LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — As Opening Day of New York State’s trout fishing season officially kicked off on Monday, April 1, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum (CFFCM) geared up for a series of related events to celebrate. 

The museum, a nonprofit conservationist and educational organization, will offer a series of open fly-tying sessions hosted by Fly Tyers Guild founders Dave Catizone and Tom Mason in the Wulff Gallery. The annual Fly Fest was held at the Rockland House on February 24.

On April 1, anglers were out in force to test the wily trout. That will be followed on Saturday, April 6 by an opening day celebration at the CFFCM. On Friday, April 12, the center will present the Fly Fishing Film Tour ’24. And at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, the center will host a celebration of the life of storied fly-tier Mary Dette, who passed away on January 27. 

The CFFCM was founded in 1981, and according to executive director Ali Abate, “the vision for the center was formed by a group of local angling/tying folks and families who wanted to create a gathering place for the community that would preserve Catskill fly fishing, including heritage, arts and conservation, and have active education programming.

“Elsie Darbee is credited as the visionary for what the CFFCM has become today,” she added.

The present location at an old farm site along the famed Willowemoc Creek was selected a year later, but it took several years to raise the funds to build a bridge spanning the water and to start construction on the museum.

Meanwhile, the CFFCM opened in 1983 in a storefront located in neighboring Roscoe, known worldwide as Trout Town USA, and according to historical records, by 1986 plans for the future were established.

In 1984, President Jimmy Carter visited the region, and in a spare moment wet a line—a photograph of the event is on display in the museum—and a fundraising dinner was held in honor of Carter and his wife Rosalynn to help pay for the bridge.

On May 28, 1995, the CFFCM opened at its current location on the 35-acre former farm, and later in the year acquired title to Junction Pool, where the Willowemoc joins the Beaverkill.

The internationally known convergence is thought by some to be the home of the Two-Headed Trout, a never-to-be-caught resident of waters that are believed to harbor strange and mysterious currents, causing migrating trout to pause in their journeys as they ponder which sparkling stream to follow.

In 1998, the museum received additional parcels of land, increasing the size to 55.66 acres along a mile of accessible no-kill water teeming with trout.

In 2012, the Wulff Gallery and Garrison/Carmichael Heritage Rod Shop were established.

Today, the CFFCM is home to the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame, the Demarest Rodmakers Gallery, the Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award, the Catskill Rodmarkers Gathering, the Hardy Cup and annual Fly Fests.

The museum space showcases carefully curated exhibits of the work of some of the luminaries in the realm of fly fishing and tying: Dave Brandt, Poul Jorgenson, Theodore Gordon, the Dettes, the Darbees and Lee and Joan Wulff.

It also features an exhibit dedicated to the Masters Fly Collection, the Charmed Circle of the Catskills, and holding court over it all, a sculpture of a huge trout leaping out of the water to snatch a fly, caught mid-flight by Paul Theising. 

On the topic of maintaining the legacy of tying Catskill flies, Abate said, “Preserving and maintaining the fly fishing arts is central to our mission. This includes fly tying, bamboo rod building and other arts that depict or interpret the sport, such as painting, sculpture, literature—and we want to preserve and share these art forms to teach others about the culture of Catskill fly fishing and extend its life to the next generation.”

Abate explained that over the past year and a half, the CFFCM has adopted three “strategic pillars to better illustrate the core elements of our mission and programs.” Those are focused on education, heritage and conservation.

“Today, we are working to grow the CFFCM to be more vibrant than ever,” said Abate. “Our goal is to expand membership and visitation, create new educational programming to bring more youth, families and new anglers, and expand our donor base so that we can be sustainable for future generations.

“We are also focused on collaborating with local conservation groups and organizations, and making their visions and missions more widespread,” she said.

Future plans include revamping the Wulff Gallery to present new exhibits featuring artists, and incorporating selected items from the museum’s extensive archival collection.

For more information about the CFFCM, located at 1031 Old Rte. 17, or their programs, call 845/439-4810, or follow them on Instagram @catskillflyfishingmuseum.