Hook, Line and Sinker by Judy Van Put

Mike Cornwell of Al’s Sports Store in Downsville reported Monday that fishing in the Pepacton Reservoir this past week has been productive. There are two new leaders in the Pepacton Trout Derby as of Monday. In first place is Joe Lacomis of New Jersey who caught a 13-pound, 9-ounce brown that measured 29 inches in length. The big fish was caught on a sawbelly. Currently holding the second place spot is Al Lutkins, also from New Jersey, with a 12-pound, six-ounce brown trout that measured just 28 inches. Moving into third place is another New Jersey fisherman, Mike Fulton, with his 11-pound, 14-ounce brown trout that measured 28 inches in length.

Dave Budin of Del Sports in Margaretville said it was a great weekend, capped off by the wonderful fireworks display at the Margaretville Fire Department’s annual Field Days. Del Sports was also very busy on Independence Day, with standing room only in the store.

The first official week of summer has come and gone and it left wonderful memories, not only for the great fishing over the past week or so, but also for our family with the marriage of our son Lee to his beautiful bride, Natasha. The wedding took place on the grounds of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center on June 21. It was a perfect evening, the longest of the year, and was a great way to celebrate!

Just as we had hoped, the first week in June was a great one for trout fishing. The East Branch of the Delaware below the dam, the lower Beaverkill, and the Esopus all produced hatches of Green Drakes and Coffin Fly spinners. Green Drake are much-beloved by fly-fishers, as these very large, size #10 light-colored mayflies with the greenish tinge tend to bring up the biggest fish to feed off the surface; the Coffin Fly is the spinner phase of the Green Drake. In addition to these hatches, Sulphurs, Caddis and Gray Foxes were still around, along with the beginnings of the Isonychia hatch.

Mike Cornwell of Al’s Sports Store in Downsville reported that fishing in the Pepacton Reservoir is starting to pick up again after the last cold front moved through. He said that most of the fish are scattered between 15 and 30 feet deep. He also said a lot of fish are “hanging in about 100 feet of water.”
Al Booth from Pennsylvania brought in a nice brown trout that weighed eight pounds, four ounces. The fish measured 25 inches in length. Al was fishing sawbellies when he caught his fish.