Opening day has come and gone. Now we can start looking to the heart of the season, with active hatches and active trout. Trout typically are not very hungry during the opener, and they didn’t disappoint. Even the best anglers struggled. The reward is getting outside, overcoming some obstacles, facing the challenge, and if you’re lucky you get to put a bend in your rod for the first of the year. 
Watersheds are in good shape, particularly the small and mid sized tribs to the larger rivers. Water temps are generally in the 40’s with good clarity. Water temps should be on the increase with warmer air temps in the 7 day out look.
Trout caught this time of year are generally big. They are fish the wintered successfully and need nutrition to keep up with their increasing metabolism. Getting your fly to the bottom quickly and maintaining a natural dead drift is key. Dead drifting streamers with a nymph dropped of of it is a great set up. Go big with your fly selection. A 12 inch trout will eat a 4 inch streamer , so a 20 inch fish will eat a pike streamer.
As we head towards May, keep checking water temps. Once they are holding 50 degrees, things start heating up.