Dear Friends,

As we enjoy the heart of summer in the Catskills, I’m excited to share a few important updates from the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum:

Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Announced

We’re proud to welcome five remarkable individuals to the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame this year:

Bud Lilly, Adriano Manocchia, Izaak Walton, Paul Weamer, and Walt Carpenter.
These honorees have each made lasting contributions to the fly fishing world, and we’ll celebrate them at our Induction Ceremony and Dinner on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at CFFCM.  

Looking Ahead – Catskill Legends 2026

We’re also proud to share that Jim Krul, the Center’s longtime Executive Director and passionate steward of our mission, will be honored as a Catskill Legend in 2026. His leadership and vision helped lay the foundation for much of what we enjoy today.

Membership Update

The transition to a rolling renewal system is finally taking hold. Monthly reminders are going out, and we’re implementing a new Bloomerang tool to streamline the process. Exciting membership campaigns are coming soon—thanks to fresh ideas like the Guide Ambassador initiative and planned events at The Junction.
A special thanks to Laura, Jennifer, and Jill for their dedication and collaborative work during this transition—they’ve been instrumental in moving us forward.

Grants & Growth

We’ve now surpassed $60,000 in grant funding for 2025, supporting youth programming, facilities, and operations. Grants from NYSCA, Bass Pro Shops, Sullivan County Youth Bureau, and others have made a real impact. We’re grateful to Samantha and our development team for their outstanding work.

Bridge Update

In June, we experienced significant damage to our bridge that required closing it for a few days to make urgent repairs. Safety remains our top priority, and the bridge is now secure and open to visitors.

NYC Fundraiser – Encouraging Start

Our recent NYC dinner brought together a small but enthusiastic group and sparked promising donor conversations and new prospects. The dinner proved both successful and sustainable, with donor commitments covering event expenses and creating a strong foundation for future cultivation efforts.
While additional cultivation is needed, we’re building momentum. A key next step will be finalizing our strategic plan, which will help us engage major donors more effectively.
Many thanks to Robbianne, the dinner committee, and everyone who helped make it happen.

Annual Dinner Fundraiser – A Strong Start to 2025

Our first major fundraiser of the year, the Annual Dinner held in May at the Rockland House, was a great success. Thanks to the generosity of attendees, sponsors, all our donors, and local businesses, we achieved a net income of approximately $38,600, not including an additional $1,100 from merchandise sales during the event.

Here’s a brief financial summary:
• Total income: $49,197
• Expenses: $10,593
• Net proceeds: $38,604

The income came from ticket sales, table sponsors, silent and live auctions, and the generous support of all involved. Expenses included venue fees, donor recognition plaques, and event printing.

We would like to thank Tim McCausland for acting as the Executive Committee Chair for this event and supporting the team throughout the entire event and lead up!

A special thank you to Laura and the entire team for their efforts in organizing and executing such a successful evening.
This strong start sets a positive tone for the rest of our fundraising year, and we’re grateful for the community’s ongoing support.

Heritage Committee Update

We’re proud to announce the leadership of the revitalized Heritage Committee. Johnene Loverich will serve as Chair, Eric Loverich as Vice Chair, and Judy Van Put as Secretary.

This committee plays an essential role in preserving and promoting the history, culture, and traditions of Catskill fly fishing. Don Borelli, in his new role as Vice President, will serve as liaison to the Executive Committee, helping facilitate communication and support between leadership and the Heritage Committee.

We are grateful to Johnene, Eric, Judy, and Don for their dedication to this vital mission.

The Mike Canazon Stewardship Award

We’re also pleased to announce the development of a new and meaningful recognition: the Mike Canazon Stewardship Award. This award will honor individuals who have demonstrated lifelong commitment to the values of stewardship in the sport of fly fishing—whether through bamboo rod building, conservation, fly tying, or preserving the Catskill traditions.

It is intended to recognize those who have dedicated themselves to sharing this knowledge with today’s generation while protecting it for the future. More information about the award and nomination process will be shared soon.

Governance Update & Board Transitions

Following our recent Annual Meeting, we are pleased to officially welcome Don Borelli as Vice President of the Board. Cy Amundson will transition into an Advisor role and continue his outstanding work on archives and curation.

We deeply appreciate their leadership and look forward to their continued contributions.

Trustees & Advisors

We’re fortunate to have a passionate and engaged group guiding our work. The Board of Trustees is comprised of dedicated individuals and professionals who lend their expertise to ensure the continued growth and success of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center. As our governing body, they act as advisors, provide financial support, and serve as ambassadors for our mission.

Board of Trustees
Anthony Magardino (President), Don Borelli (Vice President), Randy Lewis (Treasurer), Tim McCausland (Secretary),Peter Adams, Ramsay Adams, Rachael Andras, Christian Anwander, Robert Carlock, Ben Carmichael, Jennifer Grimes, Darrell Hartman, Adam Hayes, Richard Koe, Christine LaRocca, Johnene Loverich, Christina Muller, Ned Nurick, Alice Owsley, Philip Sawyer, John Shaner, Terry Shultz, Rachael Yaeger

Advisors
Cy Amundson, John Barone, Michael Brotherton, Kelly Buchta, Andrew Burton, Jonas Clark, Peter Crosby, Adly Elewa, Ross Francis, Denis Fay, Sims Foster, Jim Hynes, Evan Lavery, Bill Leary, Eric Loverich, Pam Mingle, Gary Sherman, Mark Sherman, Laura Silverman, Joan Wulff

Beamoc TU

 Beamoc TU is  back and slated to relaunch at our Summerfest August 2/3. The chapter will fall under the New York State umbrella as a "parent" for the first year. This helps with chapter set up and allows us to get our feet underneath us when starting this venture before we become completely independent. The chapter board will be Judy Van Put (President and in honor of Ed who was an original founding member) Laura Colangelo (Vice President) Don Borelli (Treasurer) and Rachael Yaeger (Secretary). Manny Zanger will act as an advisor. The chapter will meet here at the center and have their efforts focus on conservation and stewardship of our rivers and fish. All are welcome to join TU under this chapter starting August 1 or transfer their membership. 

Anthony J. Magardino

President

Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum

click here to view our October 2021 digital castabout

click here to view our may 2021 digital castabout

Click Here to View Our March 2021 Digital Castabout

Many of us have known and fished the Upper Delaware all our lives. This year, American Rivers has named it River of the Year 2020, and a deserved title it is too. American Rivers gave the Delaware this honor to recognize its momentous progress for water quality, river restoration and community revitalization.

“The Delaware River is a national success story,” said Bob Irvin, President and CEO of American Rivers. “The River of the Year honor recognizes the hard work of many local advocates who understand that a healthy Delaware River is vital to the health of millions of people.”

To read more about how the organization came to their decision you read the full announcement here:

https://www.americanrivers.org/2020/04/river-of-the-year-for-2020-the-delaware-river/

We were very saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend Dave Brandt in March 2020.

Dave was a Catskill Living Legend and inducted into the CFFCM Legends in 2017. Known as one of the best Catskill style fly tyers, he was past President of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild and was always available to share his tips and secrets to anyone interested in tying, casting and fishing. Dave was the head instructor at the renowned Wulff School for many years, where he helped introduce and improve the skills of anglers from all over the world.

Dave has Trout Unlimited Chapter named for him in honor of his devotion to cold water conservation and trout fisheries. Dave’s generosity knew no bounds and was always willing to donate to various charities with a box of his hand tied flies, an outing on the water, or a tying lesson. As a fixture for many years on tyers row at the major Fly Fishing shows Dave was famous for offering "free flies.... tomorrow".

Prior to his passing Dave was informed that he had been nominated for the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame, which brought about wide eyes and a smile.

Dave Brandt touched many lives in the fly fishing community and beyond. He will be missed greatly by so many friends and anglers. Our deepest condolences to his wife and family.

Click here to read The Daily Star story on Dave.

Click here to read Dave’s obituary.

Click here to make a donation in Dave’s memory.

To protect our members and visitors, and help slow the spread of coronavirus, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum will be closed to the public until further notice. Although we are in our winter closure, we have been allowing visitors in during what has been a mild winter. Effective today we will not be allowing the public onto the grounds.

First Cast at the CFFCM, scheduled for Saturday, April 4, will be postponed unless there is a dramatic change in the pandemic. Watch for updates as we select a new date.

When the museum will reopen to the public remains unclear. Watch for an announcement based on the safety of a our staff and guests.

Fly Tyers Guild

The Catskill Fly Tyers Guild has altered its schedule:

March 21 Guild Meeting - CANCELED

March 21 Catskill Kids on the Fly - CANCELLED

April 4 Rendezvous - CANCELLED (Possibly moved to later in the year)

Shows including Tie One On, scheduled for March 28 in Syracuse, have been canceled.

Health officials have urged people to avoid large gatherings

As a friendly reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19, including:

• Avoid close contact and shaking hands with people who are sick.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

We do have older members and those with health problems that attend our events and they are at an elevated risk if they were to fall ill with the COVID-19 virus.  So please keep their safety in mind, stay home and tie some flies if you do not feel well when our events reconvene.

Author and fly tyer Mike Valla will share his stories of angling for big brook trout at the Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area in New York during Arts of the Angler on Saturday- angling for big brook trout"

Mike Valla has been tying Catskill-style dry flies for over 40 years. Valla has published articles in Fly Fisherman, The American Fly Fisher, The Conservationist and a variety of other lay magazines and professional journals. Mike is the Northeast field editor for Eastern Fly Fishing magazine and a recipient of the Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award. He is the author of The Founding Flies, Tying Catskill-Style Dry Flies, and Tying and Fishing Bucktails and Other Hair Wings.

He lives in Cambridge, New York.

Tenkara Today by Morgan Lyle, who will speak at Arts of the Angler on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m.

Morgan Lyle, author of the recently released Tenkara Today, will discuss his book on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. as part of Arts of the Angler at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

Lyle will have books available in the main museum building.

In 2009, the first American public presentation on tenkara fishing took place at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum. Ten years later, Morgan Lyle’s new book, Tenkara Today, chronicles the rise of Japanese-style fixed-line fly fishing in the United States. Tenkara Today tells the story of a movement that has left its mark on American outdoor recreation, through in-depth profiles of people who introduced tenkara to the western world, and explains how, when and where to practice this effective and enjoyable form of fly fishing.

Morgan Lyle is the author of Simple Flies: 52 Easy-to-Tie Patterns That Catch Fish. He has written for the New York Outdoor News and has published dozens of articles in magazines including The Drake, Fly Tyer, American Angler and many more. A native of the Hudson Valley, Morgan cast his first fly on Esopus Creek in the Catskill Mountains. He’s fished extensively in the Catskills, Adirondacks, New England, Colorado and Montana, as well as the beaches and spring creeks of Long Island. He lives today in Brooklyn, New York.

Legendary bamboo rod maker Bob Taylor will be inducted into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 8, during a dinner at the Rockland House.

Taylor began building rods just out of high school and has spent his life in the craft, with Leonard Rods, with Thomas & Thomas, and on his own.

Any time Taylor talks rod making he draws a crowd eager to learn from his experience.

The Nov. 8 induction dinner starts with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $50 for members, $60 for nonmembers, and include free admission to Arts of the Angler on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum. Sponsor tables of 8 are available for $500.

Click here to purchase tickets online.

Click here to download a form that can be printed and mailed to the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

Matt Supinski, author of The Brown Trout–Atlantic Salmon Nexus: Tactics, Fly Patterns, and the Passion for Catching Salmon, Our Most Prized Gamefish (Skyhorse, 2018). will give a presentation on the evolution and history of the brown trout at the next meeting of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild on Saturday, June 15, at 1 p.m. in the Wulff Gallery at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

Supinski will trace the species from its origins in Europe and the Eastern Hemisphere to its first North American transplanting in 1883. He will discuss the remarkable adaptability and resilience of the brown trout, tactics for targeting the species, fly patterns, and other information need to catch this magnificent fish and to admire its legacy.
​Supinski is also author of Selectivity: The Theory and Method of Fly Fishing for Fussy Trout, Salmon, and Steelhead (Stackpole/Headwaters, 2014) and Steelhead Dreams: The Theory, Method, Science and Madness of Steelhead Fly-Fishing (Frank Amato, updated edition, 2013). He is a fly-fishing guide, outfitter, instructor, lodge owner and operator, writer and photographer, and trained chef from Newaygo, Mich.

In this recent episode of the Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast, Tom Rosenbauer talks with Evan Lavery of The Beaverkill Angler in Roscoe, New York.

“The topic of our podcast is hatches of the freestone rivers of the Catskills, in particular the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Creek. These are rivers rich with tradition and also rich with a diverse insect population.”

Evan recently became a trustee of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

Rodmaker Kathy Scott discusses her book The Letters to Everett Garrison, which opens the pages to his life through correspondence.

Kathy and Dave Van Burgel return to the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum for their popular rodmaking class Saturday August 31, through Thursday, September 5. The 2019 class is full, but it’s not too early to think about taking their September 2020 class. Watch the website for information.

Learn about The Letters to Everett Garrison in this video filmed at the 2018 Catskill Rodmakers Gathering.

It has been 10 years passed since the gala opening of Made in Japan, presenting tenkara by inviting Dr. ishigaki. At that time, almost nobody in the world searched the word of "tenkara" by google search engine. Now it became so popular internationally.

To celebrate a decade of the permanent exhibition of Made in Japan at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum, Misako Ishimura will do a presentation about Japanese old flies, which will be added to the Made in Japan exhibition. You will be able to see the flies before they will be presented inside the case on the wall of the Museum.  

Misako will do a PowerPoint presentation about Japanese old flies, including tenkara,how they differ from flies around the world.

The event will be held Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m. in the Wulff Gallery. After a lunch break, the event moves outside at 1 p.m., where Misako will answer questions illustrated by demonstrations based on skills she honed fishing around the world.

The fee is $20, which includes lunch. Click here to reserve your space.

Questions can be directed to Misako Ishimura at  misakoishimura@gmail.com.

Congressman Antonio Delgado of New York’s 19th District donned waders and a vest, and with the help of a few lessons from Jeff Phelan waded into Wulff Run near the bridge to the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum to make the first cast of the 2019 trout season.

Delgado drifted a traditional Catskill Royal Wulff to commemorate the region and its fly fishing history.

After a few chilly casts, Delgado was invited to return to the Willowemoc when the weather warms.

He joined others at the CFFCM gift shop, where he read a proclamation in honor of soon-to-be-inducted Catskill Legend Agnes Van Put, who was serving her soups.

Degado also visited the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild at its Rendezvous in the Wulff Gallery.

Click above to watch a video.

Makers showed off their rods, anglers practiced casting bamboo, and friends caught up with each other at the Catskill Cane Revival on Saturday, April 6.

About 50 people gathered at Roscoe High School for the event, held in the gym as winter turns to spring and the weather warms.

Click above to watch a video from the event.

The Catskill Fly Tyers Guild will hold its annual Rendezvous in the Wulff Gallery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All are welcome to meet the tyers and learn their craft.

The Guild is starting a Catskill Kids on the Fly chapter that will meet at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum at 10 a.m. before the Guild’s regularly scheduled meetings. 

All tying equipment and tying materials will be supplied for the sessions. All sessions are open to kids of all ages, including parents regardless of tying experience.

The inaugural meeting will take place during the Opening Day festivities at the Fly Tyers Rendezvous on April 6 at the museum. 

The inaugural session will be open throughout the Rendezvous. This initiative reflects the guild’s efforts to coordinate better its activities with those of the museum.

The Catskill Cane Revival will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Roscoe High School Gym. Bamboo rod afficionados will loosen their arms and practice story-telling just up the bend from Keener’s Pool. Bring a bamboo rod of your own or try one of ours. See some old friends and meet some new ones. Bring a friend or a kid you want to get hooked and we’ll put a cane rod in their hand.

There will be tours of the Bamboo Rod Shop in the Wulff Gallery during the afternoon.

The smiling face synonymous with the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum, and the man behind Catskill Flies will officially be named Catskill Legends April 13.

Agnes Van Put, who continues to be a presence at the CFFCM gift shop, and the late Dennis Skarka will be inducted into a group that continues the fly angling legacy so woven into the history and culture of the Catskills.

The Legends Dinner will be held at Rockland House in Roscoe on Saturday, April 13. Cocktails begin at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6. Tickets are $50 for CFFCM members and family of the honorees, $60 for non-members and $100 for patrons. Tables can be purchased for $500. There will be raffles and auctions.

Since the inception of the museum, Agnes has been part of it. She’s still making her jam which can still be purchased at the gift shop, and her soups warm those who brave the early spring cold for the CFFCM’s first cast each April.

“Every special event we have is greeted by the question, ‘Will Agnes be there?’ when people RSVP,” CFFCM Managing Director John Kovach said.

Dennis Skarka, from his downtown Roscoe store Catskill Flies, was a go-to source for information on where the big trout were and what they were eating. The guide and master fly tyer died Feb. 3, 2019.

Click here to purchase tickets online for the 2019 Legends Dinner.

Click here for a downloadable form you can mail to the Center.

The 2018 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Dinner is scheduled for Saturday November 3rd, 2018.  To submit nominations for the 2018 class, please complete the Nomination Form and submit back to CFFCM at office@cffcm.com.

2018 Hall of Fame Nomination Form

The event will be located in the museum. The induction ceremony will be held from 1pm to 2 pm, and the reception will be held from 2pm to 4 pm.