Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
Today I didn't fish. I'm not sure why, but I spent the day trying to figure it out.
The water levels are too high to wade. The weather forecast called for 10 to 20 mph winds. There was yard work to be done. The grass was finally dry and I could mow. Two peach trees died this winter and needed to be cut down. The two porches needed cleaning ( the upstairs too). All true and good reasons, but not really why I didn't fish.
For the past two weeks there have been places to fish without the need to face reality. The Beaverkill and the Neversink have wade fishermen yes, but because of historically low flows, they do not have drift boats (yet). I have fished the Delaware when and where I could, but being able to fish without constantly looking over your shoulder for the next boat is a feeling only wade fishermen appreciate.
With the Hendrickson hatch for 2019 winding down on the BK and the Neversink , I was faced with the prospect of fishing the UE and WB along with a flotilla of drift boats the likes of which I've never before seen. I opted out.
Why? That's the question. It's not an easy one to answer. I can still wade, see rises, make the cast and yes, even catch fish. Most of the guides go out of their way to not disturb your fishing, BUT the sport has changed. No longer do you have to wade close enough to a fish to make a cast and then test your casting ability by making a presentation good enough to fool a feeding trout. Today your guide ties on a nymph rig with a bobber, tells you to cast it and watch the bobber. No wading skills or casting skills are required. You don't have to read the water or look for rises, you don't even have to tie on your own flies. With drift boats, no fish in the river gets a free pass, they all are in casting range. Many of today's fishermen don't have the time or inclination to develop the skills to catch trout on their own. They opt for immediate gratification and spend their money for a guide who is supposed to insure their success regardless of their ability. If they catch fish they go home and tell everyone who'll listen how easy it is to fly fish.
Someone in the New York DEC needs to wake up (as many in other states have) and realize what has happened to fly fishing. There is a desperate need to set aside portions of the Delaware River for those who choose to pursue a sport which pits an individuals skills against some of the most difficult trout mother nature has ever put on this earth. The proliferation of drift boats has, sadly, made that an all but impossible option on the Delaware River today.
The water levels are too high to wade. The weather forecast called for 10 to 20 mph winds. There was yard work to be done. The grass was finally dry and I could mow. Two peach trees died this winter and needed to be cut down. The two porches needed cleaning ( the upstairs too). All true and good reasons, but not really why I didn't fish.
For the past two weeks there have been places to fish without the need to face reality. The Beaverkill and the Neversink have wade fishermen yes, but because of historically low flows, they do not have drift boats (yet). I have fished the Delaware when and where I could, but being able to fish without constantly looking over your shoulder for the next boat is a feeling only wade fishermen appreciate.
With the Hendrickson hatch for 2019 winding down on the BK and the Neversink , I was faced with the prospect of fishing the UE and WB along with a flotilla of drift boats the likes of which I've never before seen. I opted out.
Why? That's the question. It's not an easy one to answer. I can still wade, see rises, make the cast and yes, even catch fish. Most of the guides go out of their way to not disturb your fishing, BUT the sport has changed. No longer do you have to wade close enough to a fish to make a cast and then test your casting ability by making a presentation good enough to fool a feeding trout. Today your guide ties on a nymph rig with a bobber, tells you to cast it and watch the bobber. No wading skills or casting skills are required. You don't have to read the water or look for rises, you don't even have to tie on your own flies. With drift boats, no fish in the river gets a free pass, they all are in casting range. Many of today's fishermen don't have the time or inclination to develop the skills to catch trout on their own. They opt for immediate gratification and spend their money for a guide who is supposed to insure their success regardless of their ability. If they catch fish they go home and tell everyone who'll listen how easy it is to fly fish.
Someone in the New York DEC needs to wake up (as many in other states have) and realize what has happened to fly fishing. There is a desperate need to set aside portions of the Delaware River for those who choose to pursue a sport which pits an individuals skills against some of the most difficult trout mother nature has ever put on this earth. The proliferation of drift boats has, sadly, made that an all but impossible option on the Delaware River today.
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