Floating stones.

 Never add up my catch totals at the end of the year in case I happen to come down and fish another day or two. Last year the 20/20 fish was the last one I caught. Today I spent a little time adding up both October's catch and the 2022 year. For what it's worth I was surprised by the results.  At 80 I can no longer get around on a fastball, haven't stolen a base in over 65 years, play second base 'cause I can't throw anyone out from short and can't even remember the count when  I'm at bat. That said, the last three years were the best three years I have ever put together while fishing this river system.

 Why?. Certainly not because I'm a better fisherman. The water flows are the biggest part of it. Wildlife of any kind is limited by the number that can survive under the least favorable conditions during the year. When I started fishing here NYDEC reduced flows to a trickle in the winter (45cfs???) and released only 320cfs (I think) from June 15th until August 15th. The rest of the year there was no additional water unless it was required to meet minimum flow down river or the reservoirs overflowed. During low flows insect larva was left high and dry, and the entire BR  and EB were at temps lethal to trout.  The number of trout per mile was kept low by the high temps of summer and the minimum flows of winter.

 Pressure has been brought on NYDEC to increase the flows to both improve the economy of the upstate region and reduce the chances of catastrophic flooding. The resulting increase in flows (both in summer and winter) has greatly increased the rivers carrying capacity of trout. Global warming has probably also been a contributor with increased rainfall  keeping us out of drought related flow reductions. 

So, how's the fishing gonna be this year?" Depends on how you look at things. If you just want to bend a rod, there probably won't be as many fish as in the last three years. As I've mentioned before, the monster class of browns, born in the spring of 2018 are now in their prime and they will consume their offspring in order to stay fat and healthy. The good news? The bio mass will probably remain the same. There will be more 17-inch and up browns in the river than ever before. If you are into big fish (and most fishermen are) you should be very happy this year.

The fishing - Yes, I went today. The bright sun warmed the water up and I was able to find a couple places where I could get into the river. There were little black stones hatching and I saw six fish rise. Couldn't reach two of them, got refused by one, hooked three and landed two. It was a start. The water levels are dropping and the prediction is for warm temps and no rain. But don't be in a rush, stream levels are still high, wading is very limited and I never saw a may fly of any kind. In short it's not worth the trip - yet. When it is, I'll let you know.