LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — Unlike a lot of fly fishing folks, Laura Colangelo, the new director of operations at the world-famous Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum (CFFCM), doesn’t have cherished memories of sitting by a rambling steam as a youngster with her grandpa, waiting for the first strike of the season as he shared stories of past adventures and passed on the lore of fly fishing to the next generation.

Colangelo recently moved to Starlight, PA from the Garden State, where she worked at car dealerships, including Acura and Toyota. She now resides “right on the West Branch” of the Delaware River.

She is new to the sport, having first “gone fishing” in trout streams in her native state, and reeled in her first-ever trout at what the locals refer to as Barking Dog Pool, near Deposit.

“I fell in love with fly-fishing, and have a great mentor,” Colangelo said of her tutelage by John Collins, a member of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild.

She recollected that early in their friendship, Collins posed the question, “Do you want to learn how to fish, or catch fish?” To which the beginning angler replied in essence, “What’s the difference?”

And the answer: “If you want to catch a fish, I’ll throw the line out and hand you the rod.”

Needless to say, Colangelo said she wanted to learn how to fish, and later joined the Guild, a fact that she demonstrated at a recent fly-tying session at the CFFCM.

Before taking on the position as director of operations at the center, she worked for a few months at the Dette Fly Shop in Livingston Manor, where Seth Cavaretta introduced her to the art of tying Catskill-style flies.

“He is a wonderful person, who instilled [in me] the Catskill tradition” of tying realistic flies from the local natural aquatic environment.

“He made that history come alive for me, and made me realize that that history was not dead.”

Of her role at the CFCCM, Colangelo said, “I feel like I have the ability to make a difference here; I have a special passion for the fish, the bugs and conservation… It’s going to be a labor of love.” 

The first time she visited the area, years ago, what lodged in her memory was the thought that it was a “mecca. The people are real, and they made the sport come alive for me.”

Along the way, she has met some of the luminaries of the sport, folks in the Guild such as Tom Mason and Dave Catizone. Reflecting upon these relationships, she said, “Spending time with them, sitting in their presence and learning from people who learned from the Dettes and Darbees” has been a rewarding experience.

Asked her take on the state of the CFFCM, the new director of operations replied, “It’s looking up, a breath of fresh air, people are looking forward to making the museum a great place to come to, new and old anglers, and the younger generation.”

“It’s become my entire world. It feels like a dream come true.”

The CFFCM is located at 1031 Old Rte. 17 in Livingston Manor. For more information, including events related to the opening day of trout season in New York State and for a seasonal calendar of events, email the CFFCM at office@cffcm.com or call 845/439-4810.