Is the Beaverkill as good as it use to be?

My wife Jean is down in Lordville to take in the fireworks and the Lordville parade.  We drove around a bit this afternoon and were surprised at how few fishermen were on the river. Looks like with Covid 19 in remission, families are going to be spending the weekend together (not a bad thing). 

Ed & Ken you started a discussion that I thought would elicit more responses from Beaverkill fishermen. I have about 35 years fishing the BK mostly from Horton down to the junction. As usual my input is lacking scientific knowledge and is based only on personal observations from which I am sometimes guilty of creating reasonably believable scenarios that have no basis in fact. 

So as not to risk the ire of Dr. M, we should be able to agree that global warming is occurring, without a discussion on man's role, if any, on the subject matter. Warming has caused hatches to occur earlier on average than they did during my youth. Some bugs do well in cold water (sulfurs & olives), while others prefer warmer water (Ephron's, tricos and drakes).  It would seem that the warmer water now found in the Beaverkill would favor some while limiting others but that the biomass should stay the same.

I have read where the acid rain situation in the Adirondacs (my old stomping grounds) is actually improving due to the decrease in coal burning utility plants and improved technology for removing the acid at the source. Also have been told that the Catskill region is equipped with far better natural buffers than the Adirondacks.

The Beaverkill is certainly flood prone. The plus on this is that, at least in the areas I fish, it is (compared to the WB), silt free). On the other hand, before the three major floods that occurred just after the turn of the century, I was able to fish heavy Hendrickson hatches every year in the BK from Horton down to its junction with the UEB.  Since the 2006 flood I have seen but modest Hendrickson hatches in the same area (and I look for them every spring).

Again it is only my unscientific opinion but mother nature seems to provide sufficient reproductive resources for species to survive. Man wiped out many of the predator's that have subsequently returned, this has in most cases been off set by catch and release fishing. I could add Loons and big brown trout to Kens list of predators.

Hatchery trout and specifically the currently stocked 15 inch ones, may be a far greater hazard to wild trout fisheries than people think (please read an earlier blog post "The case against hatchery trout in the UEB" for my opinion on the stocking of large hatchery trout in wild trout streams). 

My personal fishing observations are from fishing the lower reaches of the BK. Thirty years ago I stumbled upon pools that were considered "too warm for trout" that each held about a dozen wild browns ranging in size from yearlings to 20 inchers. As the years went by more and more wild rainbows appeared until they outnumbered the browns in many pools. Then the pools were discovered by a dedicated group of eastern European fishermen who seem to possess a different mindset about catch and release fishing. They have taken advantage of the 5 fish per day limit and every year systematically reduce the population of wild trout in the section I fish. Because of the number of boats on the Delaware system this year I spent considerable time on the lower BK.  I found enough bugs hatching to get fish feeding and caught both 15 inch hatchery fish and, to me, a surprisingly good number of wild browns and rainbows. I did not encounter the eastern Europeans.

Would like to hear from other BK fishermen both as to their fishing experiences on the river and their opinion, if any, as to what should be done to improve what I told the DEC four years ago " - - was the poorest managed stream in the Delaware River system.