Trout hunting

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

—Knute Rockne

Well yes, but where do we go when the trout fishing has been as difficult as it has been recently? The East Branch of the Delaware has been discolored for weeks due to the flash flood that occurred in mid-June. The lower Beaverkill and Willowemoc have had temperature problems. The lower Main Stem of the Delaware also has suffered from warm temperatures. Callicoon Creek and the North Branch of the Callicoon have been reduced to trickles between the stones. The West Branch of the Delaware has held up well temperature-wise, but everyone is aware of that fact, which makes for crowded fishing conditions. Two weeks ago, Mark Rando and I fished the upper Willowemoc with a bit of success. Mark hooked and landed a 13- and a 15-inch Brown during a morning’s fishing. I was using a little six-foot-three-inch bamboo fly rod, and had fun catching a 12 ½-inch brown while fishing a number 18 copper John nymph. I had been fishing this fly upstream on a dead drift when the leader stopped and sank. A quick lift of the rod, and I had a fish on. The little rod did its work quickly and I was able to put this little fellow back in the water without him suffering too much stress.

Several evening trips to the West Branch left Barb and me fishless. We did experience one exciting moment. As we headed down the big hill leading to Hancock on Route 97, I had to tap the brakes in order to let a mama bear and her three little teddy bears cross the road in single file.

This past Friday evening, I went to try the Beaverkill at Bamhart’s Pool. I was pleased to find that I had the parking lot all to myself. A quick dinner of sandwiches washed down with a Pepsi One and I was ready to go. Unfortunately, when I lifted the hatchback on the minivan I found, to my chagrin, that my waders were still hanging in the loft back at the cabin. When will I ever learn? I must check the list posted at the rear of the van to see that I have all my equipment before I take off. Since I was there, I decided to cross the meadow and check the temperature of the Beaverkill. At the end of the meadow, there is a steeply angled drop of about seven feet. I usually use my wading staff to help me negotiate my way down this difficult spot. Since I was not in my waders, I had left my staff in the car. No problem, I would just quick-foot it down the steep slope and keep going fast till I could slow down once I reached bottom. I know, I know, I’m 77, not 17, but I just cannot get used to that fact. I went down the slope doing about 90 miles an hour, hit bottom, and meant to keep going for a dozen strides or so as I slowed down. There was, however, a wee sapling stump hidden by the weeds at the bottom. One quick stride on level ground and then the little stump tripped me. I instantly became airborne, landing with a thud in the mud. The cowboy hat flew off my head, and I was certain I must have broken something in my right shoulder. Apparently, osteoporosis has not yet weakened my bones as much as I have been led to believe. I scrambled to my feet amazed to find that I was still all in one piece. The Good Lord does indeed protect idiots. Shucks, I was even able to lift my right arm to comb my hair, come Saturday morning.

So much for the bright side of life. On the dark side, those wonderful liberal protectors of the environment from the blue state of New Jersey have torpedoed the new flow management plan for the Delaware and its branches. At the last possible moment, just before the plan was to be voted on, New Jersey declared it would not vote for the new plan unless the scope of the water allocations were reviewed. Unless this last-minute impasse can somehow be negotiated, we now face the stark reality of returning to revision one, the worst possible outcome for the Delaware drainage. This would mean that winter flows from the dams would be reduced to a trickle. Gravel where trout have spawned will be left high and dry. Anchor ice will occur over much of the streambed, killing aquatic insect life. If there are heavy rains in the spring, large amounts of water will spill over the dams, raising the specter of renewed flooding due to the small winter releases. Let us now all praise those wonderful politicians from New Jersey, who are so staunchly protecting the environment of the Delaware and its branches.