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

If you had a chance to read my last article, Good Read #1, Fly Fishing Guide to New York State by Mike Valla, you would have gotten all the poop on where to fish in New York. Mike's book describes the streams and details where and what to use while fly fishing New York's trout and salmon waters. With the drought underway, the streams are too warm and way too low to fish, but it's a suitable time to read up on where, what to use and how to catch trout and salmon this coming fall. Yes, we will get rain, the temperatures will drop, and things will get back to somewhat normal. With hot temperatures and the lack of rain, I think we could have fish kills on rivers, especially the ones where trees were removed to get the view. We need more riparian trees planted along the riverbanks; it's that simple. When you cut down the trees, you expose the river to more sunlight and increase the water temps. Plus, growing trees capture carbon and maintain the riverbanks. So, you get a 3 for 1 deal. SO, PLANT TREES! Anyway, back to fly fishing. Ed Van Put was a NYS DEC Fisheries' Technician, covering the Catskill area. Ed was responsible for getting miles of Public Fishing Rights (PFR's) along Catskill rivers. If you ever fly fished the Beaverkill, Willowemoc or the Delaware River, you accessed the stream through one of the PFR's Ed acquired for the State. Sadly, Ed passed away recently, but he left us with a beautiful book, "A Flyfisher's Revelations." Ed was a detail kind of guy. He kept meticulous notes on every stream he fished, the species of fish he caught and what he caught them on. Ed was a fly angler, and he shares his vast knowledge of rivers, bugs, and what he was successful with capturing the brown, brookies and rainbows of the Catskill rivers over a fifty-year period. He keeps things simple. He fills you in on what flies worked for him the majority of the time, which will surprise you, and even on his trusty old fiberglass rod which he cherished. No frills, fancy equipment or expensive "must have" rods. Ed kept it simple. I like that. Chapters on subjects such as Wild versus Hatchery trout, Dry Fly tactics, Fishing with Nymphs, Midge Fishing, taking a Temperature for Trout, and fishing with Jimmy Carter one of our US Presidents, fill the pages of a wonderful fishing life. Ed was much more than just a fly-fishing angler, he lived a life dedicated to stream improvement measures, public stream access and protecting our cold-water fisheries from degradation. Ed started the Bea-Moc Chapter of Trout Unlimited way back, which fell on tough times due to the lack of interest, but is now rebounding and will be bigger than ever. Ed was more than just a DEC Fisheries employee; he lived the life 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. OK, he took a day or two off, but he just went fishing anyway. Our cold-water fishery lost a great man when Ed Van Put passed away earlier this year. He left us his books on the Catskills and fly fishing, so his memory will last forever. I met the man few times while at the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum. I admire the man and his CONSERVATION ethic and work. To protect our cold-water streams, we need more folks like Ed and Judy Van Put. Get involved folks, before it's too late! — 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 two of a two part series

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