Thursday is the first day of spring and like most anglers I feel it couldn’t get here soon enough. While most of the lakes at lower elevations have shrugged their caps of ice, there are still some that are covered, and anglers will have to wait a little longer to fish them. Rufus Woods is one of my top destinations in the winter. This year it was so slow and the fish so small I stopped going. However, I am planning to take the Smoker Craft up there very soon. I got a text from the Tribal Hatchery in Bridgeport that twenty five thousand triploids were recently released into Rufus Woods from the net pens. The trout averaged one point eight pounds, which is a nice fish compared to the catchables that are available in many area lakes. I will be launching at the middle net pens and then search for them. Most likely they will be massed near the upper pens. I will drive the Smoker Craft up there, put the Minn Kota on Stop Lock and cast jigs, without bait. Remember the limit is two fish per day on Rufus and you must keep the fish you catch if you use bait.