Despite a weekend that felt more like the last week in April than the last week in May, with 40-degree morning temperatures and gusty blustery winds, area rivers and streams are in excellent shape, and we are now in the midst of those two weeks (last week in May, first week in June) that trout fishers eagerly anticipate. As evidenced by the numbers of both resident and out-of-state vehicles lining the riverbanks and parking areas, trout fishers have been out in droves - and for the most part, flies were hatching and anglers were catching.
This is the time of year where a whole host of fly hatches occur - from the tiny midges (size #20s) and Blue-Winged Olives, to the mid-sized Gray Foxes and the light-colored Sulphurs, to the larger March Browns and very large (size #8 and #10) Green Drakes, the much-beloved mayflies with greenish-tinged wings that tend to bring up the largest fish in the river to feed. In addition, caddis of various sizes and colors are also making their presence known: from the tan caddis to the very dark, almost black Sedge caddis that appeared in waves on Thursday evening while fishing the Willowemoc and Saturday afternoon while on the Beaverkill.