This will be a quick day trip to the excellent tail water fisheries of the Croton Reservoir System for stocked and wild Brown Trout. The stream we’ll probably start with is the West Branch Croton River - Croton Falls Reservoir Outlet, in Putnam County. This section of the West Branch has been under a ‘No Kill’ regulation since 1995, which has allowed the Browns to grow quite large. (i.e. Catch and Release).

The trip will be held rain or shine. Dress warmly, especially under your waders. These streams are VERY cold. We’ll meet between 8-9 am at the rest stop on I-684 North and then follow Herman to the stream. To reach I-684, take the Throgs Neck or Whitestone Bridge to the Hutchison Parkway. Take the Hutch north to I-684 north, just before it turns into the Merritt Parkway.

In addition to a current New York State fishing license, a New York City DEP Access Permit is required. (This permit went into effect in 2002, so earlier watershed permits are invalid). The Access Permit can be retrieved from this web site: 
www.nyc.gov/watershedrecreation

Contact Herman Abrams at (516) 593-6024 for any questions.
For additional information about the streams of the Croton Watershed, click on this web site:
www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/nycfshwestput.pdf