Second MHTU “Women on the Water” Event
Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum
May 20, 2023

Here’s a summary of the May 20th Event from Sarah Baker, MHTU Coordinator:

“So our event went great , we had an amazing group of four women.

Our day started as a group activity getting to know each other. (Location, favorite place to fish, and why fly fishing). 

We talked about gear, and the importance of having a few essential items. From Nippers to hemostats. A good wading belt to a wading staff. Mostly why these items promote safety on the water.  

We broke out into casting groups. Everyone had taken a class or two before and just needed a little practice warming up on the pond.  

Dan our Chapter's President gave a great presentation on entomology, and we had hand out of the life cycle of bugs. 

Lunch was from The Main Street Farm, a small litte Cafe and market in Livingston Manor. Everyone should visit this beautiful store, all locally sorced products from the Catskills.  

Next we headed to the stream, we ended up traveling to a small section of the Willowemac near Livingston Manor. For a Saturday, the crowds on the Willowemoc were low. The colder water temps and cloud cover kept the fishermen away.   

Each of the attendees had one on one time with Dan, Clark and myself. We worked on their line presentation, we talked about how preventing drag gets a good drift. Best practices on presenting a fly to a rising trout, with hopes of a take. We spent 3.5 hours on the water with no hook ups.  The very picky browns on the Willowemac were sporadic with their late afternoon snacks.  

The Pavilion at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum was perfect. Large open grass for casting, picnic tables, power, and the pond. 

We had two additional anglers join us at 4pm for the evening hatch at the museum.  The cold weather and wind kicked us off the water by 7pm.”  

Special thanks to Dan Swart, Clark Angevine, and especially Sarah Baker for their efforts in making this annual event a success! Well done!

 First MHTU “Women on the Water” Event
Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum
May 22, 2022

The First “Woman on the Water” event on May 22 was a success, thanks to Sarah Baker, MHTU member and lead person for TU Women’s diversity initiative for our club.

Here’s her summary for the Women’s Connect Council:

So our event went great , we had an amazing group of four women. Our day started as a group activity getting to know each other. (Location, favorite place to fish, and why fly fishing). We talked about gear, and the importance of having a few essential items. From Nippers to hemostats. A good wading belt to a wading staff. Mostly why these items promote safety on the water.
We broke out into casting groups. Everyone had taken a class or two before and just needed a little practice warming up on the pond. Dan, our Chapter's President, gave a great presentation on entomology. The life cycle of bugs.
Lunch was from The Main Street Farm, a small litte Cafe and market in Livingston Manor. Everyone should visit this beautiful store, all locally sorced products from the Catskills.
Next we headed to the stream, we ended up traveling to a small section of the Willowemac near Livingston Manor. For a Sunday, the crowds on the Willowemoc were high. The great water temps and sunshine had everyone on the water. Each of the attendees had one on one time with Dan and myself. We worked on their line presentation, we talked about how preventing drag gets a good drift. Best practices on presenting a fly to a rising trout, with hopes of a take. We spent 3.5 hours on the water everyone was able to get hooked up but only a few fish actually made it into the net.
The Pavilion at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum was perfect. Large open grass for casting, picnic tables, power, and the pond.
All the attendees requested we do this again!

Special thanks to Sarah, and Dan Swart, MHTU Chapter President, for their time, efforts, and expertise.