Tangled research and development

The best smallmouth bass of 2025, so far, was taken on light trout tackle for the sole purpose of bragging about it later.
Patrick L. Sullivan
The best smallmouth bass of 2025, so far, was taken on light trout tackle for the sole purpose of bragging about it later.
The third week of July was hot and sticky and trout fishing opportunities were limited, so Gary Dodson and I went on a research and development mission in the Catskills.
One spot was a generally cold stream that runs into one of the New York City reservoirs. I’m being coy because this particular cat isn’t exactly out of the bag but it has ripped it up some.
On the upstream side of the bridge it’s a medium-sized brook with a lot of wild browns and rainbows, plus occasional brookies that are stocked in private water further up.
On the downstream side there is a big pool by the bridge which is gin clear most days and has large browns and rainbows that like to ignore flies.
Further down a bit the stream melds with the reservoir, gets a lot warmer, and it’s a real crap shoot as to what’s on the end of the line.
Could be a perch, a sunfish, a carp…or if all goes well, a smallmouth bass.
Gary concentrated on the bridge pool and I clambered downstream to try and annoy a smallie.
Which I did, after several false starts with suicidal and tiny bluegills.
The winning combo proved to be a size 12 Surveyor nymph, usually deployed in a tight line rig for trout, but in this case attached on a short dropper (18 inches) to a size 6 Chubby Chernobyl.
The Chubby disappeared, I applied the upward lift, and the best smallie so far in 2025 obliged by jumping a couple of times before coming fairly meekly to the net. It was about 15 inches long, four inches wide, and starting to turn the bronze color of the adult smallmouth.
What made this doubly satisfying was I did it with light trout tackle -- a four weight rod and 4X tippet.
The boys at the fly shop will tell you this can’t be done, which I always take as a direct challenge.
Next up was the East Branch of the Delaware near Downsville. Different set of problems here, starting with a water temperature of about 50, a difficult trail, and mud that threatened to suck your boot off your foot.
Neither one of us had thought to bring anything warm to go under the waders, and why would we? It was 90-odd degrees out.
And then there was the fog caused by cold water meeting hot air.
Gary Dodson trying to get something going in the frigid, foggy East Branch of the Delaware River in mid-July.Patrick L. Sullivan
All I got out of this was a good photo of Gary in the mist.
Next week I segue into fishing for largemouth bass (primarily) in a lake from a pontoon boat and/or belly boat.
I am a relative newbie at bass fishing with a fly rod, having only practiced it for 20-odd years.
Because I am unencumbered by conventional wisdom, I have developed or acquired techniques that the above-mentioned boys at the fly shop would scoff at.
Such as the Yo-Yo Method. When I read about this online I thought the name came from the fact that anyone doing this would feel like a yo-yo. Wrong.
What you do is attach a heavy fly like a conehead Wooly Bugger to a short leader, say five feet.
Then attach two to three feet of stout tippet material to the bend of the hook with a clinch knot, and tie on a hard popper or other buoyant fly.
The heavy fly drags the buoyant fly down after it, but the latter is trying to go upwards.
This is exaggerated by short, abrupt jerks on the line, which causes the popper to go up and down.
This drives bass crazy.
The Crawl ‘n’ Troll: The lake I fish almost always has a steady west to east wind, so it is entirely practical to go up the lake (“up” meaning “west”) and float back with the surface current and wind, trolling a fly or two behind.
One problem is the lake isn’t that deep, 10-15 feet most of the way, and there’s a lot of vegetation on the bottom that will snag your fly if it gets too deep. On sunny and hot days, the bass like to lurk in this vegetation.
This is the only time I have ever found an intermediate line to be of any use. It sinks, but very slowly, and allows me to drift weighted flies like the Conehead Wooly just above the vegetation. If I get snagged, I shorten the leader up. If I’m not getting any hits, I lengthen the leader a bit.
I generally use a nine foot, eight weight rod for this work, although sometimes I fool around with a 10 weight (so I can justify continuing to own it) or something much lighter (so I can brag about it to the boys at the fly shop).
But an eight weight is a good all-around choice.
You want short, stout leaders. The lightest I go is usually 2X.Bass are not leader-shy, and you will be chucking big flies. Using a long leader in these circs is absolutely begging to get a hook in the ear.
Get a weight forward line in a bass taper, with the bulk of the weight concentrated in the first 15 feet of a 90 foot line. The poppers catch a lot of wind, and you’ll be glad of the extra heft to punch through.
For flies, you want poppers. I prefer hard poppers to the deer hair or foam variety. A few big hopper and or beetle patterns will also work, as will a big Stimulator.
For subsurface, which is where the bulk of the action is, you need nothing more complicated than an assortment of big Wooly Buggers in various colors: Sizes 2-8 in olive, black, brown, and white. Get weighted ones, either conehead or beadhead, and save yourself the trouble of adding split shot to the leader. And always get the rubber legs if available.
If you want to get semi-fancy, the Big Y Fly Company sells an excellent bass streamer called the Bass Vampire. It’s purple with yellow dumbbell eyes and comes on a 2/0 hook, which qualifies as a deadly weapon in most states.
Be prepared for a psychic change. This is very different than prowling a trout stream. It’s not just chuck and duck, but it’s not especially subtle, either.
And with several highly unpleasant trips to the dermatologist in my immediate past, I urge you to slather on the sunscreen, and reapply it frequently, while wearing your enormous hat.
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.”