Tomorrow [Saturday Apr. 28] marks the traditional "opening day" of California's trout fishing season. Historically this was a huge event in California, but the past 20 years have seen many waters move to dates specific to the biology of that location.

Most of the impact is now felt in the eastern Sierras, with towns like Bishop and Bridgeport still seeing a massive influx of anglers and tourist dollars this weekend. Some local streams will be opening up, and encouraging news for some of them is that sterile "triploid" trout have been approved for stocking in areas like Butte Meadows that have not allowed hatchery trout stocks for the past several years.

The DFG's ability to supply triploids is still somewhat limited, so stocking quantities and frequency may not be quite as much as in the past, but the return of fishing opportunities should be welcomed by all.