August angling: Unleash the Chupacabra

Gary Dodson’s rainbow takes a run in “Disneyland.” We got a late start July 25 and the water temperature was about 64 degrees at 9 a.m.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Gary Dodson’s rainbow takes a run in “Disneyland.” We got a late start July 25 and the water temperature was about 64 degrees at 9 a.m.
Welcome to the Mixed Bag edition of Tangled Lines.
A recent sojourn to the Catskills was not as productive as I’d hoped. The hot and dry weather rendered the freestones all but unfishable, with low flows and correspondingly high water temperatures.
That left the tailwaters, and from Phoenicia, New York, to either the East or West branches of the Delaware or to the Neversink was more driving than I wanted to do.
So the Esopus was the default setting.
This is not your standard tailwater, with cold water coming out of a dam. In this case, the water comes out of a tunnel, drilled a century or so ago under the mountains. It conveys water from the Schoharie Reservoir to the north into the Esopus at Allaben, which isn’t even a wide spot in the road.
The water dumps into the Esopus at what is known as the Portal, and the river from there down some 11 miles and change to the Ashokan Reservoir is a tailwater.
In theory, the cold water releases keep conditions congenial for trout.
In practice, it is important to remember that the whole point of the exercise is to provide drinking water for New York City. The health of fish, and mental health of fishermen, comes in a distinct and distant second.
The United States Geological Survey has a gauge in Boiceville, before the river enters the reservoir. This gauge has lots of useful information, including water temperature.
It was clear that fishing the lower part of the Esopus tailwater could only be done in the morning, as afternoon water temperatures were getting into the low 70s.
But the closer you get to the Portal, the cooler the water. So at Point A, the water temperature at 5 p.m. was a reasonable 63 degrees.
I confined myself to swinging wet flies through the riffles. Leadwing Coachmen, Light Cahills, and assorted soft-hackled wets did the trick, and I netted several small, wild rainbows. This is pretty standard stuff for an Esopus outing in late July.
The next morning Gary Dodson and I convened at what we call Disneyland in Boiceville. It looks like hell, as the state is replacing the main bridge there, but the recreation area is the western terminus of a trail that runs along the old railroad bed all the way to Hurley. It is very popular with bicyclists and joggers and other land-based life forms.
It also provides handy access for anglers.
August brings warm-water lake fishing, which means it’s time to test out the new big flies. The Chupacabra is eight inches long and Gary Dodson says “it’s like casting a wet towel.”Patrick L. Sullivan
We started at 9 a.m., which was good from the standpoint of not being half-asleep but not so great from the water temperature side of things.
The water temperature was 64. We guessed it would hit 68 by noon, so we got started.
Noticing stonefly shucks on the rocks, I chucked Stimulators, a big bushy dry fly that imitates the adult stonefly. I stuck them into every bit of soft water I could find and was rewarded by several smallish but feisty brown trout coming to the net.
Gary worked a Griffith’s Gnat, size 18, on a long, slack downstream cast and got a couple of rainbows that, while not big, at least made it interesting.
Our prediction was solid. The thermometer read 69 degrees at noon, so we cheesed it.
We should have started at 5 a.m. and fished until 9 a.m., but neither one of us was eager to leap out of bed pre-dawn.
Tangled Lines World Headquarters now shifts to warm water lake fishing for August. I recently splurged on some really big flies, meant for pike or muskie but certainly applicable to largemouth bass etc.
This includes the Chupacabra, which is eight inches long from head to tail. Gary says “it’s like casting a wet towel.”
The program for August is simple. Get up at dawn and float around the lake in a pontoon boat catching largemouth, the occasional smallie, plus perch, crappie, the odd pickerel and assorted panfish. Get out once the sun is up and running, go to work, blah blah blah. Afternoon nap. Head out again in the evening.
I particularly like floating around at 8 p.m. or so, hauling up bucketmouths while listening to the Mets game on the radio.
I have yet to drop the radio in the lake.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.