Sparse Grey Matter

Yesterday (Sunday 8/30), I drove up to the Willowemoc, which was high and stained after Saturday's rains. I haven't fished streamers much for trout (mostly still/slow water for bass), but it seemed like what I've heard people describe as streamer conditions, so I tied on a small black bead head wool...

Beautiful fish, Ed! I fished the Willowemoc early Saturday (before the rain) and Sunday. Flows were up a bit without being dirty and fishing was so much easier on Sunday. It's amazing what a boost a shot of water will give to a system. I try not to get mad at the birds—certainly not at the eagles or...

Nice fish JoeCz! Especially the Brookie. From the picture, it looks quite silvery...any chance it’s a salter? The brookies in this creek (the couple I’ve caught) just seem to be colored this way. I’ve seen darker-colored ones from other streams in the Catskills. I‘m pretty sure biologists have iden...

Got out early on a small creek in Sullivan County and did well. No risers at that time of day, but various Sz 14 mayfly nymphs worked for a few browns from 12 - 19", plus a 10" brookie! Always nice to see one of those in the net. IMG_5686.jpg IMG_5683.jpg Hope everyone else is doing well--not seeing...

I don't think I'm usually a buzz killer, but here I go: I don't think its a very good idea to be adding lead anywhere, particularly in places we like to fish and oh, maybe ducks like to eat. There are many alternatives. Gary I agree about not adding lead to the ecosystem. I believe New York has eve...

What's the mystery? You squeeze them on the line and voila, right? Bear with me. Yesterday, I went out in the afternoon and evening to a fairly small creek. It took a while, but either the fish switched on or I figured out what they wanted, and I got a couple of rainbows (see pic for an example) on ...

Sounds like a nice day, Ed. Thanks for sharing! I'm three weeks out from a hip replacement and working from home, but I went down to one easy-to-access spot on the Ramapo for an hour after work. Lots of midges and some little black stoneflies, but no rising fish, so I tried nymphing a black stone an...

Beautiful fish!

I couldn't help but chuckle at the responses about aging, as I'm mostly housebound following hip replacement. I'm still hoping to be out on a New York stream somewhere come April 1, but it will have to have easy access.

Best wishes for the new season,

Joe

Growing up in a non-outdoorsy family, his columns in the NYT helped fuel my interest in fishing during my youth and early teens. I particularly like this passage quoted in the article, referring to pickerel and trout: “The thought of fly casting for a fish that bears a superficial resemblance to a s...

Wow! I won something on the interwebs. This is a first for me. I found two "Uncle John" references, with "the other one" connected to the Neversink being VanBenschoten. Maybe there are more, as Uncle John was no doubt a common sobriquet. I even have one of them (but not a fisherman) in my family. Th...