It’s almost time for that magical day &045; the opener.

Once the opener has come and gone we can settle in to our seasonal fishing patterns. Yes, I do believe that fishermen, like the fish they are seeking, actually have patterns. In the spring we actively seek fish.

We can’t wait for spring and we sometimes head to the Mississippi for a little action or to South Dakota. Then there is the opportunity to fish trout. The season starts early so we can satisfy our craving for wetting a line at a nearby trout stream. Some of us go for the panfish or perch that bite in early spring and not only satisfy our craving for fishing but also have the luxury of enjoying some mighty good eating.

Even the lowly bullhead can be a tasty morsel when caught early in the season. My mother-in-law loved early-season bullheads and encouraged us to bring her any that we caught. The kids liked that idea and would do their part to help her fill the old cast iron frying pan with them.

As the walleye opener comes and goes and we head into summer we aggressively seek the bigger game fish we now can legally catch. This will take us well into summer and beyond, for some of us.

Now August is when a lot of people start to change their thinking and start concentrating on fall and hunting because the fish have seemed to lose interest and are not as active as they were earlier in the year.

Do you see a pattern here? Fish are aggressive early and well into summer then taper off as summer hits the &uot;dog days.&uot; Do they really quit biting in late summer or are they just losing interest like some fishermen seem to do? Something to think about I guess.

I personally like fishing any time I get a chance. I am not a big hunter so fishing pretty much consumes my spare time right up until the lakes ice over again. I can remember one year when we didn’t plan to go anywhere special for the opener and my father-in-law took my oldest boy Brian and I fishing in some of the creeks by Bear Lake. We even drove to a couple creeks on the Minnesota side of State Line Road. We were casting for northern and although it was cold, rainy and windy we did manage to catch a few. It wasn’t the most glorious opener I have been on but it is one that I will always remember fondly. It reminded me that you don’t have to go a long way to enjoy the sport of fishing. Fishing the opener for walleye or northern in your own back yard can be just as sweet as going north and it is even sweeter when you are spending time with your family.

While on one of my early-morning walks this week I had time to reflect on some of the good times I had fishing these area lakes. I can remember getting excited about catching a small northern or a bass while fishing from shore on Fountain Lake. I also remember the early-season bullhead fishing. It seems at one time they were the fish to seek early in the year. My boys still talk about the &uot;Giant&uot; yellow belly bullheads we used to catch when their Grandpa Johnson would take them to his secret spot. I have to say the fish were big and they were mighty tasty too. I guess they aren’t the fish of choice these days but if you are looking for some good eating and fun fishing I’ll bet there are bullheads to be had if you know where to look. We used to catch them on Pickerel Lake, Lower Twin, Bear Lake and in a lot of the area creeks. Another place where I caught big yellow bellies is Bancroft Bay. I don’t know if their numbers have dwindled in the past few years or if they are just being ignored but I think I’ll have to find out if there are still some to be had. It may be a good time to take the grandsons.

Trout season opened this weekend for catch-and-release on southeastern Minnesota streams.

Stream fishing for trout opens statewide on April 16 through Sept. 30 and Trout season in state lakes runs from May 14 to Oct. 31.

There have been some changes in regulations for some southeastern Minnesota streams. The DNR has posted these regulations and the area affected. The following southeastern Minnesota streams will be affected by the regulations. In some cases, regulations affect only portions of the streams. Maps that show the affected portions are available online at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

The regulations will be posted on signs along affected streams.

AFFECTED WATER: Trout Valley Creek (7.2 miles).

REGULATION: Brook trout under 12 inches must be released, bag limit of 1 (artificial lures or flies only).

AFFECTED WATER: Camp Creek (2.7 miles), Kedron Creek (1.1 miles), South Fork Root River (7.7 miles), Middle Branch Whitewater River (9.2 miles).

REGULATION: Catch-and-release for all trout (artificial lures or flies only). The new regulation on Camp Creek will not affect the annual kids’ fishing event held during Preston Trout Days.

AFFECTED WATER: Belle Creek (7.3 miles), Middle Branch Root River (12.5 miles), North Fork Zumbro River (11.9 miles).

REGULATION: Catch-and-release for all trout (bait allowed).

AFFECTED WATER: Canfield Creek (1.6 miles), Garvin Brook (5.0 miles), Gribben Creek (3.9 miles), Hay Creek (4.0 miles), Logan Creek (0.9 miles), Trout Run Creek (13.3 miles), North Branch Whitewater River (12.1 miles).

REGULATION: Protected slot limit for trout 12 to 16 inches (artificial lures or flies only).

AFFECTED WATER: East Beaver Creek (2.3 miles), Forestville Creek (2.6 miles), Mahoods Creek (0.2), South Branch Root River (4.8 miles), Spring Valley Creek (6.8 miles), West Indian Creek (3.0 miles), Wisel Creek (8.6 miles).

REGULATION: Protected slot limit for trout 12 to 16 inches (bait allowed).

Streams dropped from original proposal include: Bee Creek, Cold Spring Brook, Money Creek, Winnebago Creek. Until next time, play safe, enjoy the outdoors and get out and wet a line someplace.

Remember to keep our brothers and sisters that are proudly serving our country in your thoughts and prayers.

(Dick Herfindahl, Outdoors Writer)