Beaverkill- E./W. Branch- Big D. float- 10/12-13, report:

[AndyS]

Wilson got to the hotel early Friday night and went to the Hancock House for a steak, or in his words, mis-steaks, not the best grub, I rolled in later and hit the rack.
Day 1-
Bright and early up to the Roscoe Diner in Trout Town USA. After a good breakfast it was off to the Beaverkill, 1st stop Cairns Pool. Wilson and I both rolled a few nice trout there, chilly out and the fog hung low over the mountains, very pretty. The water was gin clear and VERY low, lowest I have ever seen it. Put an eyeball on Hendricksons Pool and saw some nice water, we jumped in and it was off to the races, I tagged 3 nice ones in there including a nice rainbow. Spun back onto the main road since Old 17 was closed and scouted a few areas when we got back down on Old Rt. 17. Cooks Falls gave up a few trout for both Wilson and myself, then down to an area where a small bridge crosses the Beaverkill, I got a small brown there and Wilson rolled a nice one, onto Sunoco Pool where we each got at least 3 nice trout each. Hit a lower section of the Beaverkill and Wilson got a nice chunk brown trout on his 5th cast, saw fish all over. Went further down and now we were on the East Branch. Wilson tagged a beauty of a smallmouth and I got a really nice chunk rainbow with shoulders.
Lunch time in Hancock at the Circle E Diner. Food AND service have gone down the tubes at this place, a real shame.
A short drive over to Deposit to fish the West Branch. Wind was honking, leaves all over the place, and again the water was way down. Tough nut with all the weeds but that didn’t stop Wilson from getting a brown, I missed a few as so did Wilson.
Back to the hotel by 3pm. Wilson put his feet up and I went for a LONG walk behind the hotel, rewarded with a nice brown back there and dropped a few.
Wilson got the tri-fecta, fish on the Beaverkill, East and West Branch.
Dinner at Lidia’s, good steaks.
Day 2-
Rolled into Callicoon to meet our guide, good eats at the Shell station there, we shoveled in a hearty breakfast, guide showed up at 8:30 and I think around 9am we started our float trip down the main stem of the Delaware river starting at Long Eddy. Again, low gin clear water. Off to a slow start but we soon found our groove and started to bring nice rainbows to the net. Great looking hard fighting trout.
Between the trout we caught a bunch of big 2lb. chubs, funny stuff. We had a pretty good pick of rainbows throughout most of the float trip, mostly from the fast runs. We deep dropped in the slower deeper sections and got smallmouth. I hit one fish deep that decided to just swim away, couldn’t get off my drag fast enough and the fish parted my 4lb. test line like nothing, wish I could have seen that fish. Late in the float Wilson picked up a few browns and towards the end it was lights out smallmouth fishing. Lost count of all the chunky smallmouth we got, Wilson tagged the biggest of the day. Neither Wilson nor my self could crack the 19” mark on the trout, that’s okay.
All in all a very good 2 days of fishing.