Anglers were out in droves over “Freedom” weekend beginning Thursday, Juneteenth and going into the first days of Summer. With reports of plenty of water in all our rivers and streams, cars have been lining the banks and Fisherman Parking Areas of both the Willowemoc and Beaverkill with regularity since Thursday afternoon.

Most elementary school children have finished up their school year, with the last remaining High School graduations this weekend. Many an outdoor adventure has begun: fishing trips, camping trips (tenting in the backyard for little kiddies), nature walks in the woods, scavenger hunts for mossy rocks, wildflowers, salamanders and sightings of deer, choosing a proper stick to roast marshmallows and savor the gooey sweetness of “S’mores.”

 Undaunted by the pattering raindrops on the top of the tent, they are soothed by the songbirds’ “goodnight” chorus, the fragrance of the campfire, the last flashes of fireflies, snuggling down to deep sleep - and then awakening to the sweet symphony of the mourning doves, vireos, robins and wrens warbling in the woods.

Unfortunately the weather hadn’t been the most conducive for fishing after Friday, except for a respite or two in between the rains, alternating with downpours and heavy thunderstorms which were very prevalent most of Sunday.

By Sunday afternoon streams were swollen and colored like cafe-au- lait. The flow on the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was headed straight up the charts; by 1:15 pm it was recorded at 1450 cubic feet per second, almost six times the Median average flow on this date of 247 cfs over 111 years of record-keeping. And the Willowemoc, which had lately been a very popular destination for fly-fishers, was also moving straight up the scale, recorded at 332 cubic feet per second, again well above the average flow of 64 cfs based on 39 years of record-keeping.

Mark Sturtevant, who hails from Hancock, reported that the West Branch got the brunt of the region’s flash flooding, peaking in the range of 6,550 cfs at Hale Eddy - where the river raised 5 feet! (fortunately, flows are slowly decreasing as of Monday morning, with the Beaverkill registering at 956 cfs.) Although the trout fishers are grumbling a bit, all this water does bode well for the trout, and will provide a bit of a respite heading into the heat of summer.

Water temperatures this past week were favorable, despite a few very warm days; ranging from a cool 57 to 67 degrees F on the Willowemoc, to a range of 59 to 69 degrees F on the Beaverkill.

With all the water in the system, fly hatches have been a bit sporadic, although there are an assortment of species to select from. Heading into this last week of June, we’ve seen Sulphurs, Isonychias and Blue Winged Olives on the water, as well as various caddis flies and even Mahogany Duns, as mentioned in a chat with a fly-fisher on Saturday evening while fishing on the lower Beaverkill.

Over the past week, successful fishing was reported. John Apgar, Vice President of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild, fished the Willowemoc below Livingston Manor and did well, with a Willowemoc Hat Trick - catching two nice Brown trout, two Rainbows and a Brookie as well! He continued downstream in the public Fishermans Parking Area and fished under Route 17. “Lots of fish under the bridges, and then down along the far side.”

 John was using Isonychia emergers he’s been tying with good success, saying that within one week of fishing the lower Beaverkill and Willowemoc “We caught around 30 trout on it” adding that he was “just in the right place at the right time for a change.”

Laura Colangelo, Director of Operations at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center, fished the Beaverkill above Roscoe Friday evening. Laura relayed that there were not too many rises or flies but noted that she saw “Dorotheas (Pale Evening Duns), Isonychias, and a couple of random flies hatching” (including a remaining March Brown.)

Most rises were sporadic, the trout would rise a couple of times and then stop. She tied on a few different fly patterns to no avail - then switched to an Adams, tied for her by Tom Mason, exclaiming “The Adams got it done!” and Laura was rewarded with a beautiful hefty brown, pictured below.

A few days prior, a mother and son headed down to the lower Beaverkill to enjoy a fishing trip together after a lovely family picnic supper. There were cars parked along all the historical marker-named pools. The

duo made their way to the river, only to find several fishermen in the pool, and so stationed themselves downstream in the tail of the pool, and practiced their casting, the son trying out a new bamboo rod and reel. The few sporadic risers (to Pale Evening Duns) were not interested in their flies, and so the mother departed and headed further downstream to the riffle area near a bridge abutment. Two rises were noticed, and she decided to add a longer piece of 5X tippet and re-tie on a size #14 Adams.

The first cast brought good luck - a fish took the Adams and the adventure began. It was past 8:00 pm, and after playing the fish for a few minutes, she realized this was no ordinary trout. It raced several times downriver, peeling off all the line well into the backing; she would respond, retrieving the line fast and furiously in order to keep the fish on the reel. 

She cautiously worked her way downstream, alternating between reeling the fish in a bit closer, then being taken into the backing again and again, being careful not to risk tripping on the larger rocks and deeper water below, as the darkness descended. After a last long run, the decision was reluctantly rendered… she continued to reel in when she would normally give the fish slack, resulting in that disappointing pull of freedom. 

As she retrieved her line, she noticed that the break occurred where she had tied on the tippet. And so, the Behemoth of the Beaverkill, with a size #14 Adams trailing 5X tippet, departed, to be caught on yet another day.

Judy Van Put is a long-time member of the NYS Outdoor Writers Association, and is the recipient of the New York State Council of Trout Unlimited’s Professional Communications Award.