May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your - - - -

With a beautiful weekend on tap, a Hendrickson hatch in full bloom in Deposit, the freestones out of the doldrums, (but still a challenge to wade), and a plethora of anglers anxious to get on the river, it's not hard to imagine this being a record breaking weekend for both shuttle operators and number of drift boats on the river.

Stopped at the Troutfitter on my way back to Lafayette to chat with a group of long time fishing friends. At 10:00 am people were worried about getting a parking place at both the Red Barn and the game lands. Flies were being purchased by the dozens, boats on trailers were lined up in front of both the motel rooms and the fly shop, Anthony and Andy were spreading mulch under the hedge, and five ***** "Accommodation Specialist" Janet was trying to drive her vehicle through the congestion to prepare rooms for incoming guests. It was so busy and congested that I'm sure no one noticed that I slipped my bag of trash into the dumpster. After six days of fishing in cold, cloudy, and breezy weather, I was ready for a break, but the sunshine and warm temperature made it hard to leave.

If you are one of the many people on the river the next few weeks, please be courteous to fellow anglers, both waders and drift boaters alike. There have been some less than favorable comments about the number of boats on the river recently, and I understand the frustration, BUT I am a wade fisherman, have hired exactly one guide on the Delaware River, have fished from a boat less than 15 times in almost 40 years, and in those few times in drift boats, have learned how difficult it is not to screw up other peoples fishing. Guides, by my account, do a fantastic job being both polite and courteous to both wade fishermen and other boats when working their way down a crowded river. It's frustrating, but there are things everyone can do to help.

Wade fishermen can fish above put-ins early in the day and below take-outs late in the day. If a boat is coming down river towards you, politely let the oarsman know where you would like him to go, and thank him when he obliges. Don't make someone row all the way across the river to go behind you if they can go by in front of you without disturbing your fishing. 

You can often get useful tips and information by talking to the people in boats as they go by, BUT do not ever ask how they are doing and do not tell them how well you are doing, people's skill levels vary and no one likes to hear that someone is catching fish when they are not, (especially a guide hoping for a tip when rowing a hapless pair of anglers down the river). Ask about what bugs are hatching, if they've seen any risers, where they put in and where they're taking out, all useful information when planning the next days fishing. 

When the inevitable happens and someone rows over the fish you are working on, or worse yet throws at the fish you are casting to, there are several things to do. First try to determine if the egregious act was done out of arrogance or ignorance. Verbal confrontation serves little purpose in either case. Most often I've found the release of the bird in your hand is the most effective response to the perceived offender. Arrogance deserves a single digit, they know what they did and there should be no ambiguity about your feelings in the matter, ignorance on the other hand, gets, from me, a three finger salute, so I can see if they are smart enough to read between the lines. Hopefully, Mrs. Haskins would understand. 

Here's hoping all your encounters are pleasant ones and that everyone nets a few fish.