Off Road & Fishing Catskills, NY

[Maineah]

Starting to plan a trip to the Catskills in late September. The ultimate reason for going is the trout fishing but the wife and I prefer to be as off the beaten path as humanly possible and I get the impression the streams in that area could be crawling with other anglers. What better way to get remote than in a Bronco!

Wondering if anyone has any fishing location/off-road tips for that general area. Will be our first time without the kids in 5 years so want to make the trip worth it!

Sponsored

 

[Durangatan]

I've fished that area extensively. What you are looking for, unless a private piece or water where you will pay for access, does not exist.

The rivers valleys in the Catskills (like most of the country) were trade routes. Roads sprung up along those trade routes So where you have greater volumes of water, you have roads. You may be able to locate a few small brookie streams that have some sort of dirt road access. However don't count on being alone.

Increasingly, no matter where in the country,. getting away from other people has become more difficult. Even places where you may have to walk in for a day or more, backpacking tents are everywhere.

My advise: look for private water and be prepared to pay.

 

[Maineah]

I've fished that area extensively. What you are looking for, unless a private piece or water where you will pay for access, does not exist.

The rivers valleys in the Catskills (like most of the country) were trade routes. Roads sprung up along those trade routes So where you have greater volumes of water, you have roads. You may be able to locate a few small brookie streams that have some sort of dirt road access. However don't count on being alone.

Increasingly, no matter where in the country,. getting away from other people has become more difficult. Even places where you may have to walk in for a day or more, backpacking tents are everywhere.

My advise: look for private water and be prepared to pay.

Thanks so much for the info. That is so different to NH and ME. Paying for access to a body of water to fish is unheard of here. I didn't even know that was a thing. I guess, based on your feedback, we're looking for decent fishing where there aren't a ton of people - doesn't have to be in the Catskills but does need to be 4-5 hours from southern Maine. Not trying to make any work for anyone so just a stream name or town as base of operations and I can google from there. You're the man!

 

[Layman]

The West branch of the Deleware River is what you are looking for if it is trout you are after. See the link below from the NSY Dept of Environmental Conservation.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/pfrwestbranch.pdf

Also, in regards to really crowded waters, if you are going weekday I would not worry about it. Plenty of water for everyone.

 

[Maineah]

The West branch of the Deleware River is what you are looking for if it is trout you are after. See the link below from the NSY Dept of Environmental Conservation.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/pfrwestbranch.pdf

Also, in regards to really crowded waters, if you are going weekday I would not worry about it. Plenty of water for everyone.

Probably a dumb question but are you only allowed to fish where it says right or left bank PFR?

 

[Durangatan]

Thanks so much for the info. That is so different to NH and ME. Paying for access to a body of water to fish is unheard of here. I didn't even know that was a thing. I guess, based on your feedback, we're looking for decent fishing where there aren't a ton of people - doesn't have to be in the Catskills but does need to be 4-5 hours from southern Maine. Not trying to make any work for anyone so just a stream name or town as base of operations and I can google from there. You're the man!

My suggestion for lights out fishing that is a quick commute for you - Iceland. Directs round trips from Denver to Reykjavik run under $500 and it is a 7 hour flt. I think it is like 3 hours from NE.

Another option is to hire a giude and do a day of drift boat fishing on the Delaware..

 

[Layman]

Probably a dumb question but are you only allowed to fish where it says right or left bank PFR?

Sorta, Kinda, not really...

So as far as I know, the areas marked "Left Bank" and "Right bank" PFR are open to the public for fishing from their respective banks. Some areas you will see have both banks marked as PFR. However anything in green marked DEC lands would also be open for fishing as well, as these are lands of the NYS department of environmental conversation.

Then we get a little out of my comfort zone of telling you yes or no, however I will throw this out there. To the best of my knowledge if it is a navigable waterway, it would be open for fishing from the water. So you may be able to "wade" from one of these PFR areas to the next provided you are in the river. Don't quote me on it, but it is certainly worth some more investigation.

Maybe spend some time researching places you want to fish and then once you have that narrowed down a bit, maybe come back here and try and find some off road opportunities adjacent to those areas. Lots of info online about the west Branch of the Delaware river.

 

[level3looper]

Starting to plan a trip to the Catskills in late September. The ultimate reason for going is the trout fishing but the wife and I prefer to be as off the beaten path as humanly possible and I get the impression the streams in that area could be crawling with other anglers. What better way to get remote than in a Bronco!

Wondering if anyone has any fishing location/off-road tips for that general area. Will be our first time without the kids in 5 years so want to make the trip worth it!

The Catskills, also known as the land of little rivers, is a Trout mecca. I've been fishing there for over 40 years and have 15 years of waypoints. The below map is just a sample from the western side. There's lots of small rural roads and some that just start to disappear into the woods where you wouldn't want to go without another 4x4 to help you out. River access is mainly from pull over spots or hiking in. For Trout, the options are endless.

Upper West Branch of the Delaware holds the biggest Trout.
The Beaverkill river is the most crowded in May\June. But, like many places, go 100 yards from the parking spots and you'll feel you're the only one there.
If you like smaller water and beautiful little Brook Trout, the Willowemoc and many other little streams in the mountains will have plenty.

One of my favorite areas is the headwaters of the Beaverkill. The very beginning of the famous Beaverkill: 42.016253, -74.562416 Is a 3 mile hike one way. A tiny piece of water with 6" Brookies.

fyi, all Catskill rivers are very good for dry fly fishing.

For info while you're there, go to Roscoe. There's an Orvis and local fly shop.

 

[Maineah]

The Catskills, also known as the land of little rivers, is a Trout mecca. I've been fishing there for over 40 years and have 15 years of waypoints. The below map is just a sample from the western side. There's lots of small rural roads and some that just start to disappear into the woods where you wouldn't want to go without another 4x4 to help you out. River access is mainly from pull over spots or hiking in. For Trout, the options are endless.

Upper West Branch of the Delaware holds the biggest Trout.
The Beaverkill river is the most crowded in May\June. But, like many places, go 100 yards from the parking spots and you'll feel you're the only one there.
If you like smaller water and beautiful little Brook Trout, the Willowemoc and many other little streams in the mountains will have plenty.

One of my favorite areas is the headwaters of the Beaverkill. The very beginning of the famous Beaverkill: 42.016253, -74.562416 Is a 3 mile hike one way. A tiny piece of water with 6" Brookies.

fyi, all Catskill rivers are very good for dry fly fishing.

For info while you're there, go to Roscoe. There's an Orvis and local fly shop.

You should start a guide business! Thank you very much the feedback is hugely helpful.

 

[level3looper]

You should start a guide business! Thank you very much the feedback is hugely helpful.

btw, imo, if you kayak or have a drift boat, the Upper West Branch Delaware is among the best fly fishing rivers in the country.

I hope you enjoy your travels.

Sponsored