Spring has sprung!

Posted 8/21/12

April is usually a fine month and especially so this year. The soil is thawed, there are buds everywhere and grass is greening. Wild turkeys are cackling and gobbling—their mating season is on. The …

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Spring has sprung!

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April is usually a fine month and especially so this year. The soil is thawed, there are buds everywhere and grass is greening. Wild turkeys are cackling and gobbling—their mating season is on. The brooks, streams and rivers of our watershed are all open. How terrific!

The fisher’s clock is now set to prime time. Caddis and early mayflies are hatching, and the trout are feeding on them greedily. Local chapters of Trout Unlimited have already scheduled events and meetings. River shoreline clean-ups are on the drawing board. Hope you will participate.

The shad run will soon be on in full force any day now. The first “bucks” have already been caught in Barryville. The late Judge John A. Traver of River Road in Barryville, aka Ol’ John, a font of fishing and wildlife lore, advised that the shad would be in when “the leaves were the size of a mouse’s ear.” Hard to forget that bit of wisdom, particularly as it has proven to be darn accurate. It sure does look like this may be our earliest season for shad ever.

After the shad run, we will end our long wait for the bass season. Hopefully, some of the local experts will share their techniques with the readers of this column. Everybody has a favorite lure or technique. We hope to get some of those “secrets of the experts” in future columns.

Bits and pieces: if you are lucky enough to catch a fine fish, how about snapping a quick pic of it and sharing by email to andyboyar@gmail.com. We will post a fine “vanity” pic online, especially if a youth is involved.

The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum (CFFCM) on Old Route 17 between Roscoe and Livingston Manor is in full swing, open every day. There are interesting activities at the center every weekend now. CFFCM will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary on May 28. For information and reservations for the anniversary celebration, call Erin Phelan at 845/439-4810 or drop by the center.

CFFCM has special meaning in our family. My son, Adam is now an investment advisor in Boca Raton, FL. He was a teenage laborer when he worked for the construction outfit that poured the foundation for the museum. Nobody ever forgets their first paying job. Wow, but time flies.

For the record, the International Game Fishing Association world record for a chain pickerel is 9 lb. 6 oz. That fish was caught in 1961 in Georgia. The New York State record is 8 lb. 1 oz., caught in 1965 in Toronto Reservoir by John Bosland. But the all-tackle fly-rod record for a chain pickerel is 5 lb. 4 oz., caught in 1997 at Nockamixon Lake in Pennsylvania. If you are of a mind to try to have a fishing world record, the chain pickerel fly rod might be the one to try for, as we already know that pickerel exceeding 5 lb. 4 oz. are found in our area—as every ice fisherman will attest to. I know a number of fine fishers who could give that world record a go with a little effort.

Baseball is in full swing, snow shovels have been stowed and our waters are alive with great fishing opportunities. Dust off your fishing gear and have at it. Tight lines and G’luck to all.

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