A Brief Jaunt Through The Catskills

 While driving back home from Maryland, I found myself quite sick of being in the car any longer. I was not far from the New York border in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and a certain Catskills trout stream was only a short distance out of my way. It was still early in the day, so I went. I was sure I wouldn't be that close to it anytime soon and it was a stream I'd wanted to fish for a while. Take opportunities when they come. 

This stream is one known for big wild browns and some exceptional brook trout as well. It is also a bit less trafficked and harder to get to. Automatically it had a pretty big appeal. I like wild fish, I LOVE native fish, and I adore water with less fishing pressure. So I found myself winding down back roads that eventually turned to dirt before I found myself at the access point. Then I had to hike in a bit, but in no time I was standing in a very pretty river. 

The sun was harsh, the water unfamiliar. I sensed I was in with a bit of a challenge, and that did turn out to be the case.  The fish were distributed unevenly throughout the mile and a half I covered, and though I didn't find it surprising where I did find fish, quite a bit of water seemed barren without much reason. 

My fly choice was impeccable... the Ausable Ugly. Why fish anything else in a trout stream? The fish liked it, but the bright sunny hot conditions had them taking and dropping very quickly and getting good hook sets was a tall order. Often I'd see a fish shoot out, presumably eat then spit the fly in a fraction of a second, then dart back to cover just as fast. Sometimes I felt the take, sometimes not. It took me a while to get on the board and the fish wasn't a salmonid at all, but it was something I'd call a trophy: a big ol' fallfish. 

I finally got a trout not long after that gorgeous native fallfish, a smallish brown. I ended up getting quite a few browns of that size class from a relatively small area. It was quite fast fishing, actually. However, I was hoping for something a bit larger. 

Eventually I came to a stretch were the boulders were just a bit bigger, the pockets a bit deeper, and the aquatic vegetation a bit more green and lush. And suddenly it was a hit a cast. I was still struggling to get fish to hand, but I did land some gorgeous wild browns. These fish fought exceptionally hard too, it was fun. 

Unfortunately I then felt the constraints of time tightening and decided to hike out. That was my only venture in the Catskills this spring, though I may go again as the waters cool again in the fall. It is one of my favorite places to fish. 

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, John, Elizabeth, Brandon, Christopher, Shawn, Mike, Sara, Leo, C, Franky, Geof, Luke, and Noah for making Connecticut Fly Angler possible. If you want to support this blog, look for the Patreon link at the top of the right side-bar in web version. I truly would not be able to keep this going without you wonderful folks!