Catskill Kayak Fishing Jamboree - June 29, 2013

On Saturday, June 29, 2013, Frank Healy hosted the 1st Annual Catskills Kayak Fishing Jamboree in Roscoe, NY. The Jamboree was sponsored by Baxter House Fly Fishing, Roscoe Campsites, Roscoe / Rockland Chamber of Commerce, Morgan Outdoor Sports, Roscoe Beer Company, and the Prohibition Distillery. 

The tournament headquarters was located at the Roscoe Campsites, which is on the Beaverkill River. So, for those that camped, fly fishing the Beaverkill for brown trout and wild rainbow trout was also an option. The campsite is beautiful, rustic, and tree-lined. It is well maintained and clean. It is a good option for fishermen and families alike. 

Roscoe, NY is the heart of northeastern fly fishing and is rich with the history of the sport. Nestled in the Catskill Mountains, there are several legendary trout streams in the immediate area. The Beaverkill River and Willoweamac Creek flow through Roscoe. The East Branch of the Delaware River is ten minutes away. The West Branch of the Delaware River and the main stem are within a short drive of the camp. Each of these rivers is a unique fishery and a fly fisherman could spend many vacations learning these waters. 

For kayak fishermen, Crystal Lake is located 8 miles outside of Roscoe. This is a catch and release wild brook trout pond. It is not stocked and the fish reproduce naturally. 

However, the main attraction to the kayak fisherman is targeting brown trout and smallmouth bass in Pepacton Reservoir and this was the fishing location of the tournament. 

This was my second time fishing Pepacton and the fishing was good again. I made the trip up from Long Island with Tom Lowe. After a 2.5 hour drive and a steamcleaning, we got a late start and weren't on the water until 10 am. Shortly after launching, I hooked into a big brown on my second leadcore line trolling an alewife - it was fighting me like a 30" striper and it was easily at least a 10 lb fish. After battling the fish for a couple of minutes, it broke my 6 lb flourocarb like it was a spider web. Bummer. 

So, I re-tied and trolled through the same spot again and my rod bends over and I hook up again with a big fish. I was more careful with this one, and had loosened my drag, but the loosened drag caused my reel to lock, so I had to tighten it up a bit to get the fish in - and it felt not quite as large, but still big but felt huge on light tackle. After a good fight, I get the trout to the surface and it is the largest brown I have ever caught - at least 10 lbs. I subsequently went to grab the net because I see the fish just under the surface. But, it sees me grabbing the net, turns, and takes off away from the boat like a bullet and SNAP! The line breaks again. The reel locked because the leadcore makes the drag system almost unmanageable and it had no give. Too bad because it was a trophy trout. 

After this, I upsized my leader to 8 lb flourcarb and did not get a hit for the next 5 hours. So, it was obvious to me that these browns were line shy and 6 lb was the max on live alewives on a somewhat bright summer morning. 

The only other time that this happened was about 10 years ago in Lough Arrow in Ireland - same reel as well and I bet a brown trout of similar size. 

The fishing was a slow pick for the rest of the day. As the day progressed, spoons produced much better than alewives. I think a big factor in this was that I stayed fishing with 6 lb fluorocarbon on my spoon rod. Not long after losing the second big fish, I hooked into a nice 18" brown trout working inside a cove on a Sutton. After this, there wasn't much action for the next couple of hours. As a result, I decided to experiment and put on a big Stinger Spoon. I immediately hooked up and landed a fat 19" brown trout that earned second place in the jamboree. The fish gave me a spirited fight and hit almost as soon as I stopped letting out line at 3 colors. I ended the day catching one more 15" brown trout. 

Despite losing the two monster browns, the fishing was excellent. Over two trips, I caught 9 brown trout. My three biggest were 22", 20", and 19". Most of the other fish were around 18", and all extremely fat from the big herring they eat there. 

Frank Healy did a great job organizing the tournament, and it is definitely something that is worth attending. The food donations were tremendous, including farm fresh chicken, salad, and pasta. 

Roscoe Brewery donated a keg of their beer, and it was the best local beer that any of us had tried in a long time. Many of us purchased some six packs for future use on the way home and will in the future again. The Distillery donated a bottle of vodka. I didn't try any, but a heard it was very good as well. 

All in all, it was a really memorable event and I would highly recommend it to kayak fishermen.