Week of July 6th 2025: Happy Independence Day!
Week of July 6th: Happy Independence Day!
First and foremost - Happy Independence Day! 249 years ago a group of people defied a monarch and changed the world by asserting intrinsic rights of all people. These are simple: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Simple they may be, but took our nation’s revolution to show the world it’s possible to continually strive for principles set out in our Declaration of Independence. These truths are self-evident and worth protecting.
Life and Liberty are straightforward and, of course, awesomely important. Happiness, however, is too tall of an order, too subjective, even for the forefathers, to guarantee, and so the third inalienable right is a “pursuit.” Fishing, in my opinion, ranks high among “pursuit[s] of happiness” and, like the document sets forth, it is the “pursuit” we are guaranteed; in other words, no one has guaranteed happiness. It’s “fishing,” not “catching.” It is no coincidence we have so much public access to fishing in the United States. Progressive thinkers, like Theodore Roosevelt, had the foresight to keep access to waterways open to all when building our nation’s parks and open spaces. Get out there and exercise your rights! Be sure you are properly licensed and don’t trespass.
Check out High Point State Park, which has two ponds full of fish. I enjoyed catching bass and sunnies near the campground and at the lake that is open for swimming - a great place to relax. There are showers, a playground, and picnic tables by the beach and lawn area. A second body of water for boating- someday I’ll get my kayak in there- is further down the road. After a thunderstorm ripped through, I headed north to continue throwing streamers and was mildly shocked to catch a fairly large striped bass after landing another surprise - my first walleye in the Catskills. Using my heavier 5wt rod, the Super 10 from Winston and a medium sinking leader to swing a similarly heavy cone head zonker, the striper hit on the inside seam of a deep run. Winston made this rod for nymphing, but in the 5wt it's great for streamers and long casts with a dry fly. I didn’t measure or weigh the fish, but I can see why Ed J., of East Coast Fly Rodders, warns “it’s hard to go back” after fighting striped bass!
It looks like another hot week with overnight temps in the upper 60s, so be careful in NJ before choosing where to go for catch & release fishing. Duke’s Island Park in Somerset and fishing the main stem of the Delaware, from the PA side is where I’m heading early this week and maybe another PA or Catskill sojourn if the weather doesn’t look stormy.
We have everything needed for your destination, day trip or days long, for you to gear up and be ready to go when you arrive.
See you out there, Roy B.