Yesterday was a lovely day to be outside, with a fine dose of warm sunshine and gentle breezes. Piloting the mower rather than the drift boat my heart craved, I contented myself with the simple accomplishment of necessary chores. While there are some who will run the West Branch during flows in excess of 4,000 cfs, I am not one of them.
All of our rivers are wild and rough again today, so this day, expected to dawn as lovely as yesterday, will doubtless be another chore day for me.
I recognize the safety concerns of high river flows, and I respect even the milder rivers like the West Branch, refusing to overestimate my own prowess as an oarsman. Once flows rise much above 3,000 cfs, I have found little chance of dry fly fishing. Trout seek protected pockets along the riverbanks if they are drawn to the idea of surface feeding, and the more flow the fewer pockets that remain the calm collectors of insects such fish crave.
Our forecast calls for another three quarters of an inch of rainfall over the next three days, with most of it coming down tomorrow. The Delaware reservoirs are higher and spilling from April’s rain that has already been more than twice the historic average. I cannot even estimate when I might see floatable flows on the West, much less wadable ones.
My prayer is simple; that the rivers welcome me at the same time they welcome the Hendricksons!
Bright Waters Catskill 