Good work in Hortonville

In the past, the manner in which the village of Hortonville has bulldozed the lower section of the North Branch of Callicoon Creek has given me heartburn. Recently, the bulldozers were at work again in this area of the creek. This time their work deserves praise. When the work was completed, the area was mulched and seeded. In addition, with planning provided by Brian Brustman and the DEC, a stream improvement project was put in place. This work will give a measure of flood control and will greatly improve the habitat for trout and the aquatic insects. Also, in case of a house fire in the vicinity of the creek, the fire department will have a deeper pool to draw water from.

Good things can happen when a town such as Hortonville, the DEC and Brian Brustman all cooperate together. The contractors who did the work under the supervision of the DEC, Earl Kinney Excavating and R. H. Gorr, need to be complimented for doing a fine job.

Jim and Ed Graham came up to fish with Barb and me the first week in October. We spent the time trying to fool the trout up on the East Branch of the Delaware. The fishing and company were great. The catching was nearly non-existent. When there are very few bugs present, the dry-fly fisher will have a difficult time. It was necessary to stalk the banks looking for areas of hatching flies and rising fish. The fish were very wary. The slightest error in approach or the presentation of the fly would cause the fish to stop feeding. A poorly tied knot caused me to lose a large trout that I had been stalking for over 15 minutes.

The following day, while walking downstream along the bank, I spotted three fish working the surface steadily. The problem was they were rising only a foot or so off the bank, some 40 feet downstream from me. To attempt to present the fly to them from my position would almost certainly result in a poor cast putting them down. I decided to back track a bit upstream and then wade out to the center of the stream. Then, the trick would be to ease downstream until I was across and slightly upstream from the fish. The slight waves created by my cautious wading caused the fish to become aware of my presence. They stopped feeding. I had to try to wait them out. Some 10 minutes later, those magical, little dimpled rings began to appear again on the surface of the water. I had to carefully judge the distance of the cast needed in this situation. The fish were rising quite close to the grassy bank. Too short, and my fly would be ignored. Too long, and my fly would wind up tangled in the grass. A tough spot, but you have to play the hand you are dealt. I began to cast, gradually lengthening line. I made sure my false casts did not pass over the fish, which could have spooked them. I sent the little fly on its way hoping I had judged the distance correctly. Oh boy, the fly settled on the water perfectly. A foot short of the bank. Two feet above the rising fish with plenty of slack in the leader. I was assured a perfect presentation of the fly. I held my breath as the fly slowly drifted towards the position of the fish. Then there it was. The rise form of a feeding fish. Got him!

I struck with the rod and felt nothing. I was stunned. Everything had gone picture perfect. The fish had risen for the fly, but somehow there had been no hook up. There I stood, utterly dejected, one second a winner, the next moment a loser. Ah well, not every fly fishing tale ends in rousing success. Sometimes, the fish win.

On October 7, the Upper Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited held its annual picnic. At that event our current officers were reelected for another year after a hard fought campaign, with rumors of dirty tricks and money changing hands. As usual, the food was bountiful and super delicious. If you failed to attend, you missed a great time.

Our yearly casting contest, for the coveted Wild Rainbow Cup, was won by Evan Lavery of the Beaverkill Angler fly shop. In recognition of their efforts on behalf of the Chapter, Tom and Sue Brown were given our volunteer of the year award. The highlight of the day was the little Hamill boys Parker, Nash and Henry getting a chance to cast for the cup. Great kids, having a great time. Hope to see you at the picnic next year.