Don't You Know We're All Just Travelers On The Road To Kingdom Come.

 

With rain in the forecast for Thursday, (that might be why they cut back the Cannonsville release),  I decided to conserve energy and burn gas. Left the Estate at 10:00am and toured the fishery. Driving along the rivers in the foothills of the Catskills is a scenic tour that for a trout fisherman is hard to beat. Saw lots of tricos both in the air and on the water but strangely almost no fish up feeding on them. Did the September first cut back in the water release send the fish into hiding?

Rode along route 30 all the way up to Downsville to eat lunch at the Downsville Diner only to find it was closed ten minutes before I got there. Drove up to the little store where the canoe rental floats start and asked about Al's old fly shop by the bridge in Shinhopple which is for sale, turns out the store is also for sale. The owner pointed out, you need both a put in and take out if you are going to rent canoes. Having killed enough time, I went in search of the UEB sulfurs and found none, assume they are over for the year.

Spent a good deal of time looking off bridges, (can not believe how many cars cross the UEB on the Corbett Bridge), and walked along roads and paths where I could see into the low clear water of both the UEB and the BK. The fish in the BK, and I assume the EB and Willow, are still in thermal refuges trying to survive, the mergansers and eagles have little sympathy, hopefully there will be enough rain, (doubtful), in the next couple of days to let them disperse. Returned to the fishing camp about 3:30, shot the bow, (for me, very well thank you), watered the tomatoes and carried the ripe ones back up the the porch, made several business calls, and just let the world spin by itself for an hour or so.

About 5:45 I headed up the PA side, saw no risers at  Buckingham, stopped at Shehawken and talked to the PA electro fishing crew who catch and release more fish in a night than I do in a year. They said there are lots of fingerlings and a very good population of two year olds. Both the NY and PA shockers have told me the same thing so I guess I'll just have to stop worrying about it. Walked downstream and saw countless numbers of little trout gulping midges. The midges are everywhere which is not good for fishermen.

I had the waders on for a short while this morning and again this evening. Never cast at a rising fish until almost 8:00 this evening when I saw a rise, made a cast and hooked and landed a nice 16 inch rainbow. If it rains as predicted tomorrow, I'm going fishing!

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