It seems many people have danced around one key point which should be added to the discussion: Does the DEP have a responsibility to provide Opening Day?

The DEP is a provider of services for the taxpayers of Connecticut, so can they alter Opening Day that drastically that it would alienate such a large number of the people that used to partake in the event in the past? I'm not sure.
Further, we are talking about two kinds of fisheries a "put and take" fishery (current opening day scheme) verses a more stable/natural fishery (TMAs, no opening day scheme, etc) each type is aimed at different styles of fishing. I think the DEP is trying to walk a fine line and provide for both at this point the best they can – to my question above about whom the DEP has responsibilities to serve.

All in all I think Opening Day is too much of an icon – there is a lot of inertia there get moving and it would be very tough. A very strong motivation would be needed to get it done. A smaller Opening Day issue is day light savings time, I assumed 6AM was picked because that is when sunrise is (5:42am to be exact), however in 2007 it changes to the 2nd Sunday of March(see Energy Policy Act of 2005) putting sunrise around 5:10ish on the third Saturday in April.


Personally, I think the put and take fishery is an arms race, they stock more and more people pull fish out, the whole thing is very expensive. They drop trout in every little piece of water that can support trout until Memorial Day, even if the stream will dry up in August.
Instead if the stockings were focused on water that had a real chance at sustaining trout over a whole year that would mean a lot less work/cost (and bodies of water that are stocked) ideally the goal would be get the trout to reproduce naturally on their own and become less dependant on stockings. This fishery would be a more low key one, requiring more habitat protection (for spawning) than direct interaction (via stocking), but it would service less people - typically not the people who buy a fishing license for 1 day a year.