I don't know if maybe I was just younger and didn't know any different at the time, but it sure seems like my first dozen opening days had more fish around than my last dozen.

I got tired of looking for places with fish that used to be stocked regularly and now seems more hit-and-miss. That plus the crowds, the litter and the general ciaos of it all.

Now I'd rather be able to fish through the closed season portion than have an opening day, as we a forced to miss out on some great weeks of fishing....and not just for trout.

Still, while I don't participate in it like I used to, I can still see the value in it for kids. Opening day anticipation is hard to top and I remember not being able to fall asleep for years. That feeling is quickly tarnished however when poor sportsmanship seems to be more the rule than the exception now. Watching grown men elbow kids out of a trout-park spot just seems silly to me.

One thing they should do either way....is not start opening day the week AFTER all the kids have spring vacation. Want to get kids outside and into fishing....let "kids only" fish the week before the opener. It should be about the kids IMHO.

On the other hand - it's a money maker, no doubt. Stop opening day and license sales will drop like a rock.