The train is back!

Yes that's a train on the track along the Lackawaxen River. This photo by E. Doughty was snapped last week. There's a new owner of the Stourbridge Line. They are planning to bring back the excursions and even freight. 

First bug sightings

I took a ride today along the Delaware and Lackawaxen. The Lackawaxen was running along with ice only on the edges of the shore. Still too high to wade. Power generation is not scheduled this week so we'll get to see how the levels trend.
The Delaware above Zane Grey is stll iced but I could see large blocks breaking up. I checked out a couple of ponds that I fish and there were still guys ice fishing on them!
At Ten Mile River access I found black stone flies in numbers about a size 14 or 16.. The ice there too was breaking and groaning.
I went to two sport shops looking for darts for when the shad run starts. Neither had anything in stock!  The pool at Narrowsburg is so locked with ice that it may be a while before the shad can even make it up here. I'm looking forward to shad. It will be my first wading test on the new knee. And shad are great fun to catch.

I'll be heading up to Roscoe, Hancock,  Deposit and the Lacawanna this week to see what the local conditions are and what the local fly shops have to say.

Back Again

The Tow Path blog is back. It's 2015. The end of March. There is still a foot of snow on the ground in my field. The Delaware is frozen solid above the Lackawaxen. But I'm still looking forward to fishing on the river next month. It has been 2 years since I've been able to wade. Hopefully with my new right knee that will be resolved.

What hasn't been resolved is the parking along the Lackawaxen. Places where I've parked for the last 25 odd years are blocked by large rocks placed I assume by land owners who want the fish but not the fisherman. Nasty fisherman. It's the Broadheadisation of the Lackawaxen. The state still stocks yet there is dwindling access. What was once a modest economic boost for the businesses in the township, is now negligible. A few rental property owners want to benefit from free state stocking by not legally posting their land. Just illegally blocking parking easements that have existed for decades. The TU chapter hasn't fought hard enough to force the the town of Lackawaxen to remove the obstructions. As a taxpayer in Lackawaxen, I own property there, I'm a bit pissed off at this development of the past couple of years. I may have to bring my tractor over in the dark of the night.

But let's focus on the good things, warm weather is coming, eventually. Mayflies and caddis will flitter about the streams and the trout will rise to our flies... I hope.