Snow is falling at Crooked Eddy, gently, as this week’s winds seem to have abated at last. Dawn’s light struggles to filter through the cloud cover giving the fresh snow a faint blue glow as I ponder another winter’s day.

It is a quiet weekend here, with preparations for coming activities. Another week and Guild tyers will gather at the Catskill Brewery to share our craft and fellowship. JA and I will conclude our day with time in the rod shop. My strips are ready for rough beveling, then winding and heat-treating. I hope to accomplish all of that if I can, so planing may begin thereafter.

In my quest for knowledge, I have been contacting rod makers from Pennsylvania to Europe to discuss their individual heat-treating regime, particularly any changes applicable to the new Lo o bamboo. The variations are interesting.

Fly tying rises and falls as the rivers, a quick outlet for nervous energy on one day, serious study and contemplation of new designs on another.

I’ve been working my way through that new volume of Schwiebert, just a tale or two at a sitting. Stolen pleasures, like an evening cup of coffee with a hint of Beaverkill Bourbon Cream… and Dana Lamb waits there upon the bookshelf with his remembrances of the Golden Age!

Three months of winter lie still ahead, countless hours of dreaming, planning and wondering. Will the hatches come early, or with that false start so often seen? A hint, then nothing! Spring comes in it’s own time…

I left my buddy to work the first good rises we found and continued my search. A few flies had started wriggling their way to the surface, and we both trusted to patience and stealth to bring rewards.

I waded down river gently, sticking to the edge and taking pains to prevent my passage from sending pressure waves out into the pool. I must have spent half an hour covering 75 feet of river, and the flies began to increase in number once I passed the head of the pool.

When the trout began to rise it was all at once, several of them, all within reach of a long cast. I worked the closest riser with my Hendrickson and he proved to be willing. A nice fish, perhaps fifteen inches, he made me concentrate much closer upon the riseforms scattered throughout the area. The next candidate to bend the bamboo was just a bit larger, the second to succumb to my Hendrickson.

A few Blue Quills mingled with the Hendricksons, and when I finally located a rise with less splash and more bulge, true to form he ignored the Hendrickson. My drift was good, but this fish was obviously interested in the smaller mayflies struggling in the film. A change to a Blue Quill Cripple proved to be just what he was looking for, though not until I downsized my tippet to 6X!

The Menscer bamboo rod bowed heavily when I tightened, and the old CFO sang his praises as he darted away down current. I did my best to pressure him away from the next pod of riseforms, ever conscious of the delicate tether we shared. He obliged by turning away from me, running out to the middle of the river. I was smiling broadly when I finally brought him to the net: twenty-one inches of golden bronze and dark-spotted muscle.

The Hendricksons were coming steadily, and though the battle had pushed several fish downstream, they weren’t so shy as to ignore Nature’s bounty. Ten gradual steps downstream put me within easy casting range of the first in line, and I studied his riseform carefully before casting. I judged this fish to be of decent size and had offered two drifts when my eye caught a heavy swirl and bulge in the next line of drift. A step down and a step out gave me the angle I wanted.

As the trout turned back to the drifting Hendrickson duns, I had knotted one of my CDC Sparkle Duns to my leader, allowing the fever of the hatch to prevent me from changing back to 5X tippet. An angler’s gamble, one born of countless experiences, some of which had led to victory, and others to defeat. I have waded many miles of rivers and well remember the expediency big trout often require.

Conventional wisdom would lead an angler to expect a larger trout to feed longer, taking advantage of a good hatch to take in all of the calories his bulk demands, yet often this is not the case. Perhaps it is their inert wariness that grows with the experience of years. I have found many such fish that rose just a handful of times before vanishing. It seems as if they feel you before you ever offer a cast. On this day, it would be 6X or nothing.

It required a couple of casts to match his rhythm, then perhaps two more to drift the fly teasingly to him, the flecks of light-carrying bubbles in the dubbing and the wavering fibers of the CDC wing convincing him, giving proof of life. When the cane arched, and the reel screamed to life, I knew the greatest finesse would be required to win this battle.

I fought the fish out in the secondary current that washes the shallow bank of that reach of river. There were no logs or brush piles as often populate the main flows at the foot of our steep riverbanks, but this pool has a fine complement of rocks and boulders in it’s gravelly bottom. I kept the rod shaft as close to a forty-five degree angle as possible, reacting quickly but gently to each turn of direction. If I could keep him working in that spring current and away from the sharp-edged boulders, I believed I could win the war; and so I did.

A deep, heavy bodied Catskill brown some twenty-three inches long can weigh in the vicinity of five pounds, and I agreed with that estimation as he lay glistening in the meshes of the net, a glorious gift of spring!

In my mind I’m listening to the power chords and Steve Marriot’s voice singing those words to the tune of the Humble Pie classic “Thirty Days In The Hole”, while my ears hear the gusty winter winds rattle the siding here at Crooked Eddy. Welcome to Day 90 on my own countdown to a hoped for Catskill spring.

Though I have yet to tie any flies this morning, I have some sense of accomplishment. I took care of my secretarial duties for the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild and made myself a schedule to follow up on a possible new location for our Saturday winter fly tying gatherings. The flies will come later.

At last, the journey toward making my first split bamboo fly rod has become a reality. Last Saturday the work began with sanding the cane before splitting it into six wide working strips. These were moved to the band saw jig where they were cut into more than two dozen 1/4-inch-wide rod strips. Twenty-four finished strips are required to complete my three-piece rod with extra tip, so there are enough, along with a handful of spares to accommodate the expected mischief of the Red Gods.

My friend JA guided me through these first processes, also mentoring our friend and Catskill Legend Dave Catizone whose quest is to build himself a rod from Jim Payne’s classic Model 100 taper. Dave is one of the gentlemen I look to as true scholars of Catskill fly fishing and fly tying, having known and worked beside most of the greats in our region’s considerable history. His knowledge and personality are wonderful assets to the Guild as well as the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum.

My next stage of rod work will be the initial beveling of those quarter inch rod strips to produce the 60-degree triangular strips that will be bound into four different rod sections: butt, mid-section, and a pair of tips. Once beveled and bound, all strips will be heat treated before the long hours of hand planing may begin.

I have found a reel to complement my rod, increasing my urgency to move along with the rod making process. That won’t cause spring to arrive any sooner of course, but it does stoke the fires of anticipation that carry me through the long months of ice and snow.

The Italian Roast has a chocolaty warmth as it rolls down my tongue, bringing me fully awake. I feel excited this morning, as today I will begin the rod conceived as the Angler’s Rest Special.

Waiting for the Holidays to pass, the winter has taken a deep hold. Rivers have ranged from icebound to high flows colored by rain heightened snowmelt. Today is not a fishing day; nor will tomorrow be… Yet, the excitement is there: anticipation, plans afoot!

I’ll gently sand the culm, cleaning it, and then begin the first crucial steps – splitting strips. If I execute this task to best advantage, I hope to end the day with somewhat more than 24 strips, enough for my 7′-9″three-piece rod and extra tip. Two tips are traditional, and practical. The diameter of my Lo o bamboo appears to be adequate, though with little margin for error. This Bambusa procera seems to split straight and clean, but my hands must learn this new precision on the fly.

I look at the rods in my quiver, Dennis Menscer’s exquisitely crafted masterpieces, the elegant classic lines of the Leonards, the elegant homage to the Catskill tradition found in the Thomas & Thomas Paradigms, and to such I aspire. I know these are heights I will never reach, as this stage of life lacks the years required to strive for such perfection.

I am thankful to stand here at this juncture, and for the opportunity to try, for the friendships that have made it possible. Might I actually plane twenty-four strips of bamboo to tolerances of a thousandth of an inch? The quest begins…

Nature has once more pulled her white coverlet over Crooked Eddy, and I am tying flies with dreams of May…

Caddisflies have my concentration this morning, specifically the little CDX I designed years ago for the prolific Shadflies. Unfamiliar? Well, the name depends upon which valley of the Catskills, in which watershed you find them.

They were the first insects I encountered on the storied Beaver Kill more than three decades ago. Shadflies, named for the timing of their hatching, those weeks which usually brought the first shad migrations into the Delaware River system. The entomologists know the species as Brachycentrus appalachia, and if you’re wandering the West Branch or Mainstem of the Delaware you’ll find Apple caddis.

Up on the Beaver Kill all those years ago, I had found patterns for light shadflies and dark shadflies in the bins in the Dette’s front parlor. One of those lovely flies fooled my very first big Beaver Kill brown, but I wasn’t up to the task of landing him on my introduction to Barnhart’s Pool.

On the front porch of the bed and breakfast inn that housed me that very first trip, I blended a touch of dubbing with the bright green and caramel undertones, crafting a pair of Gary LaFontaine’s Emergent Sparkle Pupas before the rising breeze sought to blow my little store of materials away. Those two flies were the key to an epic day on the Acid Factory Run, and thus began my love affair with Catskill rivers and the Shadflies!

The memories come flooding back which each turn of the thread, and shudders run up my spine with every wrap of hackle…

It’s a May morning, sunny, and I decided almost too late to visit a deserted reach of the Beaver Kill. The river here is a beautiful mix of bright, bubbling currents and mirror scape. As if destined to greet me, a good trout rises out where those currents blend. An eighteen CDX Shadfly has already been knotted to my tippet.

The fish takes on my second cast, shows his mettle with powerful runs and a signature leap. Gorgeous and strong when I release him and begin my walk upstream, the river quiet once more.

Along the flat border current of an edge seam, I find a soft and dainty ring! Shaking with anticipation, I work my way into deeper flows, and the cane flexes to propel the fly to Valhalla…

The gentle sipping rise becomes an eruption, and the forty-five year old bamboo arches heavily, bringing the Hardy to full chorus! For long moments we battle – the trout with incredible power, and I with careful leverage and finesse, until at last he is mine. Burnished bronze, gold and pearlescent white, made by God with the grace of Nature’s spotted palette, deep flanks heaving in the net, and I bow as I realize her flanks are better than two feet long…

Such are the memories of the shadflies.

I’ve been lost in his words once more…

Just yesterday the mail arrived with a book to add to my angling library: “The Complete Schwiebert” a 1990 compilation edited by John Merwin. I ripped away the packaging with gusto and settled in immediately!

A legendary angler, scholar, world traveler and captivating writer, Dr. Ernest G. Schwiebert, Jr. passed on just over nineteen years ago, on December 10, 2005. All who dream of tying and casting a fly owe Ernie a great debt, for he more than any other transcribed the essence of the magic we encounter on bright water.

From boyhood spent on rivers and streams in Michigan, he developed the inquiring mind and thoughtful intelligence that would lead him to a wholly remarkable life, a life he was thankfully inspired to share with his brothers of the angle.

I met him three times, the first in the infancy of my own angling journey. Then I found myself so awed that our conversation was brief and respectful. I failed to find the words to engage him in lengthy conversation, though his kind, gentlemanly manner offered the opportunity.

Our second meeting came at an angling book show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where I was introduced by my mentor, the great fly tyer and angler Ed Shenk. The two were well acquainted from years earlier, seasons spent upon the nearby Letort. This time I managed a bit of small talk, offering praise for his books and questions regarding his current impressions of the fair limestone springs that had so fervently captured my heart.

Our third meeting was truly special. I had sat enthralled with his presentation at the annual banquet of the Fly Fishers Club of Harrisburg the night before and was surprised and delighted when he arrived at a gathering held streamside by the Big Spring Watershed Association the following afternoon. The group had finally convinced the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection of the pollution from the Fish and Boat Commission’s ill-conceived hatchery that had been strangling this legendary limestoner for decades. Schwiebert, ever the conservationist, retained a deep affection for the Cumberland Valley spring creeks, and was interested to see what was being done to protect and restore these legendary waters.

We walked along the stream and talked, one on one for a couple of hours, he borrowing a rod to make a few symbolic casts at one point. We spoke of the troubles of Big Spring and the need to shutter the State’s hatchery, as well as the first positive signs of recovery. He mentioned some successes with restoration efforts on the historic Broadhead’s Creek. As the first President of the Henryville Flyfishers, he had a long history with that hallowed ribbon of trout water.

In his 1998 book chronicling that history, Schwiebert made a valid case for the Broadhead’s place as a focal point for the beginnings of fly fishing in America. It was clear from his conversation that he remained haunted by that lovely stream, and he urged me to fish it when I divulged the deep interest in our angling history which had drawn me to the Cumberland Valley.

I didn’t manage to find my way to Broadhead’s Creek during those next two years, and my heart sank to read of Schwiebert’s passing late in 2005. I still have not made the journey.

When this New Year 2025 draws nigh to it’s close, the twentieth anniversary of his death will stand before us. Time seems to pass in brilliant flashes. Perhaps this year I will make my way to Ernie’s Broadhead’s at last; to cast a fly and offer thanks for all of the beauty he shared with us!

One of the nice things about winter fly tying involves the memories that drift back into consciousness as I craft each pattern.

I’ve been tying spring patterns for one of my best friends, hoping to urge him to make room on his globetrotting calendar for a drive to these Catskills when the fishing is at its best for a change. Winding the goose biot body of a small Blue Quill Parachute this morning, I found myself along a sparkling little side channel of the West Branch…

It was April, and I was carrying a rod my friend Wyatt Dietrich had made for me a few years prior. The rod was a three-piece bamboo made to the specifications of his mentor, the late George Maurer; a taper George called the Trout Bum. I had fished the rod in a few different places, but I had never carried it on one of those special days.

The river was high, high enough in fact that wading that back channel made a hell of a lot more sense than trying to wade the main river. I was working my way upstream, noting some little Blue Quills bobbing on the surface, and had knotted one of those biot bodied parachutes to my leader. There would be a rise here and there, but no sign of a trout actually feeding regularly, until I worked my way well upstream. There I found a chunk of tree branch lying along the bank, shrouded by an overhanging bush. Right under that old fly catcher, there was a very nice fish working hard to reduce the population of those quills.

Within a few casts, I had the feel of the Trout Bum and began placing my flies in the bubbly little line of current that carried it beneath the bush. Of course, that current wasn’t clean, as the branch deflected some of the flow out and away from the bank and made it tough to manage a drag-free float. The trout was sort of sliding around in a small area, picking out certain mayflies, passing up most of them, and my fly.

I studied the currents closely, finally finding the right spot to land my fly. The more casts I made, the more comfortable I became with the rod. I cut down my leader a little and replaced the 5X tippet with 6X, thinking that was the only way I was going to get enough gentle slack to master Nature’s little percolator with the water flowing three different directions. That did the trick.

My fly bobbed and dodged just like the naturals were doing, and the trout came up and sucked it in, leaving one of those subtle little rings that anglers often mistake for the rises of little fish.

That old boy shot out of there and into the main current, spinning the reel and making the rod buck like I was beating a rug with it! I was near the whitewater in the head of the channel, and the flow was strong all the way down. For a moment I had a flashback to another bruiser I had hooked there many seasons earlier. He never stopped. Luckily, this fellow did!

The fight was long, active and tense. I couldn’t help but think about that flimsy 6X tippet every time he turned his flank against the current and the rod bowed deeper and deeper. When he came to the net at last, I took special care not to touch that tippet with the rim. It’s not very hard for a five-pound brown to break that stuff.

It is the twenty-eighth of December and lingering near the freezing mark here in Crooked Eddy. There is warmer air on the way, and rain that will melt the snow from the mountains and valleys alike. I can hear the first of that rainfall on the roof above my head even now.

This has been the way of things this winter, freeze and thaw, then freeze again, though the moisture has eased the drought of 2024 considerably. We hope it continues.

One hundred days is not a sprint, not a dash to the bounty of springtime we who angle these Catskill rivers so eagerly await, but more of a beginning to that part of the long off-season when the goal seems nearly touchable. I have been blessed to have six full seasons upon these rivers of my heart after twenty-five years of road trips, and that experience makes it indelibly clear my chosen timetable is no guarantee. Nature does not offer guarantees when it comes to the timing of her seasons.

These next one hundred days are about hope. They form a pathway to bliss, to challenge and hopefully triumph when at last the first new life begins to flutter upon the surface of bright water. Last season has entered the realm of memory, and next season lies out ahead, nearly in reach, though still beyond the range of my casts.

Very soon now I will begin splitting the bamboo that I hope to carry upon bright water come springtime. If the Red Gods choose to grant me passage, this will be my first rod, shaped with my own hands and imbued with something of my own spirit. Learning the craft in a tactile sense will be the first great challenge of my new season.

Christmas Eve, pre-dawn, and snow is falling here at Crooked Eddy. More reasonable winter temperatures reign once more, and we are glad for the change.

I managed a riverwalk yesterday, pleased when the sun warmed the morning’s subzero air to a balmy nine above! It still amazes me just how much that sun can accomplish on a still morning, even on the most frigid day of the year. I unzipped my down jacket and walked with the sun in my face! True the riffles entering Crooked Eddy were stilled by ice and snow, though further down river a current emerged along the easterly bank, carrying miniature ice floes toward the Mainstem.

I found myself tying flies during the afternoon, smiling in the knowledge that the days are already getting longer.

Winter is the penance we pay for the glory of the dry fly season. It has it’s own stark beauty of course, particularly here in these Catskill Mountains. I love the morning light as it twinkles in the eastern sky, tinging the snow with gold and amber: another day has come, one day closer to spring.

Winter days help us appreciate the angling life even more. Is there nothing so desperate as that last hour clinging to the warmth of a sunlit October afternoon, hoping and searching for the season’s last rise?