Column: Good Read: part one of a two part series

It was an interesting and frustrating early fly-fishing season. Early spring brought cold nights and rain, rain, and more rain. Numerous East Coast rivers were blown out. My trip to the Catskill Mountains was uneventful due to high waters and the lack of bugs. From there it was a 5-hour drive down to Central PA for a one-day, momentous day, catching rainbows event. The enjoyable day ended the same day as the sky opened up and dumped on us for 2 days straight. Needless to say, it blew out the rivers. It is what it is! Now the rivers are too warm to fish. The rain has stopped, and the sun is baking our trout waters. Time to find alternatives. Maybe it's bass fishing with a popper or trolling a streamer for pike or muskies. New York has it all. Now you just need to know where to fulfill the wanderlust calling out to your fishing soul. If you still have the need to fish, but don't know where to go, here is the answer. You need to check out Mike Valla's Fly-Fishing Guide to New York State. Mike and his wife Val, who shot many of the in-stream photos in the book, have met all your fishing destination requirements. Valla's book starts with describing the trout stream categories like wild, wild-quality, wild premier, stocked and stock-extended, so you get an idea of the quality of the water and the fish you could catch. Val's photos give you an idea of the type of water you will find along your piscatorial journey through New York State. From bugs and hatches found, and the time of year to use them, to what flies are recommended, Valla's book has it all. With photos of the flies mentioned and a little history of the flies' background, you get a great lesson on what will work around the state. From the Western NY region where the Wiscoy, Oatka and Genesee Rivers flow to the Great Lakes region, (Cattaraugus Creek) to the Finger Lakes, (Catherine Creek) to the Adirondacks, (Saranac River) to the Capital region, (Battenkill) to the Catskills, (Esopus Creek) and ending in the Long Island area (Carman's and Connetquot River) Valla has you covered. Mike Valla covers every stream and river in the state with detailed information on how to get there, where to access the river and what to use to fish for them. It's not all just all Mike Valla's valuable intel you get. He collected data from notable local anglers like Dave and Lindsey Agness, (Steelhead), Ed Ostapczuk's (Esopus Rainbows), and Dave "Rocky" Rockwell (Salmon River Pacific Salmon). The book is filled with photos of recommended fly patterns tied by Mike Stewart, Dave Whitlock, Tom Baltz, Rob Streeter, Ted Patlen's "Fluffy Nymphy Emerger Thing," Seth Cavarretta, Mike Konecni, and of course Mike Valla's own superbly tied flies to catch trout. Mike has chatted and discussed each river and stream with local experts, so you get the real poop on what to use and how to use it. With the hot humid weather upon us, his chapter on warm water fly fishing is pertinent right now. From where to fish Chautauqua Lake and Cassadaga Lake in Western NY, to the Mohawk River, to Eagle and Putnam Ponds in our local Adirondacks to the Great Chazy River in Northeastern NY Clinton County, Mike covers it all. The "Fly-Fishing Guide to New York State," by Mike Valla is a great resource to keep in the truck along with your fly rod and gear. When wanderlust calls, you will be ready to go anywhere in New York to fish for either cold-water or warm-water fish. The guide will guide you to where and what to use. Reading the book will make you hit the road and find fish! It's a good read, so Go Dig on Life! — Rich Redman is a Moriah, New York-based outdoors writer. His column runs monthly. He can be reached at richredmanrangeric@gmail.com

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Column: Good Read: part one of a two part series

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