ROSCOE — Avid trout fishermen, local business owners and friends and families to the tune of 231 turned up at the Rockland House on Saturday night for the 64th Annual Two-Headed Trout Dinner. The turnout was one of the largest in the event’s history, taking up both rooms of the esteemed eatery for a night full of food, drink, raffles and awards for the year.

The dinner sold out their original 180 tickets in about a week, leading to a waitlist and eventually prompting the expansion into the second room, effectively closing the entire restaurant for the night to hold the dinner.

“It was a great turnout, the best it has ever been” said Roscoe Chamber of Commerce President Christine Routledge. “We were blown away by the sponsors, generous donations and the sheer amount of people looking to attend the dinner. I’m forever grateful to be a part of this community and to be surrounded by so many amazing people. We have so many people born and raised here as well as a great mix of people who chose to move to our beautiful little hamlet - a perfect mix of both worlds.”

This year’s golden trout winner, an award presented to a community member for their dedication to the town and the chamber, was given to Phil and Donna Vallone.

This year, the dinner honored the late, great Ed Van Put and his vast array of contributions to the sport, including his environmental conservation work and his time as an author. 

“My husband Ed was the first winner of the Joan Wulff Excellence in Fly Fishing Award, and he’s here with us tonight in spirit,” Judy Van Put said as she addressed the crowd. “Ed loved the communities of Roscoe and Livingston Manor, we’ve spent a lot of time fishing in both towns. Ed was instrumental in starting cold water releases on the west and east branches of the Delaware and Neversink.”

The Dette Fly shop was honored as this year’s Joan Wulff Excellence in Fly Fishing Award.

Dette Flies is the oldest family-run fly shop in the world, being founded in 1928.

After being introduced by both Judy Van Put and Richard Schager, the staff of the historic fly shop came up to collect their award and address the sold-out crowd.

Following the awards, there were plenty of raffles, a silent auction and fun to fill out the night, including a karaoke bar after dessert.

Darrell Hartman, an author and journalist who writes about fly-fishing gave the keynote speech at the dinner. He spoke of the Catskills and the ability of trout to survive and thrive here by saying, “Trout only survive in beautiful places, and I can’t think of many places more beautiful than here.”