Well, I finally made it up to the Catskills last week (May 5 - 8) for a few days. Of course I always forget something before leaving and one forgotten item was posting to this board looking for potential "hookups" on stream. Sorry. 
I did hook up with some out-of-town friends that I hadn't seen in a while and it was a great time. We stayed in a Bass Mountain cabin overlooking Hancock from about 500 ft.
Monday was travel day from Falls Twp, PA. I went up the PA Turnpike / Northeast Extension till Route 81, and then took that to Dickson City (just above Wilkes-Barre). This route was chosen because I've always wanted to fish the Lackawanna River.
I hit the Lackawanna about 12:30pm on Monday and fished till around 4:30pm. Most of the lower river runs right through good-sized towns. A lot of it ain't pretty but I fished in a park that wasn't bad.
It was new water so I spent a lot of time just exploring the stream. It's a pretty decent sized piece of water that was running high, but wadeable in spots. I managed to pick up a nice brown on an olive wooley bugger - photo forthcoming. This river contains nothing but wild browns and is purported to some big fish. The one I caught bears that out.
Then it was on to Hancock, NY. Arrived early Monday evening but it was pretty snotty out. When I hooked up with the buds we just went to dinner.
Tuesday we fished to WBD exclusive - around the Games Lands / Balls Eddy area. Flows where high with few wadeable areas. Hatches were sporadic hendricksons and lots of paraleps. Where we were, surface activity picked up around 3:00pm and lasted to 6:30pm. We all did pretty well, with some decent sizes caught. I also landed a HUGE sucker in the AM while nymphing
Wednesday was the best day. We fished the Main Stem exclusively all day. Weather was partly cloudy. Hatch-wise it was hendricksons, paraleps, and apple / green-bodied caddis all the way. Some on top, some in film, some deeper, and typical nymphs (BHPT, hares ear, wooly buggers / streamers) in AM. It was one of those days where the bugs hatched in great numbers all day, in many places.
Flows were running pretty high but we were able to find wadeable water and were able to bring many large fish to hand. My largest was in the 21"+ zone taken on a hendrickson parachute. It also always amazes me how big the chubs get on the main stem. Trout photos pending.
Thursday was a mix of main stem and WBD. It was cloudy / mizzly. Usually a perfect day but the main stem was slow in the AM so we headed to WBD - Balls Eddy again. Fishing the big flat pool above the eddy we picked up some more browns that were fun.
In this pool I also picked up a 10" brookie. It's the first brookie for me up there in 17+ years of going there.
I'm not too good at telling stocked brookies from the real deal and I don't know if the WBD is stocked there. 2 of my buds say they've caught brookies there in years prior and I spoke with another gent who had caught one earlier in the day. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car.
There's a pretty small brook running into the eddy at that pool so I'm guessing that's where they're coming from, if they're not stocked.
Anyone else catching brookies on the WBD? Is the Balls Eddy area stocked by PA?
Anyway, it was great trip and I can't wait to get back up there again.
Shawn
I did hook up with some out-of-town friends that I hadn't seen in a while and it was a great time. We stayed in a Bass Mountain cabin overlooking Hancock from about 500 ft.Monday was travel day from Falls Twp, PA. I went up the PA Turnpike / Northeast Extension till Route 81, and then took that to Dickson City (just above Wilkes-Barre). This route was chosen because I've always wanted to fish the Lackawanna River.
I hit the Lackawanna about 12:30pm on Monday and fished till around 4:30pm. Most of the lower river runs right through good-sized towns. A lot of it ain't pretty but I fished in a park that wasn't bad.
It was new water so I spent a lot of time just exploring the stream. It's a pretty decent sized piece of water that was running high, but wadeable in spots. I managed to pick up a nice brown on an olive wooley bugger - photo forthcoming. This river contains nothing but wild browns and is purported to some big fish. The one I caught bears that out.
Then it was on to Hancock, NY. Arrived early Monday evening but it was pretty snotty out. When I hooked up with the buds we just went to dinner.
Tuesday we fished to WBD exclusive - around the Games Lands / Balls Eddy area. Flows where high with few wadeable areas. Hatches were sporadic hendricksons and lots of paraleps. Where we were, surface activity picked up around 3:00pm and lasted to 6:30pm. We all did pretty well, with some decent sizes caught. I also landed a HUGE sucker in the AM while nymphing
Wednesday was the best day. We fished the Main Stem exclusively all day. Weather was partly cloudy. Hatch-wise it was hendricksons, paraleps, and apple / green-bodied caddis all the way. Some on top, some in film, some deeper, and typical nymphs (BHPT, hares ear, wooly buggers / streamers) in AM. It was one of those days where the bugs hatched in great numbers all day, in many places.
Flows were running pretty high but we were able to find wadeable water and were able to bring many large fish to hand. My largest was in the 21"+ zone taken on a hendrickson parachute. It also always amazes me how big the chubs get on the main stem.
Trout photos pending. Thursday was a mix of main stem and WBD. It was cloudy / mizzly. Usually a perfect day but the main stem was slow in the AM so we headed to WBD - Balls Eddy again. Fishing the big flat pool above the eddy we picked up some more browns that were fun.
In this pool I also picked up a 10" brookie. It's the first brookie for me up there in 17+ years of going there.
I'm not too good at telling stocked brookies from the real deal and I don't know if the WBD is stocked there. 2 of my buds say they've caught brookies there in years prior and I spoke with another gent who had caught one earlier in the day. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car.
There's a pretty small brook running into the eddy at that pool so I'm guessing that's where they're coming from, if they're not stocked.
Anyone else catching brookies on the WBD? Is the Balls Eddy area stocked by PA?
Anyway, it was great trip and I can't wait to get back up there again.
Shawn
