Ramblings of a Catskill Flyfisher

What’s in your fly box?

The other day, while contemplating a topic for this week’s column, I happened to pick up my old copy of “Matching the Hatch,” by Ernie Schwiebert. When I opened the little volume, …

Bumblebees in decline

When we think of bumblebees, we think of them as common; indeed, they are frequent visitors to gardens and fields of wildflowers alike. It’s hard to not see bumblebees during a walk on a trail …

Another season ends

It’s subtle at first. Fall actually begins not on September 22, but in July, when the first poplar leaves fall and cover the ground like large brown potato chips. They crunch underfoot as we …

The feeding behavior of wild vs. hatchery brown trout

While it may not be obvious, it’s important for anglers to be aware that there is a difference between hatchery brown trout and wild brown trout when it comes to the way they feed. The …

Blue-winged olives are hatching in the Catskills

With summer on the wane, and fall just a few short weeks, away, the little blue-winged olive mayfly hatches are beginning in earnest on most Catskill rivers. I actually saw the first emergence in …

Cutting Cane

I’ve taken considerable pride in my ability to make fishing rods. By “make,” I don’t mean actually making the rod blank itself, but making the cork grips, installing reel …