Catskills weekend report

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New York Yank
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2009/05/04 21:26:15 (permalink)

Catskills weekend report

Fished all over the Skills on sunday/monday with mixed results. Between the three of us we only landed 10 browns.  No surface action anywhere we went except for a short period on the Beaverkill.... even then i think they were chasing spinners and I was just seeing their splash. Of course i brought no spinners.  All fish were caught on Rapalas and Rooster Tails. Most fish were caught in the Esopus from Phoenicia upstream to the portal, but the biggest was caught in the Beaverkill north of Roscoe. Beaverkill was about ½ of normal flow for May. Also fished the Willowemoc (skunked for first time ever... water levels also low) Neversink above the Ressie (skunked), the East Branch,  the Delaware and the Rondout. Found some sweet holes in the upper Rondout but no active fish.  The scenery was beautiful, and the beers were icy cold even if the fish werent too cooperative.
The bad news was the Esopus... the Rock Snot infestation there is MUCH worse than it is on the Battenkill. Every treble would comeback covered in it. Every spot we fished had it. It's nasty stuff, pink and gooey and feels like fish guts. Once established there is no known way to get rid of it.  The felt soles gotta go.
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    Neversink Jimmy
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/04 21:55:25 (permalink)
    That's a bummer about the Esopus- I read an article in the TU about it last week...  Sounds like all the southern streams will probably ended up coated in green goo before too long...
     
    There still seem to be mixed reports about it's effect on biomass/bug life, etc. but regardless it sure makes fishing a lot tougher...
     
    As for the Upper Rondout- it is as pretty a stream as there is in the Catskills.  I lived right by there (over Red Hill Road) when I ran the Straus Center for Frost Valley...  That stream get HAMMERED by the NYC crowds that camp along Peekamoose Road every summer weekend and swim near Buttermilk Falls. 
     
    It's a shame, really, since the brookies in there are BRIGHT!!!
     
    The Neversink above the reservior is cherry on the Frost Valley land (private- and I managed six miles of it for my fly fishing school and fishing membership) but sparse access anywhere else except the end of Denning road, and the fishing is weak there on the State land.
     
    PM me next time you head down and I can steer you into the NYC DEP land where the old "Big Bend Club" used to stand.  The walk is pretty easy, the scenery excellent, and the fishing can be HOT!!!  Nice browns and brookies in the riffles, and giant Smallies in the deeper pools.  The water is crystal clear- here is what it looks like:
     

     
    The Smallies grow big in those Reservoirs with all those tasty sawbellies to munch on!
     

     
    We should team up on a trip down there sometime this summer, Yank! 
     
    If you haven't fished the "Neversink Gorge" yet than we should do that too!  NICE browns and we even got a Tiger Trout down there the night before I moved to Albany!
     

     
    Craziest trout I have ever seen...  It was a bloodthirsty predator, lemme' tell ya!
     

    "I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there" -Robert Altman
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    New York Yank
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/05 09:23:36 (permalink)
    Awesome pics Jimmy!  Wow I've never seen a trout like that around here.... where the hell did he come from?
    True we were very bummed about access on a lot of these streams... the Neversink was unfishable about 1-2 ft deep in the public accesses. Found a great little spot on Neversink with three streams converging and still got skunked. My fly casting has been better it's the presentation that must be f***ed.
     Nevrsink Gorge? Where was that? . Dude I am about fished out on the catskills for now... rather do a northern trip in the summer?
    I'm on hiatus for a while...mucho work around the house to do.  Hopefully i can get out for stripers once this year anyway.   Peace and fish bro
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    backin79
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/05 09:44:33 (permalink)
    yank, the skills  is just starting and with this much needed rain, what remains for stockies will have better odds against the weekend crowds. No doubt it can feel limited along the lower stretches in low water.. the willow was so low I felt kinda guilty taking a few of what was left foe the table..but if i didn't ,sure a local would be back to fill the freezer. I will likely head further north next week too.. nj , looks like the pool up Nev mouth..yeah pepac is actually my favorite res for rolling around.. here is a nice spot we enjoy for prespawns and the occasional trout.

    stay out of the stock market /big brother is on the take
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    Neversink Jimmy
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/05 09:59:08 (permalink)
    Nice fish Backin!  That's a dark one!
     
    Yank- I hear ya' man...  I have been burned out on the Catskills for about three years now   Even when I lived on the Neversink's East Branch and fished it everyday, I still found myself making the LONG drive to the Adirondacks or the Finger Lakes on my free time to fish those places instead.
     
    Kind of one of those "grass is always greener" kind of things.  But if you ever wanna' head NORTH for some trout, get in touch!  I friggin' LOVE it up there on the Boreas, Moose, Indian or Schroon rivers...  Tons of ponds and lakes too- but they are best fished early and late in the season.
     
    My favorite streams around Warren and Hamilton Counties fish well all summer though.  After having hit the hardwater with you this winter, I know we would have a good time. Tuna and I are heading up on the weekend of the 15th to hit a hike-in lake that I haven't fished since Middle School in the mid-80s...  I've been dying to get back up there for decades, we'll be sure to report back on any results.
     
    Could be a gold mine, or it could be another case of always thinking things were better when we were younger!
    #5
    jkbugger
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/05 16:49:04 (permalink)
    their is always a place to fish in the catskills, even on the busiest weekends there are always places to find solitude and big fish. I love the dacks, grew up fishing there, but it's hard to be large fish and huge hatches.

    And remember the rule of the gorge is we don't talk about the gorge.
    post edited by jkbugger - 2009/05/05 18:51:20

    "Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. But teach a man how to fish, and he'll be dead of mercury poisoning inside of three years."
    Charles Haas
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    backin79
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/05 18:20:34 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: jkbugger

    their is always a place to fish in the catskills, even on the busiest weekends there are always places to find solitude and big fish. I love the dacks, grew up fishing there, but it's hard to be large fish and huge hatches.

    And remember the rule of the gorge is we don't talk about the gorge.


    roger that..i'm  hestiant to advertise too many even on this closed forum.. reel force how closed forum is this internets here?

    stay out of the stock market /big brother is on the take
    #7
    hot tuna
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/05 19:21:42 (permalink)
    79:
    Nice Fish my man  !!!!   
    This forum is Wide open to any one who finds it.. So use caution if you think ...
     
    New York Yank :
    Really you should go on an adventure with us sometime up in the ADK's..
    Jimmy has his favorites and I have mine the great thing is we all learn new waters..  
     
    Jimmy.... After Neck on the 15th.. It's My turn to show you some of my Haunts.....
     
     
                        DRIFT BOAT
    I heard there was a Hyde For sale in Hancock  on West Main street near the intersection of Sand Creek road and Route 17.
    If you catskill guys see 1  (Alum)   Please write down a phone # for me..... 
                                                
     

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
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    backin79
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/06 09:28:45 (permalink)
    tuna thanks, for two days we had glass for the big lake..it should be better next time,, next week i'm off again! we are going to try the walleye thing too further north. i'll keep my eyes open for alum DB.. have fun!

    stay out of the stock market /big brother is on the take
    #9
    New York Yank
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/06 17:01:39 (permalink)
    Jimmy and Tuna-

    I would definitely love a ADK trip... I'm off sun/mon nights....  I also have two weeks off at end of August.  If thats too late in the season I can play hooky some saturday night sometime.  I love those lil brookies... never caught a real lunker sized one.  I have a collapsible rod I'm dying to break in!  I'm sure that'll be a good time.

    Back--a African American trout?   Hehe nice one.
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    backin79
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    RE: Catskills weekend report 2009/05/06 19:27:45 (permalink)
    i been burned and these hats are awesome in the trying sun, i hate lotions if i can help it!  smallies can be caught drifting along the shoreline ledges over and around 30ft of water. Can be real good in june using crayfish on a 4 hook with a big split.
    post edited by backin79 - 2009/05/07 08:52:12

    stay out of the stock market /big brother is on the take
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