stevemcd1956
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Anyone ever fish the headwaters of the Esopus up by Slide Mt?
Esopus - creek - 2019
- Thread starter stevemcd1956
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A couple times but the only success I had was along 47. You can hike in toward Slide Mtn but it's very steep and decent pools are few and far between. It's pretty enough but in terms of fishing, it might not be worth the effort. YMMV
Up top you can find some fishable pools along 47 but even along the road, it's still pretty steep and challenging to move along until you get toward Olivera and Big Indian but that's where the water is all posted.
Up top you can find some fishable pools along 47 but even along the road, it's still pretty steep and challenging to move along until you get toward Olivera and Big Indian but that's where the water is all posted.
stevemcd1956
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Thanks for the info!
patrick62
Well-known member
I'm shooting for two or three days next week now that flows are down to reasonable level.
patrick62
Well-known member
At last circumstances have arranged themselves for the first trip of the year to Phoenicia. Flows look good, even a little low but that's okay. The early iso hatch is on, at least down around Coldbrook.
Now let's just hope the mice didn't go nuts over the winter. That first clearout of the cabin is always a voyage of discovery.
Now let's just hope the mice didn't go nuts over the winter. That first clearout of the cabin is always a voyage of discovery.
patrick62
Well-known member
So I finally got over for three straight days, Friday, June 7 to this morning.
Pleased to report that the anti-mouse measures taken in the fall were successful.
My true home stream, Woodland Valley Creek, was running nice and cold. Parts are considerably more squirrelly than in years past, and the stream continued its relentless push to get back closer to the road after considerable disruption in the flood of 2011.
Fished Esopus at Herdman Road, between the two Phoenicia bridges, and below Five Arches. The new access at the latter is very nice, and following the road on foot you pop out where they are building a new bridge for this rail trail thing. There is some serious pocket water here. I caught some decent fish and someone's net, which I left out in case they come back looking for it.
Downstream there were a lot of big stonefly and iso shucks. My Esopus standby, the Leadwing Coachman, produced, as did Stimulators.
But the champion pattern was a big (size 12) parachute Adams. No idea why but fish were elbowing each other out of the way to take a whack at it. (If they had elbows, I mean.)
The Pantherkill, which runs through a chunk of my land, was its usual super secret squirrelly self. The flood left approximately 80 bazillion trees down over the tiny brook, which is hugely irritating from a fishing perspective and wonderful from a habitat point of view, as the water stays cool and the brookies have lots of places to hide from predators and eat stuff that falls off the trees.
The bears seem to have given up on using my driveway and adjacent gully as a thoroughfare, probably due to my bearcrow (two defunct wading staffs lashed together with aluminum pie pans for hands and head, plus some empty soda cans tied on for rattling purposes).
I've got a full week coming up starting June 19.
Pleased to report that the anti-mouse measures taken in the fall were successful.
My true home stream, Woodland Valley Creek, was running nice and cold. Parts are considerably more squirrelly than in years past, and the stream continued its relentless push to get back closer to the road after considerable disruption in the flood of 2011.
Fished Esopus at Herdman Road, between the two Phoenicia bridges, and below Five Arches. The new access at the latter is very nice, and following the road on foot you pop out where they are building a new bridge for this rail trail thing. There is some serious pocket water here. I caught some decent fish and someone's net, which I left out in case they come back looking for it.
Downstream there were a lot of big stonefly and iso shucks. My Esopus standby, the Leadwing Coachman, produced, as did Stimulators.
But the champion pattern was a big (size 12) parachute Adams. No idea why but fish were elbowing each other out of the way to take a whack at it. (If they had elbows, I mean.)
The Pantherkill, which runs through a chunk of my land, was its usual super secret squirrelly self. The flood left approximately 80 bazillion trees down over the tiny brook, which is hugely irritating from a fishing perspective and wonderful from a habitat point of view, as the water stays cool and the brookies have lots of places to hide from predators and eat stuff that falls off the trees.
The bears seem to have given up on using my driveway and adjacent gully as a thoroughfare, probably due to my bearcrow (two defunct wading staffs lashed together with aluminum pie pans for hands and head, plus some empty soda cans tied on for rattling purposes).
I've got a full week coming up starting June 19.
patrick62
Well-known member
Leaving bright and early tomorrow morning. Weather looks kinda sketchy, especially Thursday. Might have to concentrate on little blue lines first part of this trip. That's okay. Anywhere but here. I'm beyond going nuts. No internet at house. Have to drive to the Boiceville IGA to get a cell signal. Digital detox awaits.
jmckinl1
Well-known member
I have hit the Esopus 3-4 times over the last couple of weeks. Fishing pretty well overall with a lot of nice 12-14” bows around and a few really nice super healthy holdover browns.....along with some big fat stockies. Managed to hit one of those rare E days with substantial hatch activity and every kind of bug coming off, the fish are going crazy, and you need nothing but a dry. That 12-14 P Adams worked like a charm. The work at the trestle is a pain and coloring the water below but still very fishable.
patrick62
Well-known member
Had a very pleasant week and all I could think about coming back to NW Conn. (bucolic in its own right) was how much nicer two weeks would be.
More details later
More details later
patrick62
Well-known member
Successful trip.
Fished the Esopus in and around Boiceville but skipped the section below Five Arches as I could hear the machinery from 28A.
ALso fished in and around Herdman Road in Phoenicia, where I spent two nights fussing with dry flies, something I rarely do.
Shandaken cemetery is tough this year. That big pool just downstream has washed out, and moving upstream is difficult because of the forest of knotweed river right. You'd be better off driving up Herdman Road and hopping the remnants of the fence somewhere not posted.
Esopus above Portal: Only fished the stretch just west of Shandaken town hall. Tied into some decent browns in there.
Other: Checked out Romer Hollow, a DEC trail/camp area with a squirrelly little brookie stream in it. It was cold and raining intermittently and not spectacular, but I managed.
Buddy of mine gave me the super-secret tour of the West Kill and environs. Caught a 22 inch brown on a Tenkara rod, and noted once again that the fundamental appeal of the method (no reel) is also the fundamental flaw (hard to land a large, healthy fish determined to get away).
Poked around here and there on Woodland Valley Creek and some others. Also did a lot of Harry Homeowner stuff. Pro tip: Never ever build a house with a crawl space instead of a basement. Unless you enjoy crawling, that is. I don't.
Fished the Esopus in and around Boiceville but skipped the section below Five Arches as I could hear the machinery from 28A.
ALso fished in and around Herdman Road in Phoenicia, where I spent two nights fussing with dry flies, something I rarely do.
Shandaken cemetery is tough this year. That big pool just downstream has washed out, and moving upstream is difficult because of the forest of knotweed river right. You'd be better off driving up Herdman Road and hopping the remnants of the fence somewhere not posted.
Esopus above Portal: Only fished the stretch just west of Shandaken town hall. Tied into some decent browns in there.
Other: Checked out Romer Hollow, a DEC trail/camp area with a squirrelly little brookie stream in it. It was cold and raining intermittently and not spectacular, but I managed.
Buddy of mine gave me the super-secret tour of the West Kill and environs. Caught a 22 inch brown on a Tenkara rod, and noted once again that the fundamental appeal of the method (no reel) is also the fundamental flaw (hard to land a large, healthy fish determined to get away).
Poked around here and there on Woodland Valley Creek and some others. Also did a lot of Harry Homeowner stuff. Pro tip: Never ever build a house with a crawl space instead of a basement. Unless you enjoy crawling, that is. I don't.
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patrick62
Well-known member
Heading over tomorrow night for a couple of days. Looks like the action is confined to the Esopus, in the morning, as close to the Portal as possible. That's par for the course, but in August, usually.
Which means I'll be cleaning the gutters and making piles of things to go to the Methodists' thrift shop or the transfer station.
Nix on that plan. Mid 90s, no thanks. At least I have a lake over here.
Nice problem to have though. Do I frolic in the beautiful Catskills or do I remain in the no-less-beautiful-but-slightly-smaller-and somewhat-more-crowded Taconic Plateau?
Which means I'll be cleaning the gutters and making piles of things to go to the Methodists' thrift shop or the transfer station.
Nix on that plan. Mid 90s, no thanks. At least I have a lake over here.
Nice problem to have though. Do I frolic in the beautiful Catskills or do I remain in the no-less-beautiful-but-slightly-smaller-and somewhat-more-crowded Taconic Plateau?
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patrick62
Well-known member
Well all that planning was for naught.
But I did get over last week, Thursday and Friday.
I watched the USGS Coldbrook gauge carefully re: water temps. Wound up doing bulk of fishing as close to the Portal as possible. Got some nice browns and a lot of silver bullets, plus one rainbow in the 14-15 inch range.
Even close to the Portal the water temps in the evening were on the cusp of being too high at 65. That's a surface reading in soft water that had recently been in the sun. It does cool down pretty quickly as the shadows lengthen, so knowledge of where you are relative to the sun is helpful.
Flies: My new fave bread and butter nymph continued to produce. There were a lot of stonefly shucks down by Five Arches but I didn't see any further up, which didn't stop anyone from smacking at a Stimulator. Light Cahills, dry, wet and nymph, all worked in evening. The Esopus not being what I'd call classic dry fly water, it was fun to have fish grabbing a nice, big, easy to see dry fly. But my first choice would be the wet, fished with a Leadwing and a soft-hackle in a three-fly rig.
Looks like the week ahead has some cooler temps and the odd bit of rain, which will help. I love summer, but I am looking forward to the cooler temperatures of autumn. (At which point I'll be wishing it was hot.)
But I did get over last week, Thursday and Friday.
I watched the USGS Coldbrook gauge carefully re: water temps. Wound up doing bulk of fishing as close to the Portal as possible. Got some nice browns and a lot of silver bullets, plus one rainbow in the 14-15 inch range.
Even close to the Portal the water temps in the evening were on the cusp of being too high at 65. That's a surface reading in soft water that had recently been in the sun. It does cool down pretty quickly as the shadows lengthen, so knowledge of where you are relative to the sun is helpful.
Flies: My new fave bread and butter nymph continued to produce. There were a lot of stonefly shucks down by Five Arches but I didn't see any further up, which didn't stop anyone from smacking at a Stimulator. Light Cahills, dry, wet and nymph, all worked in evening. The Esopus not being what I'd call classic dry fly water, it was fun to have fish grabbing a nice, big, easy to see dry fly. But my first choice would be the wet, fished with a Leadwing and a soft-hackle in a three-fly rig.
Looks like the week ahead has some cooler temps and the odd bit of rain, which will help. I love summer, but I am looking forward to the cooler temperatures of autumn. (At which point I'll be wishing it was hot.)
wow, last time I fished Woodland Valley Creek was 49 years ago!
back then there were actually native brookies in there. are any still there?
patrick62
Well-known member
^ You might find one or two where Pantherkill spills in, and maybe way the hell up past the campground, but otherwise no. We've been stocking them Memorial Day weekend for a few years now, but they beat it downstream in pretty short order.
patrick62
Well-known member
Having some turbidity problems on the Esopus I understand. Not from rain, from portal discharge. Hope this clears up as I am shifting fishing operations to Phoenicia and environs next week.
patrick62
Well-known member
Yours truly on the Esopus upstream from Woodland Valley bridge in Phoenicia Thursday evening, Oct. 10.
Clarity was good, flow was nice and easy, weather was pleasant, and I didn't catch much.
Clarity was good, flow was nice and easy, weather was pleasant, and I didn't catch much.
patrick62
Well-known member
And that's a wrap. Had the plumber shut down the water yesterday. I can still drive over to fish -- it's only about 75 miles -- but I probably won't.