Catskill Mountain Man
Explore, and implore to explore
The water is low low low by me and the fishing has been tough this fall. I pretty much only fish the V kill behind my house now a days. It's a wonderful stream; I don't need to go anywhere else and it's 300 feet from my door. The heron pressure during the summer/early fall low water events really takes a toll on the big ones though. I've found 18+ inch browns dead with heron strikes both years I've been here
This was a 16 inch possibly more wild (this is not a stocked stream and has multiple natural barriers) brookie that was injured by a heron I almost caught by hand.
Daniel Heilmann - YouTube
Some of you might remember my Mongaup stories and video.
Once a year since I was 18 years old; I would float down the last 100 feet of the Mongaup river where it enters the Delaware and float down the Port Jervis area rapids; directly below the mongaup as well.
WITH NO FLOTATION DEVICE WHATSOEVER
You can forward to 2:00 but the video really shows the river's power
Alexander Delaney's Videos - YouTube
No boogie board, no life jacket, no tube. BUT I would always run a test run with a flotation device of some sort. The video above is of me doing a test run with a small children's floating board.
I've done that 6 years in a row with nothing but a bathing suit.
Almost every year when I get to the largest standing wave I NEED air and just at the last second the wave pushes me up and I get a gasp. I've almost drowned almost every time.
At 20 years old the Mongaup was really low... I slammed into a rock that was under water with my ass at about 15mph... My hip was sore for a month.
The last time (23 years old) after wading out into that river and looking down into that tornado of water knowing I had nothing to hang onto and hoping I don't hit my head or get my leg caught was an extreme thought.
It was the last time I went... I didn't do it this year.
When I was out in the middle of that river at 18 years old and getting ready to go down the Mongaup/Delaware rapids with no flotation device; not even a balloon animal. I said to myself
"Dan, the day you can't or won't do this is the day you need to consider yourself old."
Anyway I'm really only making this post for the veterans that remember this. I didn't risk the Mongaup this year and I'm deeply ashamed.
I hope you all are well
This was a 16 inch possibly more wild (this is not a stocked stream and has multiple natural barriers) brookie that was injured by a heron I almost caught by hand.
Daniel Heilmann - YouTube
Some of you might remember my Mongaup stories and video.
Once a year since I was 18 years old; I would float down the last 100 feet of the Mongaup river where it enters the Delaware and float down the Port Jervis area rapids; directly below the mongaup as well.
WITH NO FLOTATION DEVICE WHATSOEVER
You can forward to 2:00 but the video really shows the river's power
Alexander Delaney's Videos - YouTube
No boogie board, no life jacket, no tube. BUT I would always run a test run with a flotation device of some sort. The video above is of me doing a test run with a small children's floating board.
I've done that 6 years in a row with nothing but a bathing suit.
Almost every year when I get to the largest standing wave I NEED air and just at the last second the wave pushes me up and I get a gasp. I've almost drowned almost every time.
At 20 years old the Mongaup was really low... I slammed into a rock that was under water with my ass at about 15mph... My hip was sore for a month.
The last time (23 years old) after wading out into that river and looking down into that tornado of water knowing I had nothing to hang onto and hoping I don't hit my head or get my leg caught was an extreme thought.
It was the last time I went... I didn't do it this year.
When I was out in the middle of that river at 18 years old and getting ready to go down the Mongaup/Delaware rapids with no flotation device; not even a balloon animal. I said to myself
"Dan, the day you can't or won't do this is the day you need to consider yourself old."
Anyway I'm really only making this post for the veterans that remember this. I didn't risk the Mongaup this year and I'm deeply ashamed.
I hope you all are well
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