As I watch my 5yr old cut out what he wants for Christmas, I think about what I need to get to stay warm this winter while I'm fishing.  Most companies are starting to release their Winter/Spring 2014 lines.  Always think about keeping your hands, feet , and head warm.  A good liner sock that wicks away moisture away from your foot with a wool sock that will absorb and insulate will help keep those feet from becoming ice blocks.  Another way to keep your feet warm is to put aside those stocking foot waders, and get a pair of bootfoot waders.  The bootfoots help keep in the warmth.  You loose a lot of heat thru a stocking foot.  For your hands, you want some polar fleece that will stay warm when wet, and also will block out the wind.  Fold overs are great because you can keep your fingers covered while fishing, walking, or even taking a break.  An extra pair is also a good idea.  Your hat can make or break your day.  You will want something that blocks the wind, and also provides warmth and can cover your ears..  Also it needs to be water resistant, because some precipitation will get on it even though you will have a hood. 

All your major companies and some small businesses will be carrying everything you need to keep your extremities warm.  Visit The Angler's Den in Pawling, NY, or your local fly shop today and take a look at what you can add to your list!

Back in the late 1970's, a group of people decided to turn the East branch of the Croton into a river that would become a great place to enjoy excellent trout fishing.  Bill Elliott, along with the DEC, and Trout Unlimited, turned a put and take river, into an excellent fishery in a very short time.  We still enjoy the fruits of their labors today. The following is from a Facebook post that Bill wrote:

Michael Gann liked the ideas I came up with so he worked with me to get the department to move away from the normal stocking and go with the introduction of just fingerlings. I knew in my heart that because of the fantastic food supply available to these young Trout that they would flourish in their new home. In less than 3 years we were catching Browns that averaged over 18 inches and a few so much bigger than that. It was not easy to get the State to go along with something truly foreign but with working through the local Sportsman clubs and people like Michael, we got it done.

 

The key to this success was based on several things that all had to work together, the first thing was making sure that the river held the food supply needed to grow the fingerlings. The East branch had that and more, the second was once enacted we had to have the new regulations enforced or all our efforts would have been for naught. This was a problem I did run into with the local game warden telling people that if the poached the stream he wouldn't arrest them, he liked things the way they had been in the past, I got him removed. His replacement wasn't much better at first but after meeting me several times on the water and then seeing how well the fishery was growing he came on board with the new stocking program. I in no way did this all by myself, over the years that it took I received a lot of help from other chapter members and people who wanted to see my dream come true. This fall I will get to see just how well it still is doing.