Posted on July 22 2021
Spent the morning raising and lowering ladders. Got most all the dead limbs cut off the apple tree and thinned the peaches on freestone limbs that were too high to reach three weeks ago. Made a dump run about one and on the way back, decided to head east on 17 to have a look around. Maybe stop in the shops in Roscoe and possibly head up to the museum. As luck would have it, the parking slots in front of Beaverkill Angler were full, turned right and headed out of town past the Roscoe Diner. Drove out to the right hand turn that goes down under 17, over an old iron bridge and into a "Fisherman Parking Area" that's big enough to hold all the cars at a high school football game. Arrived to find but one car in the lot.
Last time I was there your wife could sit in the car, look for risers and watch you fish. Today the only water I could see, (knot weed now lines the banks), was in the parking lot pot holes. Walked out on the bridge and saw the lone angler wade to shore and head up the bank. Went back to the parking lot and asked him how he did. "Got ten, on beetles and ants", he said before I could even ask, "On what." Conversation ended with him giving me three beautifully tied beetles.
There were fish (even a few risers), couldn't see the beetle worth a damn and fished with an olive. The fish were all hatchery trout, some 10/11 some 14/16 but at least I was fishing. Somewhere between the second and third fish two anglers appeared, then another. No one bothered me, conversations were pleasant, rises were pointed out but the personal space got smaller and smaller. When I reeled it in and walked up to the parking lot it took me a minute to find my car among the eight that were parked there.
Forgot all about stopping at fly shops and museums and drove back along the BK. It went below 1,000 cfs this morning and was fishable. Stopped at most of the pools but didn't fish until I got to Carin's and found no one there. There were fish at the head of the pool that were happy to eat my fly. I managed to lose as many as I caught but it was fun. Fished three more pools on the way down to East Branch and caught fish in all but the last one. There were waxwings in the air gobbling up isos and some fish chasing the fast swimming nymphs. By the time I got to the last pool the waxwings, isos and fish were done.
If you are going to fish east tomorrow (the only wading option), it will probably be crowded. There will not be a lot of flies hatching, fish olives until you see waxwings then try an iso emerger. OR you can throw a cast of nymphs on a bobber. Me? I found more than enough fish willing to eat my dries to make it the best day in two weeks.
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