Trout Streams

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New York

> The Beaverkill River

A swift tributary of a Catskill trout stream slides down its own high delta of boulders and cobble.

This popular Catskill stream was a bit crowded on one of the prime days of the Hendrickson hatch.

Two storied Catskill rivers become one at this pool.

Distant anglers dunk worms outside a small Catskill town at the meeting of two great trout streams.

Oops.

I let my little light cahill spinner dangle in the air a bit too long while looking for rises. There were at least 30 bats flying around the pool, and this one hooked itself on my fly. I just let it fly around my rod tip and, while trying to figure out what to do, I took some pictures. (When in doubt...) Eventually it managed to unhook itself and fly away.

Here's the most famous pool in the world. I was shocked that the fishing was so good--I had expected such a legendary place to be overfished. While it certainly sees a lot of pressure, it's still possible to have the whole 300-yard pool to yourself once in a while, and in the fall it doesn't get anywhere close to the combat fishing it sees during the major hatch seasons. It supports a terrific population of the most picky free-rising trout I've ever seen.