before with some friends to secure a spot at Pine Lake in Issaquah. There weren't too many people at midnight last year, but I've seen the dock full there in years past well before midnight. It's funny when there's a lot of people - about 11:55 you'll hear the first person cast and then everyone joins in and you hear "plop, plop, plop plop ...". And, if anyone dares to cast even 10 minutes early, everyone else yells at them. It's a weird tradition.

--Bank Angler

Why bother? The opener is not the only day to fish.

it's more of a tradition for me. i could care less if the lake is crowded -- the one i fish tends to be the least packed of the ones near it when they open