rford
Less Than Beeko
With all the preparations we make for Spring, the epiphany that good planning is going to help me make the most out of it has recently sprung into might tightly fitted skull. As we approach the upcoming spring season, I have been trying to come up with a plan of attack. This year is going to be different for me. I have decided to roll up my business and go back to work for the “Man”, so time will be even more precious.
With that said, I have keyed into a theme that Ken Tutalo incorporated into his presentation at the Cranford TU meeting last week, on; where to fish?
He pointed out that the upper Delaware system always presents different opportunities and options based on Time of year, Weather, Overall water conditions and what your specific fishing goal is. He also pointed out that many of us have learned their secret spots form guides or friends and drive the three hours to fish with this in mind, get there only to find the river unfishable and don’t know the system well enough to choose a viable and fishable alternative in the “System”.
I think this is a key point, and without incorporating some time management and knowledge base of the different river systems, many of us are setting ourselves up for disappointing outings.
With that, I started thinking about how my time is going to be even more restricted this year than ever (maybe one suicide run per week {day trip within 3 hour drive}), and if I am going to have a satisfying spring and also satiate some of my wanderlust for new waters I better have a plan, and a plan B and a Plan C.
So than I realized , I have to really start thinking about zooming out on google earth and dividing up the 3 hour +/- driving Radius from beautiful Essex county.
Here is the hard part, for me, despite my braggadocio concerning Pig Hunting with streamers, what I really want to do in the spring is spend as much time targeting Big, Wild trout on dry fly’s. And currently my perception of doing that is going somewhere in the Delaware system, and forgoing opportunities to fish new water for what I perceive as a “ Sure Thing “ or at least a comfort zone. So what do I do?
First I make a rule. No wasting time in a bad weather blow out. If we have a system come through that has blown out most of the rivers and I had planned on going somewhere that Saturday, my modes operandi has been to put on blinders and go anyway and try and make hay while the sunshine is not shining. Usually this is a waste, and I should be working on a project on my house and putting money in the fishing piggy bank with get out of jail free passes from the wife. Ok, that’s number one.
Next I need to make a list of where and when I’m going to fish the usual systems by how far they are, my comfort level and how much time it really takes to make the trip worth while. In other words, I have never fished the CT Tail waters that AJ speaks of. Do I go up there on a wild hair knowing nothing about these river, and rely on maps and my instincts or do I wait till I can afford a guide, book a trip and do it right so my trip will pay off in more than just a singularity but leaving me a bit smarter from the knowledge transfer from guide, that will put me that much closer to fishing that system more successfully in the future, without a guide, once again buying myself future options of going somewhere on less than a whim, for examples if Catskills are blown out, I already have card for a day trip, I can go to CT because it happened to not get hit by the storm and still have a good day.
So like Ken had presented the Delaware system broken up in to quadrants re: West Branch, Upper Main, Lower Main, Lower east, Upper East, Beaverkill, Willow and than the upper /upper headwaters of all these systems not to mention the feeder streams and mountain brookie ponds etc / etc and the specific times of year to fish each as a generalization and than the Micro plan as to what to do if one side of Del Valley is blown out and other side is not. I think its time to looks at the big picture from where I am sitting in NJ.
What are my alternatives?
Doable in a day trip
1 Hour –
All major NJ Rivers and small waters.
NJ Saltwatwer
1.5 – 2 Hours:
Long Island (Quot, etc),
NY Lower – Croton System,
Neversink / Mongap
PA: Little Lehigh and eastern PA Limestoners, Pocono’s
NJ
2- 3 Hours
Western CT Tail waters
Catskills and Upper Delaware
Probably want to go at least over night
3-6 Hours
Maryland (gunpowder)
Central PA Limestoners
Adirondacks
Great Lake Tribs
VT NH
And I’m not going to worry about farther than that since I know this year, unless I hit the Time and Money lottery I will not be taking any big trips
Sure, It may be a little OCD to try and commoditize my time and planning, however just the exercise of putting it on paper gives one a Reality Check that I think will help make the best of ones time.
I would love to hear what planning others do, and any rivers you would like to add to the Time Radius list without outing or jeopardizing any secrets.
Also what equipment honing / new lines fly tying or buying etc? Do you work on, to really try to get in front of the curve to make spring great?
Thanks for your input.
Ralph
With that said, I have keyed into a theme that Ken Tutalo incorporated into his presentation at the Cranford TU meeting last week, on; where to fish?
He pointed out that the upper Delaware system always presents different opportunities and options based on Time of year, Weather, Overall water conditions and what your specific fishing goal is. He also pointed out that many of us have learned their secret spots form guides or friends and drive the three hours to fish with this in mind, get there only to find the river unfishable and don’t know the system well enough to choose a viable and fishable alternative in the “System”.
I think this is a key point, and without incorporating some time management and knowledge base of the different river systems, many of us are setting ourselves up for disappointing outings.
With that, I started thinking about how my time is going to be even more restricted this year than ever (maybe one suicide run per week {day trip within 3 hour drive}), and if I am going to have a satisfying spring and also satiate some of my wanderlust for new waters I better have a plan, and a plan B and a Plan C.
So than I realized , I have to really start thinking about zooming out on google earth and dividing up the 3 hour +/- driving Radius from beautiful Essex county.
Here is the hard part, for me, despite my braggadocio concerning Pig Hunting with streamers, what I really want to do in the spring is spend as much time targeting Big, Wild trout on dry fly’s. And currently my perception of doing that is going somewhere in the Delaware system, and forgoing opportunities to fish new water for what I perceive as a “ Sure Thing “ or at least a comfort zone. So what do I do?
First I make a rule. No wasting time in a bad weather blow out. If we have a system come through that has blown out most of the rivers and I had planned on going somewhere that Saturday, my modes operandi has been to put on blinders and go anyway and try and make hay while the sunshine is not shining. Usually this is a waste, and I should be working on a project on my house and putting money in the fishing piggy bank with get out of jail free passes from the wife. Ok, that’s number one.
Next I need to make a list of where and when I’m going to fish the usual systems by how far they are, my comfort level and how much time it really takes to make the trip worth while. In other words, I have never fished the CT Tail waters that AJ speaks of. Do I go up there on a wild hair knowing nothing about these river, and rely on maps and my instincts or do I wait till I can afford a guide, book a trip and do it right so my trip will pay off in more than just a singularity but leaving me a bit smarter from the knowledge transfer from guide, that will put me that much closer to fishing that system more successfully in the future, without a guide, once again buying myself future options of going somewhere on less than a whim, for examples if Catskills are blown out, I already have card for a day trip, I can go to CT because it happened to not get hit by the storm and still have a good day.
So like Ken had presented the Delaware system broken up in to quadrants re: West Branch, Upper Main, Lower Main, Lower east, Upper East, Beaverkill, Willow and than the upper /upper headwaters of all these systems not to mention the feeder streams and mountain brookie ponds etc / etc and the specific times of year to fish each as a generalization and than the Micro plan as to what to do if one side of Del Valley is blown out and other side is not. I think its time to looks at the big picture from where I am sitting in NJ.
What are my alternatives?
Doable in a day trip
1 Hour –
All major NJ Rivers and small waters.
NJ Saltwatwer
1.5 – 2 Hours:
Long Island (Quot, etc),
NY Lower – Croton System,
Neversink / Mongap
PA: Little Lehigh and eastern PA Limestoners, Pocono’s
NJ
2- 3 Hours
Western CT Tail waters
Catskills and Upper Delaware
Probably want to go at least over night
3-6 Hours
Maryland (gunpowder)
Central PA Limestoners
Adirondacks
Great Lake Tribs
VT NH
And I’m not going to worry about farther than that since I know this year, unless I hit the Time and Money lottery I will not be taking any big trips
Sure, It may be a little OCD to try and commoditize my time and planning, however just the exercise of putting it on paper gives one a Reality Check that I think will help make the best of ones time.
I would love to hear what planning others do, and any rivers you would like to add to the Time Radius list without outing or jeopardizing any secrets.
Also what equipment honing / new lines fly tying or buying etc? Do you work on, to really try to get in front of the curve to make spring great?
Thanks for your input.
Ralph
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