The River Reporter

Keyword: fly fishing

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24 results total, viewing 1 - 20

Blue-winged olives are hatching in the Catskills

With summer on the wane, and fall just a few short weeks, away, the little blue-winged olive mayfly hatches are beginning in earnest on most Catskill rivers. I actually saw the first emergence in … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 9/22/21

Portions of a beautifully crafted Raine bamboo fly rod.

Cutting Cane

I’ve taken considerable pride in my ability to make fishing rods. By “make,” I don’t mean actually making the rod blank itself, but making the cork grips, installing reel … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 9/8/21

A Rusty Spinner, Pale Evening Spinner, and Pheasant Tail, Parachute Nymph—patterns that work when others do not.

Observations and determinations about fly selection

As most of you know, if you have followed this column since its inception, I’ve a been a big fan of the Rusty Spinner dry fly. In fact, I wrote a column about the fly for the June 15 edition … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 8/25/21

"Old-timey, five-piece band" Breakneck Annie.

Painting, poetry, and pizza—and more

Cut flower, design workshop at Farm Arts DAMASCUS, PA — Learn about popular flower varieties, new trends, seed sourcing and more at Willow Wisp Organic Farm on Saturday, August 21 from 9 … more

8/18/21

Clockwise from lower left: A popper, deer hair bug, streamer fly and black woolly bugger. The types of large flies used for bass with a fly rod.

Bass on the fly

When I was in high school, my friend Tony and his father had a routine when it came to outdoor sports. Fortunately, they included me in that routine. When trout season opened, we fished for trout … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 8/11/21

Persistence pays

My notes reveal that there had been no fishing since June 30, so it was time to go to the river. Since my friend, Rod, left for Montana on July 6 to chase trout around the “Big Sky,” … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 7/27/21

Carrying on a proud tradition. Kelly Buchta is pictured in a section of the fly shop dedicated to the past meets the future, as she looks at a photospread article published in Popeye, a Japanese fashion magazine, about the Walt and Winnie Dette and the new proprietors.

A reel tradition in real time

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — It all started in 1928 when Walt and Winnie Dette founded Dette Trout Flies. Ninty-three years later, it holds the distinction of being the oldest family-owned fly shop … more

By TED WADDELL | 7/20/21

SCCO musicians Sarah Weber, left, Akiko Hosoi, Luke Krafka, Nancy Wegrzyn and Andrew Trombley rehearse during a recording session for the upcoming free SCCO Virtual Gala.

Sullivan Chamber Orchestra streams free gala and more

What's going on in arts, leisure and community April 15 to 21 more

4/14/21

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

By TONY BONAVIST | 2/24/21

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

By TONY BONAVIST | 1/13/21

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

By TONY BONAVIST | 12/16/20

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

By TONY BONAVIST | 12/2/20

At 104, Agnes Van Put gets her chopper ride

MONTICELLO, NY — On Monday, November 9, it was “up, up and away” for 104-year-old Agnes Van Put of Livingston Manor and Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther. Upon landing, Van Put was able … more

By TED WADDELL | 11/11/20

Join Nicole March for a three-hour class on fly tying.

'Fly tying for beginners' and more

What's going on in arts, leisure and community November 12 to 18 more

11/11/20

“Wolf Man,” ceramic and wood by Tom Biron.

‘Ghosts of the Arlington Hotel’ and more

What's going on in arts, leisure and community October 29 to November 4 more

10/28/20

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

By Tony Bonavist | 7/29/20

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

By TONY BONAVIST | 7/15/20

A Hendrickson/Red Quill nymph in the surface film.

Up versus down: a fly-fishing dilemma

Those words may sound like an odd title for an article, but they describe one of the most confounding fishing situations anglers are likely to be confronted with. I know that up versus down has been … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 5/5/20

Pictured in clockwise order are a Pheasant Tail, bottom left, Hare’s Ear, Blue Quill, Hendrickson and Rusty Spinner fly patterns.

Fly patterns for early season mayfly hatches

Very soon, and with a little cooperation from the weather, the season’s first, eagerly awaited mayfly hatches will begin. Right now, most fly fishers are looking over their tackle, waders, … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 4/21/20

Robert Scherer of Roscoe, NY has fished Junction Pool for 35 years.

The opening that wasn’t

ROSCOE & BEYOND, NY — In years past, the local region marked the opening day of NY’s trout season on April 1 with a celebration at Junction Pool: “One of the most famous pools … more

By TED WADDELL | 4/8/20

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Currently viewing stories posted within the past 2 years.
For all older stories, please use our advanced search.