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Ramblings of a Catskill Flyfisher
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Note the difference in the nylon leader, left, and the braided leader?
Some thoughts about tapered leaders
As a long-time angler, I hear little discussion about tapered leaders, even though they are an integral part of a fly fisher’s gear. Perhaps leaders are viewed as innocuous, just a necessary … more
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Grayling
As readers of this column by an author who is resident of the Hudson Valley and fishes the Catskill region almost exclusively, you might reasonably ask, why a piece about grayling? A good question, … more
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DEC’s Trout Stream Management Plan
In early November of 2019, I wrote about the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) proposed plan to make significant changes in how it managed New York’s trout rivers. … more
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Clem and Barb looking over the "Home Pool," 2014.
Clem Fullerton, the ‘Complete Tangler’
This week’s column was supposed to be about the new trout stream management plan released by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) last November, but it is not. Instead, … more
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Molly snoozes by the woodstove during Catskill winter.
Fly fisher’s winter
Right about the time this piece appears in the River Reporter, the winter solstice will be more than a week in the past. For those of us that fly fish, the day after the solstice begins the countdown … more
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A western salmonfly.
Stoneflies: an enigma in the East
I can’t recall the last time someone spoke with me about stoneflies—you know, the order Plecoptera? There are reasons for that, especially here in the Eastern U.S. and, in particular, our … more
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A large brown trout from my "home water."
Home waters
These days, with all the social media chatter and fast-paced lifestyles, it is hard to know how many anglers have what we used to call a “home water.” From what I’ve observed over … more
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A caddisfly on a river stone, ready to leave the pupal stage.
Fake news for fly fishers
Because of my training as a fisheries biologist, along with some knowledge of aquatic insect life cycles, I’ve made remarks about the hatching process that mayflies and caddisflies go through … more
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A quiet pool on the river where the author fished on a hot July night.
A fishing tale from another time
Logic might dictate that current weather conditions would be reason enough to forget fishing today. The local meteorologists report that this is one of the driest summers on record, with lawns, crops … more
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The river in fall colors.
Another Catskill fall
Fall means different things to different people. Under normal conditions, fall means back to school for students and the beginning of another work year for teachers. Sadly, the virus has interrupted … more
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Downsville Gauge showing low water temperatures from June to September 2020.
Dramatic changes in a six-mile difference
In previous columns, I’ve written that most mayfly hatches on some Catskill tailwaters, with some exceptions, end by August. But a recent trip to the lower East Branch found excellent hatches … more
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A cinnamon flying ant.
September flying ants
We went forward on this early September day with almost no expectations. The river had been quiet these last weeks—few hatching mayflies and fewer rising trout. Normally, at this time of fall … more
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The author with a nice Bitterroot rainbow before catch and release.
A summer on the Bitterroot
A very long time ago, in what seems like another life, I had the opportunity to fish the Bitterroot River in Western Montana for most of one summer. At the time I was a student enrolled in the School … more
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Conflict on the West Branch
For those involved with the effort that led to the adoption of the Water Releases Legislation, Part 671 of the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), none of us knew, back in 1976, the dilemma that … more
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A lovely Chris Raine, bamboo fly rod.
The sometimes cost of getting skunked
A few months ago, an old friend suggested that my writing style was a bit too technical and professorial for a fishing column, so for this piece, I decided to lighten things up a bit. While the event … more
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A beautiful, serene pool on a Catskill River.
Fly fishing: a privilege
Fly fishing is a fragile and fickle sport. By that, I don’t mean to imply that rivers are fragile, or that trout are fragile, although, in some instances, both are. What I do mean is, unlike a … more
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A recently hatched female Pale Evening Dun.
Changes in some Catskill tailwater mayfly hatches
Some of my angling friends call this time of year “The Dead Time” because hatches of mayflies and other aquatic insects are on the wane. For the most part, they are absolutely correct in … more
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A recently hatched Isonychia dun with nymph shucks.
The Isonychia mayflies
Isonychia bicolor is a large, dun-colored mayfly that does not receive a lot of attention from the Catskill fly-fishing community. Perhaps that is because the species is not as widely distributed as … more
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A Catskill angler waits for the evening rise.
The waiting game
As a group, it seems that fly fishers are always waiting. In the early spring, they wait for the equipment they might’ve ordered for the coming season. Then they wait for April 1, the opening … more
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Art Flick’s Streamside Guide was first published in 1947 and is still in print today.
‘Art Flicks Streamside Guide to Naturals and Their Imitations’
It was in late 1972 or early 1973 at a Catskill Mountain’s Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) meeting in Kingston, NY that I met Arthur Flick. I was at that meeting as a fisheries biologist … more
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