ROSCOE – Anglers, members of the Roscoe community, and beyond visited Junction Pool on Friday for the annual First Cast ceremony. The Opening Day fishing in Sullivan County brings anglers from all over to fish the Beaverkill and the Willowemoc, and what better place to fish than the pool in which these two rivers meet. This year’s honoree for Friday’s First Cast was Rachael Yaeger, the new owner of the Roscoe Motel, which is situated within walking distance of some of the best fishing that Sullivan County has to offer. Surrounded by friends and family, Rachel made her way down from the parking area to the stream to cast her line and officially mark the start of the season.

“Roscoe is an amazing community and there is so much support here,” Yaeger explained. “There are so many guides if you want to go fly fishing, great hiking trails, and that’s why people have been coming back for 20-30 years.”

Although it was an overcast day with high waters from Thursday’s thunderstorms, the weather held off to start the morning. Unlike last year, when the First Cast happened during a snowstorm.

Rachael concluded, “Rain or shine, the trout don’t care.”