TGF Bulletin
The Monthly Voice of Theodore Gordon Flyfishers May-June , 2006
Joel Filner, a longtime TGF director who is known to many members, has been recovering from a medical condition which prevented him from attending the event. Joel is an activist who can always be counted on for manning the tables at the winter fly fishing shows and helping out with the mechanics of our auctions and raffles. In addition, he has hosted a couple of recent joint outings with TGF and the Salty Fly Rodders at Shinnecock Inlet in the summer. And this year he tied up some killer salt water flies for our Annual Day auction. (I believe Ryan Kenny, my son-in-law, was the winning bidder on those nifty lures, plus a lot of other stuff.) Joel tells me he's on the mend and we look forward to seeing him at the next meeting of the Board of Directors. Hopefully, Joel will even be in good enough shape to hoist a glass of Smithwick's at Desmonds, where some directors gather for an early sandwich before board meetings.
Our other notable unsung hero is John Barone, who has served at TGF's eyes and ears and as our representative on several conservation issues that are critical to TGF's mission. John is a very busy lawyer who somehow manages to carve out time that is just invaluable to the Conservation Committee and to all of us. Since he works behind the scenes, many TGF members have yet to make his acquaintance, but it's time he got more recognition for his excellent contributions.
Hats off to them, and Tight Lines!
Peter F. Smith
President, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers
Luncheon Speaker
Peter Kaminsky
Peter Kaminsky is well known to many of our members and many non-members as well. He is a widely published writer who appears in the New York Times regularly, and also writes both outdoor and food articles for New York Magazine. For example, you can find his articles about guides in NY Magazine, “5 Expert Guides for Flyfishing” in the magazine’s on line archive if you’re looking for a local New York City area guide, or read about gathering chanterelles in the Catskills in his “Shroom Town” (I’ll bet he was trout fishing when he came upon the restaurant mentioned in this one!). His “Trout and About” will take you to central Pennsylvania’s limestone creeks, while his reviews of such restaurants as Le Cirque (gone…) and Danube will whet your appetite for other kinds of sustenance.
Peter Kaminsky will be speaking on the writing and researching of his newly published book --AMERICAN WATERS: Fly-Fishing Journeys of a Native Son.
TGF will have copies available for purchase and signing, as well as Peter's earlier saltwater classic, The Moon Pulled up an Acre of Bass.
His presentation on May 24 promises to be a tasty treat, so don’t miss it!
MacBerman will also offer a chance at a wee dram o’ the single malt.
Conservation Committee Activities
Project Access Enjoys Record Attendance
Project Access 2006 kicked off Saturday morning with the largest attendance we have had in recent years. More than thirty people met at the CFFC&M at 9:00 AM on April 29th to repair and maintain the various ramps and trails TGF has built to allow the physically challenged angler access to two of the finest trout streams in the region. This annual project continues to be a great success for TGF, who sponsors the event, and is enjoyed by participants from several different organizations.
TGF Conservation Committee Chairman, Terry McCartney acts as the managing coordinator of Project Access and has succeeded again this year in bringing many TGF members and friends from other organizations together in this truly rewarding and valuable work.
The Board of Directors of TGF wishes to recognize the following people for the generous contribution of their time and physical labor to make this most important project a success this year.
TGF members - Terry McCartney, John & Gloria Happersett, Misako Ishimura, Mark Romero, Sara Low, Larry McCarthy, Karen Kaplan, John Barranco, Mark Thomson and his brother Andy Thompson who came as Mark’s guest all the way from England, Wick Allison up from Texas, Glenn Erikson, Tony Trezza, Steve and Max Lieb, Chris Rossow, Elizabeth Shapiro, Eric Beeby, Dennis Skarka, Cliff Albertson, and the Naumer’s
Also joining us were Long Island Flyrodders, Danny Van Buskirk, Herman Abrams, Mike Lackey, Pete Yuskovich, John Menendez, and Tony Dimauro. Brad Wild from the Ray Bergman chapter of TU was there pitching in as well.
Our thanks go out to all those who participated in Project Access 2006. It is people like these that make a difference in an entirely too self interested world. They have helped to make a part of the world a better place through their unselfish actions and TGF is proud to have them as members and friends.
Conservation Fund Dinner
Rockland House, Roscoe
June 10
The third annual Conservation Fund dinner will be held on Saturday evening, June 10, 6:00 PM at Rockland House in Roscoe New York. This is not only a fun event where you can meet friends and trade tales of fish that got away, but an important way of helping make sure that Theodore Gordon Flyfishers has the wherewithal to work on those critical conservation issues that always seem to be coming up again.
Once again this year there will also be a Clearwater Junction Fly Tying Event the day before, on June 9, so you can make a long weekend of it including some time to fish the local waters.
Announcements concerning the purchase of tickets will also be forthcoming through the usual mail and e-mail circulation system, so watch for further details and tell your friends now to save this date as well.
2006’s First Beaverkill Clean Up Completed
Drawing a Record Turnout.
by James C. Aker
Saturday May 13th marked the successful completion of the first of two clean up days TGF will sponsor on the lower Beaverkill this year. Although heavy rain had been forecast, a record number of participants arrived at the Reynolds House Inn at nine in the morning to lend their help to pick up that trash and debris that seems to accumulate in copious amounts at riverside each year.
Despite TGF’s late season cleanup last year, this year’s TGF team took away many bags of refuse and larger detritus left by careless fishermen, and cast from autos by litterbugs of all ages. The weather gods smiled upon the TGF effort and we were spared rain of any significance. TGF volunteers worked the river from below Cemetery Pool up to and including Junction Pool. The whole clean up took about three hours and participants enjoyed a lunch at the end of the program.
Our thanks goes out to this year’s participants: Glenn Erickson who acted as event coordinator, John and Gloria Happersett, Bert Darrow, Jim Aker, Mark Thompson, Fred Feibusch, Todd Snyder, Ted Rogowski, John Barranco, Misako Ishimura, Mark Romero, Steve Lieb, Larry McCarthy, Joel Sperber and Natasha the Wonder Shepherd and Geordie the Super Jack Russell.
TGF also owes aspecial thanks to Des and Carmel Lambe owners and innkeepers ofThe Reynolds House Inn, who made special arrangements to dispose of the collected trash at the Rockland trash and recycling facility and donated the use of their van.
TGF has through an FFF “Adopt-A-Stream” program adopted the lower Beaverkill. As the official custodians of the lower Beaverkill, it is the responsibility of TGF to provide cleanup services for the stream and to report on the rivers condition and health. This has been an extremely successful program so far, and there will be another Clean Up Day held in 2006 on October 7th. We hope many of you can find the time and the inclination to come out and help keep this national treasure free of unsightly and in some cases dangerous garbage. See you in the fall.
Report from Esopus Creek
April 19th – Esopus Creek
I’ve been itching to fish the Esopus Creek which hasn’t looked half bad of late; a tad too high and somewhat stained, but not half bad. Much more concerned with its flow and water temperature than any coloration, I was waiting, just biding my time, waiting on the Esopus Creek currents to drop and stream temperature to warm up a little stimulating insect activity.
Monday evening we took back roads to a nifty eatery in New Paltz, the Gilded Otter, which serves good food at reasonable prices with great beers brewed on site, now that Lent is past. Driving over the Five Arches Bridge, both to and from the restaurant, I didn’t observe a single vehiclein the Chimney Hole parking area, not a good gauge for fishing this section of the Esopus. But all indications for the Esopus Creek suggest that this will not be a very good season, so any window of opportunity to explore its liquid depths should not be squandered. My optimum Esopus Creek flow for the Coldbrook station is 400 cfs; furthermore, I truly prefer flows under 600 cfs for safe navigation. Much more than that in stained water and wading can be challenging.
I arrived today under a bright blue sky holding a few high wispy clouds and healthy breeze in the air. My first order of business was to look for “the rock” that sits in the middle of the Esopusdownstream of Five Arches Bridge by some 60 yards. While the USGS website is a good source of information for Esopus Creek conditions, this rock is my guidepost for wading this section of the river. The more rock exposed, the easier the wading, and this visual scrutiny also provides feedback on the turbidity situation. Today conditions weren’t exactly what I prefer, but considering all the Esopus Creek has been through over the last yearthey weren’t half bad at all.
I entered the Esopus at the Big Bend Pool; I could only see to a depth of 15” before the greenish water obscured my vision. After taking a few steps in this high and stained stream, I opened my Folstaf wading staff, better to be safe than sorry I felt. Working my way downstream, I swung two wet flies across the creek. Initially I started with a Red Setter and soft hackle Mr. Rapidan Emerger, than I replaced the Setter with Ralph Hoffman’s Black Bear, an Esopus Creek original fly pattern. As I reached the Trestle I noticed birds working all over the river. A few caddis and stone flies fluttered about but mayflies filled the air, by Esopus standards it was an excellent hatch. Ever so painstakingly I inched my way below the Trestle shuffling my feet along the bottom. I fished through this water twicemanaging a total of three hits which resulted in one rainbow of about 5” that I landed. I also missed one ferocious take. I guess it’s really a slow day if we talking about the quality of hits!
Next I walked back upstream to Big Bend; therebirds were hard at work up and down the river although I didn’t see a single rise. Fishing through this pool with wets, soft hackle emergers, and even dredging the bottom with an ugly Woolly Bugger, I failed to nudge a fish. So I walked upstream to the Five Arches Bridge. From this point I waded tight to the bank swinging two wet flies below me when I stuck a 14” brown trout. It appeared to be a hatchery holdover from last season as I don’t think DEC stocked the Esopus this season yet.
At 7:15 PM I quit having worked the Esopus for 3¼ hours this afternoon. Normally I do not fish this section of the Esopus Creek until mid-May at the earliest. But with heavy flows from the Portal, and the Esopus tributaries below normal, this is the only section that makes sense to me. The stream bed above Phoenicia is approximately a half to a third the width in this section, hence heavy flows from the Portal will only make wading that muchmore difficultupstream of Phoenicia.
When I arrived today there was one other vehicle in the parking areas around the Five Arches Bridge. By the time I quit, I was the only car there. Fishing the Esopus was tough and a lot of work, but than it wasn’t not half bad either. I hope there area couple good days ahead in 2006 yet. But what I fear most for this legendary Catskill river is not the turbidity we will experience this year but the lack of water from the Shandaken Tunnel and resulting high stream temperatures.
“The river is a mixture of enigmatic moods. Failure is common on the Esopus, with its uncertainties of temperature and clarity, but its generous days are superb.” – Ernest Schwiebert, Remembrances of Rivers Past
So that’s it from Paradise.
Ed Ostapczuk
The Return of the Anglers
Opening Day in Roscoe. perhaps a harbinger of things to come.
by James C. Aker
Once again, April ushers in the start of Trout Season in the region. Anglers from diverse areas and of various disciplines converge upon Roscoe, New York, known far and wide as Trout Town, USA. So it was with my niece Kate and I as we returned for yet another year and joined our friends and boon angling companions at the Fishermen’s Reunion Diner held each year at the Rockland House Restaurant.