Had a chance to join some of the members of Ridge and Valley TU from northwestern NJ for a long weekend on the West Branch of the Delaware River. I had not seen some of them in quite some time, so it was good to catch up and spend some time on the water. I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, but we were either fishing or looking for places to fish, so there was little time to take photographs.
The weather cooperated and over the course of the weekend we were all into fish. I caught many that looked like this little guy, but others were able to net much larger fish. They took a mix of nymphs and dries, mostly isos or caddis.
In addition to the Delaware, we also had a chance to fish the Beaverkill, which turned out to be more productive for me. I found fast runs and slow moving pools, with most of my fish coming on a submerged caddis.
We stayed at Dream Catcher Lodge and Cabins. They were clean, comfortable and right on the water. I would recommend them if you are heading to the area.
When the fishing slowed in the late afternoon we stopped in Roscoe to pick up some supplies. It’s amazing how much time you can spend in a fly shop when you’re flanked by your fly fishing buddies.
Next we wandered over to the Prohibition Distillery for an afternoon tasting of Bootlegger vodka and their craft bourbon. The distillery is located in an old firehouse, and they’ve really done a great job transforming the space into a distillery and tasting room. I’m surprised we walked out with only one bottle among the four of us. But then again, we came pretty well stocked.
We spent a fair amount of time on West Branch of the Delaware, since much of the East Branch was blown out and looked like chocolate milk. We fished well into the night on both Friday and Saturday, with mixed results.
All in all it was a great weekend, and we’re already working on a trip for this fall. Enjoy!
