Saturday June 13 was Livingston Manor’s 20th Annual Trout Parade, and hordes of supporters descended upon the town to celebrate and enjoy some “fishy” fun under summery sunny skies. Local shops, businesses and establishments had spent many months in preparation for the exciting event, which has become one of Livingston Manor’s most popular and well-attended affairs, extolling the trout, luring dozens of participants from far and wide, and a couple thousand supporters and festive parade watchers into the tiny hamlet.

Trout are one of our most special natural resources: of the three species that reside here in our Catskill waters - brook, brown, and rainbow trout - the native brook trout is the official fish of the State of New York. Trout enthusiasts ranged in age from babies to Seniors,  as evidenced by the numbers of young families with baby strollers as well as grand- and great-grandparents out enjoying the show. Scores of cars, many from out of state, lined the roads leading up to Main Street, which was blocked from traffic for the parade route, along with enthusiastic supporters lining the sidewalks six-deep. The parade was long-lasting and entertaining, with many wonderful and inventive floats depicting this year’s theme “Cirque Du Trout,” including live music, the town’s Rockland Central School band, and, of course, the traditional favorite,  “Willow Bea”, the spectacular brook trout named and created by the late Bud Wertheim’ and carried by 5 handlers near the head of the parade, and the giant Tall Puppets on Stilts from the Catskill Puppet Theater in Oneonta, NY. Paraders delighted the children by tossing candy and prizes as they passed by and were applauded and cheered for crowd interaction, drawing shouts of recognition from friends and neighbors, and a good time was had by all.

The much-needed rain showers and storms this past weekend provided

a welcomed respite to our free-flowing rivers and streams, which are so dependent on rainfall. The warmer days have raised water temperatures as well, with the Willowemoc Creek on Saturday afternoon registering up into the low 70s, and the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls inching up toward 77 degrees during the same period. Stream levels have dropped to below the average for this mid-June period; the Willowemoc flowing at  42.7 cubic feet per second was about half its average flow, as compared to the 40-year median average flow of 81 cfs; with the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls faring a bit better at 166 cubic feet per second as compared to the median average flow of 292 cfs based on 112 water years of record.

A trip to the Beaverkill one evening last week proved fruitful; despite warmer air temperatures of 80 degrees by the time we reached our destination, the water temperature was a fishable 66 degrees Fahrenheit. There was not much activity, only two sporadic rises were seen down in the pool and hardly a fly to speak of on the water; but fishing upstream in the faster riffle area above the pool with an Adams had tied during the week brought the reward of a feisty 11-inch wild brown trout that actually leaped out of the water three times before being netted and released.

An early morning walk down to the Willowemoc revealed the low water conditions and, only upon closer inspection by entering the water at its gravelly edge were we able to see thousands of tiny cream-colored caddis flies, possibly a size #28, buzzing just above the water’s surface! The miniscule flies did not appear to be interesting to the trout at that point, but a number of red-winged blackbirds and cedar waxwings put on quite an animated display up and downstream.

Fly hatches continue to be the lighter-colored flies, Sulphurs and Light Cahills, along with Blue-Winged Olives and caddis flies in various sizes. Trout fishers would do well to bring along and use a water thermometer before beginning to fish, and choose fishing destinations according to conditions. Temperatures can fluctuate widely depending on shade or whether the sun is on the water as well as the time of day. Best times to fish during low water levels and higher water temperatures are in the early mornings and late evenings, as trout become lethargic when water temperatures warm; they slow down in their feeding habits and will move very little in order to conserve energy. As the water warms, its dissolved oxygen content is decreased, and trout can suffer from oxygen deprivation and heat stress. Try your luck in the faster water and riffle areas, and choose fishing destinations  with shaded, tree-lined streambanks, which are preferred to those that are cleared of vegetation, as can be evidenced by monitoring water temperatures with a thermometer.

Fortunately this week temperatures are predicted to be a bit cooler with added showers and thunderstorms in the forecast.