Right now the F-Troop Camp faithful are looking forward to the traditional trout season opening day coming up on the 14th. Even though we know you can fish right now for wild trout on un-stocked streams that are not tributaries of hatchery-supplied waters, we still anticipate the annual April opening day because it’s a tradition, the second most important day on the outdoorsman’s calendar, after the first day of deer season.
     We used to get up early on the first day and join the crowds jostling for position under bridges over stocked streams, but we gave up that practice years ago. Next Saturday we’ll sleep in and lounge around camp, then head to some remote stream where we’ll wander for miles under the hemlocks and catch feisty little wild native brook trout far away from the crowds. Todd and I and maybe Gary will head up Friday afternoon to open up camp and stock it with groceries for the later arrivals of Brad, Billy, and maybe Jason and others. We are counting the days.
     I used to do a lot of magazine work back in the days before I started my newspaper column, but not so much anymore. The regular column and the book I’m working on take up almost all of the writing time I have. But I do have two articles coming out in the Pennsylvania Game News soon, probably later this year, a nostalgia piece about small-game hunting with my father years ago, and a story about killing a buck on opening day. I’ll put a notice here when they do appear.
     Good luck out there. And have a great week outdoors.

~ Don Feigert, 4-5-07