"The big browns are always out looking for sculpins that have been dislodged. Putting on some type of sculpin pattern and fishing along the edges is very popular," he said.

"As the waters start to come up, the fish look for areas where they are protected ... and where food is plentiful."

The sculpin is a small, spiny large-headed fish.

Most of the Woolly Bugger patterns in browns and olives are good sculpin imitations. One of the better patterns is the Rug Sculpin, which looks more like a fuzzy rag than a meal, said Gunderson.

Another favorite of fish at this time of year is the stone fly, a big, juicy aquatic fly that rises out of the water in the spring, sheds its shuck and becomes a flying insect. They, too, are a good source of protein for fish and, being slow and available, are an easy meal.

When the rivers and streams begin moving too fast, then it's about time for the spring ice-off on lakes and reservoirs.

Ice-off leads to some of the best fishing of the year on still waters. Here, again, after winter the larger fish are moving in close to shore and are hungry.

Scofield is typically one of the first of the prime waters to lose its ice covering. Predictions are that open waters will start to appear at Strawberry around the first of May.

Predictions are, too, that this will be a very good year for fishing still waters because of the anticipated high runoff. Areas that have been dry are expected to be flooded, which means all of the nutrients that were on dry land will be released into the water, which means there will be an abundance of food for growing fish.

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