Raving and Drooling

Once Upon a Time in the Catskills

Hancock, New York: It's late April, 2013 and the big river is awakening from it's long winter slumber. Hendrickson and Blue Quill mayflies along with the apple caddis are now hatching all over the system on the Upper Delaware River and the trout are responding in kind and unkind ways. It wasn't the heaviest hatch of Hendricksons the Upper Delaware river has ever produced but it was good enough to set the stage for a few absolutely magical moments as well as a few baffling encounters with the Delaware's legendary fickleness.

I spent a solid week on the system with good friends fighting wind, rain, low pressure fronts, bright sunshine, bald eagles and bewildering flow reductions from the 'Crats at Cannonsville. Most importantly of all, we spent the week fighting a passel of large, wild, unbelievably hard fighting Upper Delaware River brown and rainbow trout that rose to the usual bevy of early season mayflies and caddis flies. The first bona fide evening spinner falls of the season just put the whole trip over the top.

Many thanks to my good friends Gerry, Glen, Greg, John and Mike for making the whole thing take on a life of it's own. Put your faith in theses guys and they'll never let you down.

Everybody enjoyed a good fish.

(As the following photos will attest)

West Branch Delaware River

Shehawken

The West Branch went sublime last week.

Fishing Camp - West Branch Delaware River 

Hanging Out

Upper Delaware River - Stockport

Stockport Riffle

Greg's First 23 Incher - Fish Fry Tomorrow
Photo Credit: Greg Glitzer

Went Up to Stilesville Today

Infatuation Bordering on Enlightenment

This man is a fly fishing mo-chine. Everyone else should just get out of the business.

Upper West 

Deja Vu - Greg's 2nd 23 Incher 

Photo Credit: Greg Glitzer

Springtime in the Catskills

Dream Catcher Cabin

The Home Stretch

John W. in His Element

It Was One of Those Trips

Mike's 20" Slab of West Branch Bacon

Photo Credit: Mike Bowman

Another One Like the Other One

Photo Credit: Mike Bowman

The Main

Second Heaven

Life is Good - 19" West Branch Brown Trout

Photo Credit: Mike Bowman

Hale Eddy

Greg Drops the Hammer on a Willow Brown

Photo Credit: Gerry Glitzer

Village of the Sun

It's finally going to try to rain tonight.

Cold Mountain

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club - Meadows Cabin

Springtime in the Blue Ridge Mountains - It's like a Natural Elixir.

A cold, but fun, weekend of chasing native trout on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park with good friends Mike, Glen and his boy Elliott. The cold front that came through on Friday night really put the lid on the fishing for everyone except Mike, but then the weather really cleared out nicely after that and everyone enjoyed being outdoors as the cool crisp mountain mornings gave way to warm afternoon spring sunshine.

Have a good fish.

Built in 1913 by Edgar Meadows

Woods Road to Cabin

Shenandoah National Park

Rose River Fire Road

Rose River

Rose River Valley

Rose River

Blue Ridge Brook Trout
Photo Credit: Mike Bowman

Rose River and Hogcamp Branch -SNP

Rose River Angler

Hogcamp Branch Bridge 

Bring Back the Brookie
Photo Credit: Mike Bowman

Rapidan River

Rapidan River

Rumspringa

 Triple Creek Lodge - Millheim, Pa.

On the road again.........I spent the better part of Easter weekend on another endless road  trip out to State College and Millheim, Pa. to fly fish to the spring baetis mayflies on Spring Creek, where the fishing was very slow under bright sunny skies on Saturday.  I then spent Sunday nymphing naked on Penns Creek, where the fishing turned out to be much better under the low-hanging leaden skies of one of those quintessential soggy, drizzly spring days in Pennsylvania. A size 12 pheasant tailed nymph produced some beautiful wild brown trout in the riffles and pocketwater downstream from Coburn under a light rain. Unfortunately,  I left my camera back at the car so no fish pix from Easter Sunday morning on Penns Creek.  I was hopping mad I tell ya. You can trust me though, the nymph fishing was very good.

The best part of the whole trip was staying overnight at the Triple Creek Lodge. Located right above the Inglebean coffee shop in the small town of Millheim, Pennsylvania. the wonderful aroma of coffee permeates the whole place. They have nice clean rooms that are tastefully appointed, comfortable beds, wifi and I had the whole place to myself for the night. All in all it's a nice change of pace for the itinerant angler or coffee lover passing through the area. Bring along an extra pair of socks with you because the coffee, cookies, muffins and sammies they serve here are gonna knock your's right off. Parking is ample.

Here are some shots from the weekend.

Spring Creek Canyon

Confused and Disoriented?

Frank Zappa - Inca Roads Guitar Solo

Happy Road Trippin'