Can someone explain to me why you would have an opener on a Thursday? And why wasn't this corrected prior to the date being set?

I'm inquiring due to me and a whole lot of people now having to take time off from work to hit the opener. You ask why, if you have any experience trout fishing through the ice, you know that the bite will drop dramatically after a couple days, and thus it's an opener that shouldn't be missed...

I've been a participant of this opener for some 20 yrs now and to me, it would be like having walleye opener on a week day....

I feel sorry for the conservation officers patrolling this weekend, their going to get an ear full, if they haven't already... To bad for them, since they had nothing to do with this date....

I'm still going to have a blast on opener... always do... no matter what type of fishing or weather we encounter..

Just so all of you trout anglers know... as mentioned in the response... This will be the date for Winter Trout opener.. Jan 15th... Unless people voice their opinions this will not change... I favor the opener being on a Saturday... like every other opener in Minnesota....

Avid Trout Fisherman...

It's odd, no doubt. I have a few buddies that are pretty upset with it too. Kinda messes up our annual tradition.

From what I understand, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that January 15th of every year will now be trout opener. It wont matter what day it of the week it falls on.

I don't know why they did this. Being my days off are usually during the week it doesn't effect me as much as some others. But I certainly understand peoples frustration with it.

It's my personal favorite "opener" of the year.

Thursday trout opener = 4 day fishing party

I took lots of math in college!

You may want to contact your state government reps on this one. They changed it this summer.

One other plus...its easier to say to my wife "but its opener, I need to leave Thursday morning".

It's also easier to remember. Opener is the 15th, not the Saturday closest to the 15th.

Steve,
15th is now locked in, well, ice
When we get closer just let me know where and when to meet ya. Will have the sled and otter ready to roll. Also looks like I wont have to be back to pick up Junior after school so I can stay all day, yeah!!
Chris

Makes no difference to me. The fish still bite after the first two days.

Now the guides have a firm date to work with annually.

To take time off work to fish????? Seems like a fair trade.

The fact that trout opener is on a thursday doesn't bother me one bit...the problem I have is that the closest lake with lake trout is 80 miles away (grindstone lake)! As tempting as that may be to go to, I think I'll stay close to home and fish for streamers out of square lake.

Splakeshaker... Just checking to see who this is... I'm previously from Two Harbors and always looking for the next hot splake lake...

Sorry... I'm just a working stiff that only gets so many days of Vacation a year... And a trout guy who doesn't want to miss an opener... which I typically do a 3 day fishing trip for Inland Stream Trout and sometimes Lake Trout... With it being on the 15th it's going to be hard to make the openers that fall on Tuesdays or Wednesdays since this would call for multiple days off...

This has been a traditional opener for my friends and I for many years...

It is goofy. Think of the uproar if Walleye opener was set for May 15th. People would RIOT!

You could probably get an ear full of Blue Soup on the trout opening date change if you stop in at a particular bait shop in Ely.

May 15th... Good Idea... Then the guides would have a firm date... (Not that the dates aren't published a year in advance..)

Grand Marais, Finland, Isabella. Gotta do the homework, and put some time in. Some nice lakes up the Arrowhead trail if ya got a sled and a couple days. I'm pretty pumped! I'm burnin up a week of vacation for opener. I'll try to post some pics after I get back.