Bucket o' fry on the river

Drew Ransom and his able assistant Matt Devine of the state fishery department work in the river.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Drew Ransom and his able assistant Matt Devine of the state fishery department work in the river.
Usually by mid-June I have shifted from tributariessuch as the Blackberry River, Macedonia Brook and Furnace Brook to the Housatonic itself.
But with the wettest May I can recall in the books, and June shaping up to be pretty soggy as well, the Hous has not been at a wading-friendly level in a while.
I’m not saying it can’t be done at 1000 cfs and above. I’m just saying I’m not going to do it.
So I’ve been in the Blackberry a lot. It’s convenient when I only have a couple of hours, and it’s been stocked three times this spring.
And while truck trout are somewhat easier to fool than their wild counterparts, the terrain of the Blackberry -- both in and around the water -- is pretty tricky.
So taken as a whole it’s a suitably challenging prospect.
One fine afternoon I was messing around just upstream of the bridge at Beckley Furnace, trying out a couple of rods I had forgotten about: a Cabelas CGR fiberglass 7.5 foot 5 or 6 weight, and a 6’10” Tenkara rod from Zen Tenkara.
The CGR line of fiberglass rods are a great value in my opinion. I have half a dozen of them, in line weights 2-8. None are longer than 7.5 feet. My favorite is the 6.5 foot 4 weight, an ideal tool for flicking flies at brook trout in close quarters.
(A quick check of the Cabelas website shows they currently only have the 7 foot 5 weight available.)
They list at $79.95, but I got most of mine when they were 50% off.
Which is just insane.
The Zen Tenkara rod is unusual. In the fixed-line world, a 10-footer is a shorty. Under seven feet is rare.
And Karin Miller, the courteous and popular proprietor of Zen Tenkara, specializes in big fish rods. They are sturdy and they are long.
So this model, the Hachi, stands out from the rest of the line.
Both the CGR, which I had rigged with a double tapered #5 line, and the Hachi, which had about 7 feet of #3 fluorocarbon level line plus tippet, are full flex rods. “Wiggly,” for the layman.
I was playing around with a dry-dropper rig on the fly rod and two wet flies and/or small weighted nymphs on the Hachi, and having a good time playing the 12-14 inch fish, mostly rainbows, when I beheld a couple of young men approaching with buckets.
“Dang,” I said. Buckets are never a good sign.
Well, almost never. In this case the bucket brigade was from the state fisheries department in the form of biologist Drew Ransom and his able assistant Matt Devine.
The buckets contained hundreds of brown trout fry, about six months old, that were essentially superfluous to the state hatchery’s requirements.
Hundreds of brown trout fry were planted in the Blackberry River.Patrick L. Sullivan
Ransom said the idea was to plant them in the Blackberry, from Beckley Furnace down to Route 7, and see what happens.
I suggested they would get eaten up pronto by the resident trout and the scientists agreed that was a likely scenario for most of the fry.
But a few might escape that fate and establish themselves.
Devine, eyeing a mini Wooly Bugger in a silvery-grey color I had on my line, opined that the fly would do an admirable job imitating the fry.
I agreed but I didn’t test the theory, at least not then and there. Too close to chumming.
The water temperature that day was 63 degrees and rising, not surprising since it was the middle of a two-day heat wave with air temps cracking 90.
A few days later, and after some additional rain, the water temp had dropped to about 60, but how long that will last is anyone’s guess.
Once water temperatures hit 68 it is time to stop fishing for trout. They have trouble breathing at 68 and above, and even if perfect catch and release practices are followed, they will be severely stressed by the time they are caught, played, netted, admired, had their photograph taken, and returned to the water. They probably won’t make it.
So I’m guessing we’re right about at the end of the practical trout season on the Blackberry until fall, when the water temps will be down again and the state’s stocking trucks return.
If you do go I recommend a dawn raid. The water temperature will be its lowest point and there won’t be anyone else around except fanatics like me.
And I am easily avoided. In fact, like a bear,I will go out of my way to avoid you.
The LED sign in front of Amenia's Town Hall on Route 22 warns passing motorists of the current temporary burn ban, in effect from Oct. 2 to Oct. 15.
A statewide burn ban is in effect as of Thursday, Oct. 2, the New York State Governor's office announced in a press release.
The temporary ban is in effect until at least Oct. 15, and the statement released by the governor's office said the restrictions will be re-evaluated prior to the Oct. 15 deadline.
Lighting fires for brush or debris disposal and large, uncontained fires for cooking or other purposes are banned until at least Oct. 15 under the statewide order. Backyard fire pits, contained camp fires no larger than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in diameter, and small, contained cooking fires are still permitted under the burn ban.
New York State has faced dry conditions all autumn, triggering drought watches and warnings across most of the state.
Dutchess County, along with the other counties in the Catskills region, are under a drought watch according to the Department of Environmental Conservation's drought condition map.
Dutchess County is currently under a "high" fire danger rating, according to the DEC.
LAKEVILLE, Conn. — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 11:00a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 76 Sharon Rd., Lakeville.
A complete obituary will appear in next week’s Lakeville Journal.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com.
Volunteers were hard at work putting the finishing touches on the crucial creepy decorations for the Haunted Fortress of Stanford on Sunday, Sept. 28.
STANFORD — Greg Arent led a devoted team of volunteers on Sunday, Sept. 28, in a final push to prepare Stanford’s Haunted Fortress for opening day.
Final touches included cleaning the bottomless pit, scrubbing the pirate ship, raking the graveyard and dressing the dolls. By 2 p.m., about 20 volunteers had assembled to creepify the beloved local landmark.
Many of the volunteers have been coming back for years, Arent said, dedicating time and valuable skills to the town-owned haunted house that was constructed by the artist Peter Wing.
Arent has been building sets in his free time for forty years, but he started out volunteering with the Haunted Fortress in 2014 when his children wanted to get involved, he said. At that time he would help out one or two days a year. That grew into a leadership position over the course of a decade.
On Sunday, Arent was touring the decrepit grounds checking light bulbs, soundtracks and other set details to contribute to that perfect spooky ambience.
Nathan Miller
When it’s all said and done, the Fortress will be ready to welcome visitors starting on Friday, Oct. 3, with shows running from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays. The Haunted Fortress is entirely staffed by volunteers, Arent said, including the actors that don costumes to scare visitors. Anybody aged 6 and up can volunteer to act in the horror show, and families often will volunteer to take over a scene.
“I love it because every scene is different every night,” Arent said. “Sure there are going to be vampires in this scene, but this family is going to do it different from these three kids from Bard, who are going to do it different from these three middle school kids.”
The sets themselves were all built from recycled material to be as creepy and decrepit as possible, Arent said. Concrete culverts adorn the sides of a bridge over a stream, stacked vertically with a cone on top to elicit a fortress’s spires. Reclaimed lumber bolted to a fence evokes a dark and scary forest blocking any escape. A rusting tractor with a steel box welded above the seat sits on a set of rails with two cars attached to it, mimicking a wrecked train with it’s inner mechanisms exposed and blowing steam on passersby.
This year the Haunted Fortress is following a haunted circus theme featuring clowns and other carnival staples alongside the classic settings of the Fortress.
The team of volunteers is dedicated and numerous, and the Stanford Highway Department lends a hand too, Arent said, but there’s always a need for skilled labor at the local attraction.
And the group appreciates all the help they can get. “Whatever you’re interested in and capable of doing,” Arent said.
The haunted pirate ship marks the spot where groups of visitors are paired with their ghastly guides for the remainder of the Haunted Fortress tour in Stanford.Nathan Miller
From left, Jim Milton, Spencer Parks and William J. Clark stand with Joseph Olenik on their first day working under him as the head of Public Works on Monday, Sept. 29.
MILLERTON — The Village announced a leadership change at the Highway Department on Friday following the resignation of Superintendent Peter Dellaghelfa. Police Chief Joseph Olenik will step into the role, effective immediately, officials said.
Olenik will continue to serve as Police Chief.
The decision was made Friday, Sept. 26, during an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees following Dellaghelfa’s resignation.
Mayor Jenn Najdek said the “amicable split” with Dellaghelfa was part of an ongoing annual employee review process, adding that turnover is not uncommon in small municipalities. She expressed her gratitude for Dellaghelfa’s service over the last four years.
The Board went into Executive Session on Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 for “matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person,” but village officials could not comment on the specifics of those discussions.
The leadership shift will allow the Village to “better respond to the changing needs of our residents and community,” announced the Board in a press release shared with The News. “The Mayor and Board are excited to see Joe expand his impact on Millerton and we’re confident this change will bring lasting improvements to operations, communications and community engagement.”
Police Chief Olenik, who will continue his leadership role within the Millerton Police Department, said he is looking forward to the added responsibilities.
“I am excited to help move the department forward and rebuild it after the devastating fire,” Olenik said. “I am also looking forward to working with the dedicated staff and helping the residents of Millerton by making needed changes and repairs.”
Though Olenik will assume additional responsibilities as he leads the Highway Department, the Millerton Police Department will continue to operate separately — but with the same shared goals of supporting the village community.
William J. Clark installs the leaf container he and his colleagues built. Leaves from the Village will be delivered to McEnroe’s Organic Farm for composting.Aly Morrissey
Mayor Najdek added that Olenik has extensive supervisory and administrative experience that, given the imminent need to rebuild the Highway Department building, will be critical. In addition to managing the upcoming construction, his first orders of business will include making sure the village is on track for leaf pick-up and snow removal, working to ensure the right equipment and personnel are in place.
Olenik held his first meeting with the Village Highway Department on Monday, Sept. 29 and discussed a new leaf container — built by Millerton’s Highway Department — that will support efforts to collect leaves. The leaves will then be turned over to McEnroe’s Organic Farm for composting. While the team configuration — which includes Jim Milton, William J. Clark, and Spencer Parks — will be new, Olenik said they are not strangers. “They’ve always helped me out and I’m looking forward to working with them more closely.”
The Board said in a statement the Village is in good hands moving forward. “Joe’s leadership style — hands-on, structured, and community-focused — makes him well suited to guide this department through the transition.”