Twenty-nine years ago, I came to Allegany County to live and work in Wellsville.  Little did I know that my fly fishing ideas and theories would be influenced by a river: The Genesee River.  In those years that followed, the Genesee River became my home river, and today the Genny is in my blood and in my heart. In truth, a river really does run through where I live.

She is not as wide and expansive as her sister rivers in the Catskills, but she is freestone watershed that flows through the beautiful Genesee Valley, running north through New York State to Rochester. The Genesee River is, mostly, a put and take river, but her holdover rate is good, and the trout do become wary and cautious.  I have had fly fishers from the Catskill Area tell me that the Genny’s trout population put them to shame.  They have often done this to me as well.

It is my hope that through these pages others will get to learn more about the Genesee and may even pay her a visit on some fine spring day to wet their fly lines and rejoice in her existence.

The most productive part of the river for me has been the section between the Pennsylvania border and Belmont, New York.  This section is stocked a number of times yearly. Over the past few years, the New York State DEC has been stocking two year old brown trout throughout this area.

It is important anglers note that the daily limit is five trout; only two of which can be over twelve inches.

Much of the river has public access, and anglers should make sure they see the Public Fishing Access signs along the shores.

Copyright: 2010 The Mark Libertone Studio