Posted on June 20 2023
With a list of half a dozen items to cross off before departure, I was up early. Spooked "our fawn" who was walking around in the front yard at 5:30. An hour later Mom was in the back yard looking for him. Yesterday the doe walked by the kitchen window on her way to nurse the fawn. Each year the does make a reasoned decision to bring their new born fawns right up close to houses recognizing that humans are less of a threat than coyotes and bears. We have a fawn in our yard almost every spring. Usually I have at least one here at the Lordville Estate but the houses on both sides of me are occupied this year and each owner has a dog. The does know. No fawns being nursed in the yard this year.
Having read last weeks comments and noted water temps and the predicted weather forecast, I felt the best place to fish this afternoon was on the WB. Did a drive around and found fewer boat trailers down river than the last two weeks, nine cars parked at the Hale Eddy bridge (it wasn't a fishing class), and the game land lots full of cars on both sides of the road. Clearly the Sulfur's were moving upstream. Girded my loins and waded in. From 3:30 until 5:30 I saw a very sparse hatch of sulfurs, even fewer rising fish, wade anglers everywhere and enough boats to - - never mind. No one crowded me or spooked the fish I was fishing to, and I was able to make a 60 foot cast almost anytime I wanted. So how did I do? Hooked and landed the seven inch brown that rose downstream from me, Foul hooked and lost the twelve inch rainbow that dared refuse my fly, and was humiliated by at least a half dozen other fish that refused my offerings.
Was in the EB at 6:00 and out at 7:20. Water temp 69 degrees, some fish rising (chasing something in the water column), rose three fish, refused by the first, landed a 12 inch rainbow and hooked and lost a really nice rainbow.
Drove down to the BR not knowing if there would be room to even fish, there was, however, there were no bugs whatsoever. Blind casted my way down a couple hundred yards of river hooking three big rainbows (lost the first two) and then landed an 18.5 incher. It was almost dark when another big 'bow ate my iso. While I was fighting him, I saw a good rise in the seam along the downstream side of a rock. Landed the 19.5 incher and made two casts along the seam before hooking what turned out to be a 20 inch rainbow. Didn't mind the walk back up the hill to the car one little bit.
The freestones are clearly circling the drain (BK-70, EB-69, BR- 66 today). Without cloudy days the BK and BE will both be done in the next few days.
Note to Brian - GHOF, Gray haired old friend. BK, Beaverkill. BR, Main Stem.
BR was really slow Sunday and Monday. Where are the bugs? Had some incredible action blind casting Isos into riffly side channels but couldn’t land those aggressive fish. Spent a few hours on the EB in the morning on Monday and yesterday and it was good with olives. Warming up like you said. I was one of the cars at the lower game lands yesterday afternoon. Sparse sulphurs. Was very pleased to catch two in that glassy water. Plenty of cold water on the WB.
Speaking of crowding…i gave a guy 50yds across the river from me and i was also 25yds downstream of him casting to the opposite bank. He was casting to the middle of the river from the PA side. I was on the NY side casting to tie NY side. I couldn’t reach “HIS” fish with if i moved 25 yds toward him. How much room is acceptable?
Dear A-119 it was nice to meet you on the river yesterday as I floated by (behind you) with my son and our guide on our long Father’s Day weekend. It was so great as a dad to see him really “get it” this weekend and find the love for this sport. An 18 inch brown and a 20 inch rainbow will tend to do that!
As far as his father, the ease of early May has certainly been replaced with the frustration (still fun) of mid June. Got some good fish to the net but my ratios would have been a lot better if I had not been suffering a severe case of PRS (premature rod set). It lasted for longer than four hours but I did not call my Doctor! God save the queen…….
Sounds like you had a really nice day on the river & thanks for the explanations, too!
Angler119 Very cool The Mamas and the Papas reference. And very appropriate for the kind of day you had . Congratulations you caught some great fish. Chris’s experience was very troubling. Rude guides and fishermen. Terrible
Angler119 Very cool The Mamas and the Papas reference. And very appropriate for the kind of day you had . Congratulations you caught some great fish. Chris’s experience was very troubling. Rude guides and fishermen. Terrible
Fished lower WB all weekend with dad. Day 1 great in rain lots of fish and bugs. Day 2 and 3 much slower but fish were landed mostly on sulfurs and ISOs. Noticed the etiquette of the armada declined with the quality of fishing. Day 1 no issues all went behind. Day 2 and 3 many unhappy guides just didn’t give an eff and multiple times drifted right over my fish including one sport who actually hooked my waders with his nymph rig which I quickly cut. Amazing the fishery still thrives despite how insanely crowded it’s become.