Nice report Gonzo!! Going to be trying my hand at it this weekend as well and it's been a long time for me too.
Sad to see the kids aren't taking to it as much as these days... Growing up opening day was like Christmas and leading up to it you'd find yourself pacing the isle of places like Herman's with a pocket full of paper route money.
Man, I sound like an old man
There certainly is something to be said for the solitude of a cold stream, walking and scoping it out for the perfect spot to cast. Next thing you know your lost in the experience... You look down at your watch, hours have passed and so has the grind of your daily stress.
I think a big part of the issue is there's all sorts of other stimulation that kids and adults get lost in. Video games, Phones, Facebook, Snap Chat, NJFishing etc and you don't even have to get up off the couch.
Not sure about the rest of you but I notice myself slipping into that trap as well. I'm trying to making a conscious effort to put down the phone, pick up my head up and look around more often, yet here I sit typing this
