The River Reporter

Ramblings of a Catskill Flyfisher

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An angler fishing across and downstream.

A long time ago, when I started to fly fish and began the process of weaning off worms, Mepps Spinners, assorted lures and baits, I adopted the standard up-and-across-stream practice of casting my … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 1/15/20

Fly-fishing the Pepacton Reservoir

One could legitimately ask, why would fly fishers want to fish a reservoir? But yes, the title is correct. This piece is about the Pepacton Reservoir and the possibilities it offers fly … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 12/31/19

Trout on the move

One day several years ago, when the afternoon light was exactly right, I saw a trout rise and then swim swiftly 20 feet away. Boy, was I surprised! Granted, it was in a flat, low gradient pool, so … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 12/18/19

Our maestro

I stopped by the house today to drop off some books and pick up a few things. All the leaves were down and most had been washed away by the night’s rain. There were no tire marks in the drive … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 12/4/19

Rainbows on the move

As most anglers that fish the Catskills soon learn, rainbow trout are not as widely distributed throughout the region as brown trout. However, that is changing. As far as stream fisheries go, … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 11/21/19

DEC proposes controversial fishing regulations

DEC proposes controversial fishing regulations more

By TONY BONAVIST | 11/6/19

Golden days

“Today I have fished again in France. Oh, but that sunlit hour was wonderful.” Those were the words of Romilly Fedden, a weary soldier away from the carnage of the front lines during a … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 10/23/19

What’s wrong with my fly?

It seems that the debate about the relevance of different fly patterns, how they are tied and how well they function, continues as an age-old controversy. Every spring, with the opening of another … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 10/9/19

A perfect match

It is natural, I believe, to search for better and more balanced equipment as we evolve as fly fishers. This is especially true for those hooked on cane fly rods. Most of us are continuously seeking … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 9/25/19

Jaws: a bout with Hannibal the Cannibal

Fly fishing is mostly a quiet and contemplative sport, but sometimes an event occurs that far exceeds a normal day of casting flies to rising trout. This is a story about one of those events: an … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 9/11/19

Little black ant, left, Trico and Olive mayfly spinners.

The late summer doldrums

Looking back, one has to wonder where the 2109 trout season went? April and May were cool and wet, rendering stream flows too high and cold for fishing, with fly hatches repressed or lost. The … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 8/28/19

Are the Sulphur Mayflies back?

Though they’re extremely late, they are back, at least for this season. The hatches normally begin the second week of June. Sulphur mayfly hatches have been absent or limited in numbers from … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 8/14/19

A clump of dry didymo beside the Mararoa River in the Southland Region of New Zealand. Luckily, New York’s river water isn’t a great candidate for promoting major blooms of this algae.

The didymo dilemma

Didymo (Didymosphenia geminata), or rock snot as it is commonly known, has been found in several New York waters: both branches and the Main Stem of the Delaware River, Esopus Creek, Battenkill … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 7/31/19

TRR columnist Tony Bonavist perfecting his casting in his yard “with a pretty good loop!”

How’s my casting?

Fly casting is that part of fly fishing many of us take for granted, yet nothing is more important than for anglers to be able deliver their flies accurately under a variety of conditions. A long … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 7/17/19

Will you help sustain monarch populations?

I am willing to bet that most of you River Reporter readers have seen monarch butterflies flitting about your backyard. Monarchs migrate each fall to the mountain forests of Mexico to overwinter; … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 7/17/19

The last hour

On Catskill Rivers, once the spring-fly hatches are over, much of the daytime fishing has ended. The evening fishing has begun: Pale Evening Duns, Sulphur Duns and Green and Brown Drake mayflies, … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 7/8/19

TRR photo by Tony Bonavist Molly resting by the East Branch. &nbsp;

I went to the river

Normally, I go to the river to fish and cast my flies, but not today. Today I went to the river to seek guidance and relive the terribly sad, traumatic events of several weeks past. On a late June … more

TONY BONAVIST | 6/19/19

The versatility of the Rusty Spinner

I believe most fly fishers have a favorite or “go to fly”—that would be my claim for the Rusty Spinner. Why is this particular fly so versatile? It’s a pattern that I use in a … more

TONY BONAVIST | 6/5/19

TRR photo by Tony Bonavist Quill Gordon, tied by Tony&nbsp; &nbsp;

A history of fly fishing

Depending on what one tends to believe, the literature indicates that Marcus Valerius Martialis (41 to 104 A.D.) or Claudius Aelianus (170 to 230 A.D.), both who lived in or around Rome, were the … more

TONY BONAVIST | 5/22/19

An evening with Cinnamon Caddis and other adventures

I almost didn’t go fishing today. First, there was a luncheon in Rhinebeck; then I had to walk the dog, load the car and get gas. My negative side complains, “It’s a long drive, the … more

TONY BONAVIST | 5/8/19

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