Fly Fishing Destinations: The Catskills - Fish Camp

For several years, my buddies and I headed to the Catskills in New York to fish the Beaverkill, the Willowemoc, and the Delaware River and its branches. This was truly the highlight of the year, and something that got better each time.

Fish Camp - Spring 2005 (May 1 - 6)
We decided to hit the West Branch a week earlier this year and fish the Hendrickson hatch. The Hendricksons started in late April and were hatching daily. However, the weather turned and it got very cold and wet before we got up there, and the river was high and cold during the first part of the week. The miserable weather and cold water made for some challenging fishing, but we did pretty well and had a great time.

Fish Camp - Spring 2004 (May 9 - 16)
This was our 8th annual spring fish camp. We stayed at the WBA again, and Jimmer and I shared a cabin for the week. Risty and his buddy Jan came up for a few days, Ralph came up for an afternoon, and Hector came up at the end of the week for a couple of days. We pretty much fished the West Branch the entire time. The weather and water levels were challenging, but this was our best year ever for landing big fish. It was a great trip!

Fish Camp - Spring 2003 (June 8 - 13)
We just had to get back up there in June to try to hit some major dry fly action (and better weather!). Jimmer came up for the first two or three days, and Risty and his fishing buddy John came up for a day as well. There were plenty of big bugs on the water, but the fishing started out slow again. It poured rain the last two days, but these were the days the biggest fish of the week were caught. So as it turned out, we actually did end up with better weather and better fishing than we had in May.

Fish Camp - Spring 2003 (May 11 - 18)
This spring was our 7th annual fish camp. We stayed at the WBA for the week, and spent nearly the entire time fishing on the West Branch. Judy made the trip from California this year and had her first taste of fish camp. We even got Bowser to come up for a day this year! The weather was pretty miserable to start, and the fishing was slow during the first part of the week. But in the end, we caught some nice fish and had lots of fun. Judy caught a real nice brown the last day out. That was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me!

Fish Camp - Spring 2002 (June 1 - 5)
We made it back up to the Catskills for a few days in early June to catch some of that incredible dry fly action on the West Branch of the Delaware. We saw some big bugs and some real nice fish. The weather was a bit crazy, but the fishing was good, and we had a great time. We even spawned our own tornado! The Corless tornado took out a dead tree on the river bank, and nearly wiped out a couple of unsuspecting anglers. Never a dull moment at Fish Camp!

Fish Camp - Spring 2002 (May 4 - 12)
This was our 6th annual fish camp. We spent some time on the West Branch to start the week out, and then we headed for the Beaverkill area. Fishing was a bit tough, but we caught some nice fish and had lots of fun. We're catching fish on our own flies now and learning more each year. We may need to put those chips in our heads sooner than we think.

Fish Camp - Fall 2001 (September 23 - 30)
This was Fish Camp 2001, Part III. The Catskills are beautiful in the Fall, so I had to make a trip up in September. You don't have the hatches and the dry fly action like you do in Spring, but you also don't have the crowds. And you certainly can't beat the scenery this time of year.

Fish Camp - Spring 2001 (June 9 - 15)
This was sort of Fish Camp Part II. We had not been up there in June since 1998 - a time I remember as March Brown Madness. The March Browns were pretty much gone this time, but there were lots of sulphurs and olives, and almost as many New Jersey license plates.

Fish Camp - Spring 2001 (May 12 - 20)
This was our 5th annual fish camp. We covered a lot of water during the week, and we had a lot of fun. We've learned a lot since last year, and we continue to learn more with each trip. When the brain cells give out, we'll have to put chips in our heads.

Fish Camp - Spring 2000 (May 8 - 14)
This was our 4th annual fish camp. It was cold and wet in the Catskills. Lots of thunderstorms and plenty of rain. The water levels were up and the temperatures were down, so the fishing was good.

Fish Camp - Spring 1949
That's right, 1949! Of course we weren't even born yet, but these famous Catskill streams are steeped in fly fishing history, dating back to long before our time and 1949 as well. We came across an old photograph of one of our favorite pools on the Beaverkill and have included it here.

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