Trout Fishing Opening Day 2019

Photo of Junction Pool at low water level

When the New York State trout season opens tomorrow it will start our 20th. year in Roscoe. A lot has changed over the years but we remain dedicated to offering the fly fishing community the best information regarding conditions on all Upper Delaware rivers, innovative fly patterns and the hardest working professional fishing guides in the region.

Our guides are now available daily for Float Trips, Wade Fishing and Fly Casting Instruction.

We will be offering lodging starting on April 15th.

Our Fly Shop is now open! For the next 2 weeks we will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Our guides will be in the shop most mornings preparing for trips if you want to stop by early. We will return to 7 days a week on April 19th.

OPENING DAY REPORT

The 2019 season looks like it will be a pretty normal start. Despite the tease from the recent warm weather most of the rivers in the system are running high and the water is cold.

Tomorrow morning fly anglers will find little water that is wadable. The anglers who normally meet at Junction Pool in Roscoe for the Tradition of the first cast will find heavy water that is only fishable from the banks. Fly anglers will have to wait a while to find favorable flows for wade fishing on the Beaverkill and Willowemoc. For many, fishing and success are not as important as the ritual of heading out for the opener and Junction pool is the place to be early in the day. As usual local anglers, local media and members of the chamber of commerce will be out greeting anglers.

As I write this the best bet for fishing is on the Upper East Branch but the current flow of 643 cfs. is challenging for most anglers. If you head out here be careful as the flows in this glassy river are deceptive.

For the immediate future the best bet for success will come on Streamer Flies. Most of the Trout will be hugging the bottom in the slowest pools so fishing heavy streamer patterns is a must. Our guides like heavily weighted patterns during April and we carry a lot of custom streamers in our fly shop.

With the current high water conditions the early season will fish best from drift boats and our guides are available. The drift boat allows our guides to put you right over the the holding water and present the fly at the right depth. Currently the East Branch and West Branch are the best choices for drifting. The Main Stem is too high and cold to effectively work streamers and have success.

If you plan of fishing the key is targeting the the right water. Although the rivers are running high now, you have to remember that winter flows are low and most of the rivers freeze over. Make sure you are targeting water that would provide safe living from December through ice out.

If you would like to get out for an early season streamer float trip give us a call today. Early season does not produce big numbers but it does regularly produce big fish. Every year our clients take some really impressive Brown Trout during the initial days of the season.