The 4th of July has come and gone, and many of us have experienced wonderful time spent with family and friends celebrating the 250th Independence Day milestone of our nation. Undaunted by the tremendous downpours, thunder and lightning (could it be more dramatic?) we were, nonetheless, entertained by spectacular fireworks displays that lasted late into the night.

Despite frequent rain showers and storms, our free-flowing rivers and streams are still low and warm; at about 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was just at the median average flow of 181 cubic feet per second for the first time in many days. Water temperatures all week have exceeded the 70s and even the 80s since last Wednesday. The Willowemoc followed suit, with the creek reaching the median average flow of 54 cfs before receding back down, and water temperatures also reaching 80 degrees.

Beaverkill anglers are reminded that fishing on the lower Beaverkill at Horton during the summer months, between July 1 and August 31, is strictly prohibited. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has instituted regulations to close the river to all angling from the Iron Bridge at Horton downstream to the first Route 17 overpass, to provide a thermal refuge for heat-stressed trout. But fishing on other streams where water temperatures were more conducive to trout fishing has been positive, with trout fishers reporting good catches of some excellent fish.

Ed Walsh, of Roscoe, was out fishing on the lower Neversink recently and reported that his friend’s “skill levels had been rewarded.” Knowing the importance of carrying a stream thermometer this time of year, he was pleased to see that the water temperature was in the 66-degree range. There were few others out fishing (save for a Great Blue Heron and a Bald Eagle) as it was the end of a busy weekend, and many were headed back home. When they arrived at the stream, he said fish were “boiling” - although no flies were apparent - and figured the trout were probably taking emergers. He decided to use an emerger fly created by John Apgar, his Wild Turkey Feather (WTF) fly, in size #16. He was successful in catching fish, then lost a couple fish and so tried the same fly in sizes #14 and #18, catching three nice healthy brown trout that measured in the 12” - 14” range. Ed wanted to see if he could be successful using another friend’s size #16 Parachute Adams and managed to get a couple more trout - all in one hour’s fishing. He explained that his fishing time was cut short only because a thunderstorm popped up - complete with lightning. Evidently the Great Blue Heron decided it was a good time to leave as well. 

Over on the West Branch of the Delaware River, Laura Colangelo said she hasn’t “wet a line” this week but has been monitoring the West Branch way up near Stilesville, watching and wading - and has been seeing large Isonychias in size #12s and #10s in good numbers, as well as smaller Sulphurs. She reported that the water has been low (though not unusually low for this time of year) so fish have been “eating but are picky.” However, her friend Diana, a registered nurse, fished the West Branch two to three times this week and did well, catching all her fish on Sulphur Duns up near Stilesville. She also took out a friend and his son, Isaac Gross, their first time fly-fishing, and they had a great time; young Isaac caught his first trout on a fly - a beautiful 19-inch brown that also took a Sulphur Dun.  

And Seth Cavarretta reported on a fishing trip with his friend Mike Konecni last Thursday on the Neversink where the water was a cool 46 degrees F. Seth said they had steady Sulphurs of size #16 hatching from 5:30 until dark.  But he and Mike were out not just to catch fish: the duo went out to target a couple of specific fish they had seen before.

When they got to their first stop, they found their first “target” rising.  Both buddies, expert fly-fishers, took turns putting their flies over the fish to no avail.  Seth remarked that “it’s a tough drift through there - (the fish) was set up on an outside seam behind a log in slower water” and that there was an overhanging branch in front of that log. Every time they cast at the fish they had to mend the line upstream “or you get a terrible belly in your line and the fly drags…but you can’t do an ‘air mend’ because of the log and the overhanging tree” and they had to cast under and behind the log…and even after doing so, “you have to drag your fly into the lane and the drift is short before it starts to drag - so I had to do like Ed (Van Put) describes in his Fly Fisher’s Revelations book.  I lined myself up more in line (with the fish) and timed my cast with his rise. So I gave it a shot and bombed one last cast in there” and was rewarded - the fish took his size #16 Sulphur Parachute fly - and was a massive brown trout that was beautifully marked with ample red spots and measured a full 21 inches in length!

After this fish, at around 7:00 pm, the fishing friends moved down to another spot where they had seen another good fish. It was starting to get dark, but the fish was right where they expected it to be, and it was rising reliably. Mike “crept his way out there’, tied on his fly and waited. “Once he watched a leaf or two go by, Mike figured out how to approach this ‘bank- sipper’ that was tucked behind a wild rose bush”: he knew he had put a good cast over the fish because it came right to his target as well. And when the fish was netted, it was an equally impressive, beautifully colored brown trout that measured 20 ¾ inches. Mike caught the great fish on a size #14 Rusty Spinner fly at 9:15 pm. 

We’re expecting more rainstorms and showers by the end of this week, through the weekend and into next week, with somewhat cooler temperatures in the high 70s. This bodes well for the trout heading into this mid-summer period; however, prospective trout fishers should limit their fishing to the cooler mornings and evenings and be sure to use a thermometer to check water temperatures before deciding to fish.