Posted on June 22 2020
For many people who share the outdoors in the shadow of the Great Lake's, June 21st is the melancholy beginning of the long downward march of ever shortening days that leads to the clouds and gloom of November and December in upstate New York. Yes, it's the longest day but the tide has turned. You won't notice it at first but you'll be getting done fishing a little earlier each night, the birds will stop singing at 5:00 in the morning, the swallows that have been devouring bugs over the river will soon give way to the wax wings and bucks will be seen sporting their new velvet covered antlers.
June 21st is also the day in which Mother Nature lets you spend the absolute maximum number of day light hours enjoying what you love to do outdoors. It doesn't get any better than that. It's daylight at 4:45 in the morning and you can still be casting at a rising trout at 9:30 at night.
The 21st of June has always been a holiday for me, one to be spent fishing. This year was a little different. With the pandemic I have spent more time than usual at the camp. Saturday morning I was ready to go home. I was physically tired and I just plain missed my wife. Ended up sleeping a good part of the day and then woke up at about 4:30 in the morning to semi daylight and singing birds.
If I hadn't gone fishing it would have been the first time I missed the "Longest Day" in well over 50 years. Didn't rush, finished up the to do list at home and arrived at camp after 5:00 this evening.
Things didn't look very busy on the river so I decided to drive up the UEB to see if I couldn't get into one of the pools that's been too crowded for me to fish this year. One of the pools was empty and I parked and waded in. Within five minutes after my arrival three other people appeared, one above me and two below. Was tempted to leave but there were a few rising fish and I stayed.
The fishing - There were almost no bugs but I had rising fish to throw at. In the first hour I had four fish bump my fly and not take. Finally found a tiny emerger that they would eat and hooked some fish. The fish were all stocked fish, 3 hold overs and 3 newly stocked. I never hooked a wild trout.
The DEC has been stocking two year old and maybe three year old trout in the UEB for several years, some survive and grow, they ate floating pellets for the entire time they spent in the hatchery and spend most of their time eating on top. Having big trout always getting their food on top is pleasing to fly fishermen but I'm not at all sure that having oversized hatchery trout out competing their wild cousins for food and cover is good for the wild trout fishery.
June 21st is also the day in which Mother Nature lets you spend the absolute maximum number of day light hours enjoying what you love to do outdoors. It doesn't get any better than that. It's daylight at 4:45 in the morning and you can still be casting at a rising trout at 9:30 at night.
The 21st of June has always been a holiday for me, one to be spent fishing. This year was a little different. With the pandemic I have spent more time than usual at the camp. Saturday morning I was ready to go home. I was physically tired and I just plain missed my wife. Ended up sleeping a good part of the day and then woke up at about 4:30 in the morning to semi daylight and singing birds.
If I hadn't gone fishing it would have been the first time I missed the "Longest Day" in well over 50 years. Didn't rush, finished up the to do list at home and arrived at camp after 5:00 this evening.
Things didn't look very busy on the river so I decided to drive up the UEB to see if I couldn't get into one of the pools that's been too crowded for me to fish this year. One of the pools was empty and I parked and waded in. Within five minutes after my arrival three other people appeared, one above me and two below. Was tempted to leave but there were a few rising fish and I stayed.
The fishing - There were almost no bugs but I had rising fish to throw at. In the first hour I had four fish bump my fly and not take. Finally found a tiny emerger that they would eat and hooked some fish. The fish were all stocked fish, 3 hold overs and 3 newly stocked. I never hooked a wild trout.
The DEC has been stocking two year old and maybe three year old trout in the UEB for several years, some survive and grow, they ate floating pellets for the entire time they spent in the hatchery and spend most of their time eating on top. Having big trout always getting their food on top is pleasing to fly fishermen but I'm not at all sure that having oversized hatchery trout out competing their wild cousins for food and cover is good for the wild trout fishery.
Question is, since they stock the upper section of both branches, is can a healthy wild population really survive. The water temps in the upper sections get pretty warm. If warmer temps didn’t affect the survival of trout, then there should be a ton of wild rivers and streams in NYS by now. I am 100% all for keeping true thriving wild sections wild, but of the state did not stock rivers and streams that cannot support a thriving wild population, just imagine the crowds the premier sections would see!!!
Given the DEC’s new focus on wild fisheries per their latest regulations. you would think more effective management of the east branch would top the list. There is zero value stocking one off the few streams of that size that has wild fish in the state of New York. What they should do is stop all stocking of the East Branch and create a no-kill section like its brother the WB.