We can summarize fly fishing in New Jersey right now in a word: sweltering. Hopefully, this won’t be confused with “hot” as in, “the fishing is hot right now - get out there.” I mean literally brutal. The air, the water, the humidity - just hot. My love for fly fishing does push me to get out in tough conditions and I enjoy finding new spots and visiting places I only go to in the summer months for bass - mostly down the route 31 corridor on the Raritan and along the Delaware as it comes through and out of the Gap. Some parks and parking areas are open all the time, but be careful at odd hours. After a few weeks, I just want to fish for trout with dry flies and so I head to the Catskills.
As my life has panned out, I have the most time during these summer months when catch and release fishing for trout is on hiatus. Sweet irony. Even some Catskill rivers officially shut down during the summer months, like the Beaver Kill and Willowemoc. The tails waters of the East and West Branch, however, present a wonderful opportunity for dry fly fishing. This report is not about how to enjoy tremendous success and where to find the trophy trout, mostly because both are outside of my realm of experience! Instead, I offer a skeleton report of a trip that brought me great joy this past week. Forgive me if I am a bit coy about place names - I don’t want to give the appearance of endorsement. Instead, I encourage you to try different campgrounds, hotels, motels, fly shops, and restaurants each time you visit. The Upper Catskills does not have much industry - quarries, medical centers, and fly fishing/tourism seem to be the life blood of the region. Since we have regained our status as the world heavyweight economy and employment is low, hopefully we can help our fellow American towns and hamlets with a simple visit to add to their economy!
These are some bugs I snapped shots of - they are not what I saw on the West Branch and didn’t see enough to fish a drake pattern on the water of the East Branch. Thanks, as always, to John Collins, for the identification of these gorgeous Potomantus, or Golden Drake:
Where to stay:
Full disclosure, my grandfather built a house in East Branch, NY for a club - and they let me join! I can stay there during the season with my membership to the club. I wish I could say it is a log cabin with a wrap around porch and a view. It’s not. But it has a roof and a toilet and the stove and sink work. Sometimes, I decide to spring for a campsite. The state has riverside sites and there are plenty of private RV/campgrounds or landowners who have some sites, too. The rates are variable and can be hard to find - a spray painted number on a wooden sign may be your only lead. I picked a RV/Campground with plenty of private water on the East Branch. I have driven past their property plenty of times and the water didn’t disappoint. Being mid-week, there were few people. I met two fly anglers from NYC; the only other tent campers. There were only a few seasonal RV folks and they were all super friendly and helpful, pointing out the better parts of the rivers for trout. My tent was far from anyone and I took off the rain fly to enjoy sleeping under the stars. It was $20 for the night and I paid for two.
There are also wilderness sites at Tomannex State forest right on the East Branch where you can camp for free. I would not drive the dirt road without confidence in your four wheel drive truck or SUV and DO NOT drive through water filled ruts until probing their depths and still deciding not to drive through them. No one wants to be stuck out there. Cell service is spotty but the feeling of being in a remote location is wonderful. I stayed there last year and had a great time, but I sprung for the site to see what the campground access had to offer.
Where to fish:
The campgrounds up there boast of access to the river within steps of sites and I was able to watch the river as I pitched my tent. The East Branch does not have the same profile as the West Branch and the fish were in the 8 inch to 14 inch range.
They all took small, #16 - 18 sulphur emergers. A few took a swipe at my heron fly streamer and nymphs, but there were rising fish to be found all morning and into mid day.
I could have stayed all day but wanted to see what was going on in Deposit.
After lunch, I drove to the upper West Branch and was lucky to get a spot in the section I wanted to fish. The state of New York does, in my opinion, a great job signifying where one can park. These online guides are incredibly helpful in that regard: West Branch PFR and East Branch PFR. Once you find a place that looks good and fishy, stop and watch for rise forms. I had to learn to be slow and methodical; other anglers do not appreciate my enthusiasm for chasing after every fish I think I see. Instead, stay put and be patient. Funny - I travel so many miles to fish a couple of feet of river. Ask folks who’ve been there and they may agree it's worth the time.
The afternoon began hot and humid, but water from the bottom release dam necessitates not only waders, but some breaks to get the feeling back in my feet! In terms of bug activity, I found amazing sulphur activity. There were both Dorothea, small duns, and large Invaria sulphur and clearly the fish were eating each because I could pick one fly on the water and watch it disappear. Last summer, a guide up there told me “the smaller the rise form, the larger the fish.” I watched for a good while before picking my fish and resisting the temptation to cast to every rise I saw. It took a very long time - but then, sip!, or, sometimes, splash! I had to try different flies for each fish. Many were still on the emergers, but the biggest fish took a #12 sulphur comparadun. The number of bugs and fish blew my mind.
The wind became an issue to contend with and I battled my tippet length. Another often heard phrase up there is “long leaders and light tippet.” Rather than a tapered leader, I fish a furled leader and add tippet. I think I would have been better off with a 15 foot tapered leader as my fly and final portion of the tippet were blown upstream in the seconds before the cast laying flat as intended. My frustration increased with wind and the flies, too, as they began to be infrequent as the bright sunny afternoon started looking overcast and I took a break.
The weather turned tumultuous and there were some tornado alerts in the area. I did not want to leave the West Branch, but my tent was back on the East Branch and I had to leave. As I was packing up, I met one of the seasonal folks from the RV/camp site and he also warned me about the night ahead. I made it back before the storm and fished before deciding to pull stumps or head to the hunting house to tie up some more #12 comparaduns.
The storm was severe but short and luckily didn’t wreak havoc on the flows or clarity. What the front did was drop the air temperature nearly fourteen degrees and leave some morning cloud cover. This had a negative effect on the fishing in the morning. I went back to the West Branch and found the bugs were few and far between - I had expected some BWO action, but there was not much to speak of. With the air temp down, remaining wind, and no sun I actually returned twice to my car - once for fleece pants and second time for a shirt to break the wind! Finally comfortable, and the day wearing on, the fish again started to cooperate and some flies reappeared towards mid-day.
I wish I could report catching the trophy trout of my dreams. I am still waiting. My day will come, and so I will continue the sojourn. I visited a few more fly shops and picked up some patterns to imitate. I inquired about rates at motels in Deposit, NY – which are not bad at around $100! Remember you pay for the room, but often access and proximity to the river and chances to meet and talk with other anglers.
What to eat:
I usually bring a cooler for fruit, yogurt, milk, and ice. Some cereal and bread with PB&J is usually enough for a day or two. My camp stove and coffee pot come with me, too. With some trail mix and pretzels, I felt I would not go hungry. Each town, Roscoe and Hancock in particular, have diners and restaurants but hours may be different during the week and on weekends. Try new spots and, as I said, support American communities and the people who live there.
I have a few more free days in this coming week and I plan to head back upstate. In a few weeks, I may be fishing somewhere more exotic. I’ll let you all know.
In the meantime, I see you out there! Roy B.
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