Mountain River – Esopus Creek: Headwaters to the Hudson

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This fascinating film tells the story of the Esopus Creek, one of the main tributaries of the Hudson River, and often hailed as the birthplace of dry fly fishing in the US. The creek drains out of Winisook Lake on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskills and runs for around 65 miles. The river takes its name from the Esopus people of the Lenape tribe who lived in the area when it was first settled by the Dutch in the 17th Century. With fast flowing, well oxygenated water in its upper and middle reaches, the Esopus is a haven for Brown, Brook and Rainbow Trout, and offers fantastic fly fishing opportunities for much of its course. With the emphasis switching from creel fishing to catch and release over the past 25 years or so, the fishing is now better than ever and the Esopus attracts fly anglers from all over the country. The river provides some brilliant dry fly fishing and we hear the fascinating tale of Theodore Gordon (1854-1915), a Forest and Stream magazine correspondent, who fly fished the river during his retirement. He took the patterns that Frederick Halford had developed on the chalk streams of England and modified, changed and developed new patterns to match the flies that hatched on the Esopus. The film introduces us to many anglers that fish the river and explores the relationship they have with it and why they love the Esopus so much. There's some fascinating sub stories here too including, the history and state of fish stocking, initiatives from Trout Unlimited and other local interest groups and the way the entire watershed is managed to provide drinking water which has obvious benefits for the fish. This is an interesting story about man's relationship with rivers and how the right balance between environmental protection and industry can be achieved and should be of interest to all fly anglers, and a must watch for New York state fly fishing devotees.