Ramblings of a Catskill Flyfisher

Women, fly fishing and fine cane rods

I once had an old friend, not so recently deceased, who had a thirst for whiskey, a passion for the best bamboo fly rods, fly fishing and—not the least—women.

Rivers run through it

Not so many years ago, Montana was still the wild west. A rural state with lots of cowhands, where it was legal to purchase a sidearm, wear it in a holster, and walk down Main Street. Real estate was reasonably priced, and there was a lot of open space.

Fishing Rock Creek

When I arrived in Missoula, MT, after a three-day bus ride, one of the first landmarks I saw was the Clark Fork River. A friend and I had left our homes in Westchester, NY, to attend the University of Montana. We were on our way to the campus when we crossed this very large river. That’s when my antennae went up—a trout river right next to the university!

A late fall day on the river

I have a friend, an older gentleman, like me, who fishes several times a week. He even goes forth late into the fall, now that the new fishing regulations are in effect. The new rules allow year-round trout fishing on most of the state’s rivers.

The Lee Wulff I knew

Sometime in 1978, I received a call from Ed VanPut, letting me know that the Wulffs, Joan and Lee, had purchased the old Doubleday property on the upper Beaver Kill, where they planned to open a fly-fishing school.

A time for melancholy?

An editor once told me in an email message that some of my writing occasionally tended toward melancholy. Looking back at a collection of the pieces that I’ve written for the River Reporter, I cannot take exception with that sentiment.