ROSCOE — The fishing community gathered in Trout Town USA to celebrate the opening weekend of fishing season. Awards, music, raffles, a presentation and plenty of fish jokes punctuated a great evening at the Rockland House, thanks to the Roscoe Chamber of Commerce.

The doors opened at 5:30 p.m. and guests were invited to partake in a silent raffle as The Shades entertained the crowd with mingling music while a silent auction was going on that included a weekend trip to Key Largo which included a guided fishing tour. 

Siobhan “Sam” Bennett, the chair of the Two Headed Trout Committee, gave the introduction before welcoming Roscoe Chamber President Christine Routledge to the podium.

Routledge took some time to talk about some of the projects that the chamber completed in 2023 as well as upcoming projects for this year, including the alleyway project and completing a trail through Riverside Park to connect to the athletic fields.

Terry and Wendy from The Party Farm were the emcees for the evening, and they started by recognizing special guests in attendance. Some big names at the dinner included the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum’s Executive Director Ali Abate, Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Kate Hagerman, District 1 Legislator Matt McPhillips, District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips, Camille O’Brien (representing Senator Peter Oberacker) and Town of Rockland Supervisor Rob Eggleton.

The Table Sponsors were also recognized before dinner, with many local businesses in Roscoe represented.

During dinner, Carolyn Summers, the author of Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East, was invited to the podium for a PowerPoint presentation. The educational slides discussed conservation and the impact that the movement has had on preserving the natural beauty of the Catskills.

As guests were finishing their dinners, lifetime fly fisherman Tim McCausland was invited to the podium to announce the 2023 Golden Trout Community Service Award. This year’s recipient, Harris Funeral Home, is one of the oldest businesses in town.

Siobhan was invited to the podium next, introducing the Joan Wulff Excellence in Fly Fishing Award. She introduced the 2022 award winner, Richard Schager, to announce the 2024 recipient.

This year’s winner, a nationally acclaimed Fly Fishing advocate, Nancy Zakon, received the award. According to Joan Wulff, nobody has done more than Nancy for introducing women to the sport.

Once the awards were handed out and the raffles claimed, guests were invited to stick around and enjoy more music from The Shades and celebrate the start of the 2024 fishing season.

The first weekend of April is always a special time of year for Roscoe, as it marks the beginning of fishing season, which brings plenty of excited anglers to the area.

“I’m thankful for a successful night,” Chamber President Christine Routledge said. “Being able to carry on the tradition over the past 63 years and adding new traditions is always special. It is always a sell-out event and that’s why we’ve expanded to a full weekend. The fact that people travel from afar to come for the dinner and stay in Roscoe for the weekend to celebrate the start of fly fishing season speaks to the importance of the sport and the area.”