Wow what a topic to have to read through after finding it on the header for the webpage. This is another topic that could be argued both ways and no one would convince anyone else to feel differently. Personally, I don't fish much on opening day, although growing up in PA I couldn't wait for opening day to come around to go fishing. It is a little strange since there is such a small closed season.

You could argue no closed seasons for any species of fish and game. Why not have no closed deer season, but keep the same number of tags. Why not have no closed seasons on any species of fish or game?

The problem as I see it with CT trout fishing which has been pointed out many times here is that it's a put and take fishery except for a few spots. There is no advantage to abolishing opening day of trout season. The state stocks the fish with the intent that they'll be caught and removed from the lake/river. In general, you wouldn't have more fish in the areas you're fishing because there is some carrying capacity, which the DEP artificially exceeds by stocking. In the end, whatever the river or lake can support is what you'll be left with, taking out 60% in 2 weeks does nothing.

The argument about the trash on the rivers is good, but I don't see that changing. There are slob fishermen and hunters period. It's not opening day that causes people to leave their trash on the ground or get drunk and fall in the river, it's their morals and attitudes in general. If there was no opening day, and instead these same individuals got together and fished as a group at any time of year, you would have the same result in the end. There would still be the same number of worm containers in the woods, just spread out over a longer period of time.