Practice social distancing and wear your long johns.


Today I planned to take my first drive around the river system this year.  Left the camp about 1:30 and drove up the PA side of the big river. They are attempting to fix two areas of 191 upstream from Equinunk and have reduced traffic to one lane with stop lights at both ends.  Got two long reds.  Buckingham had three trailers and half a dozen cars. Two anglers were fishing near the launch ramp.  Talked with one of them who had seen rising fish and about 15 anglers at the game lands. Said he didn't like that many people and had come down river to get away. There were little stones, tiny caddis and assorted smut on the water with several fish rising up in the slow water. Journeyed up the big east, lower Beaverkill and upper east seeing a few bugs but only a couple of rises.

Covid-19 - The river by usual standards wasn't crowded BUT I saw several boats with two and three fishermen in them.  Also saw numerous SUV's all of which had two or three fishermen in them. Sharing a lunch in a boat or on the tailgate of your SUV is, at present, not smart. Delaware County has asked fishermen to stay home. Showing a wanton disregard for the virus coupled with a spike in the Delaware County Covid-19 cases could lead to a closure of the river.  Be smart, drive here by yourself and fish alone.

The fishing- Yes I put my stuff in the car, but I didn't bring my fleece jacket and I left my wife's Christmas present (long underwear) back at camp.  In short I didn't expect to fish.  On my way back to camp I stopped next to a slow water pool on the big river, just for a quick look.  Saw several rises before I had even turned off the car. Suited up and fished to rising fish for over two hours.  How'd I do?  Well on April 4th I caught more fish than I did in the whole month of April in any of the last three years!  I'm putting the long underwear on today for sure.

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