'This is like a birthday celebration.' Crowd gathers for Naples Creek trout sampling

As scenic as the valley at Naples and the creek that runs through it can be, it’s not much to look at this time of year.

The soft browns and dull yellows of the landscape that signal the transition from winter to spring don’t exactly inspire paintings. But don’t tell that to the anglers who pay no mind to what the land looks like in March.

The focus today is on the water, and the topic is trout.

That’s what drew an unusually large crowd to Naples on Thursday morning for the annual trout sampling conducted by the state Department of Conservation. The process of inspecting the trout population started at 9 a.m. with DEC staff wading through the creek with its sampling gear, but the crowd gathered well before that on the bridge that spans State Route 245 just east of the village.

“This is like a birthday celebration,” said Don Beusman, 87, of Canandaigua, who says he’s attended the sampling since 1957. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Indeed, the banks of Naples Creek and the bridge were crowded with onlookers, curious to see what the DEC staff would find. The motive is a bit selfish in that the findings provide a forecast for the April 1 trout fishing season opener, but it wasn’t so selfish that it kept adults from making space in the front for the children to have a better view of what the biologists were doing.

Students are a big part of the annual event and this year, buses from Campbell-Savona, Avoca-Prattsburgh and nearby Naples were spotted.

“What pleases me is seeing so many people here today,” said Andy Yudichak, a retired Canandaigua teacher who also is a member of the local Trout Unlimited chapter. “Especially all the different buses and young people. What a wonderful hobby for life.”

Noah Peterson, a junior at Avoca High School, did not hesitate to talk fishing.

“Life can get really busy,” he said of why he fishes. “And even though it’s not completely silent with the water and the breeze, it can bring silence to your mind … your thoughts, they’re taken away with the water.”

Famed author John Gierach has said that fishing doesn’t make life’s problems disappear as much as it can prioritize them. And that’s partly the motivation for Cadance Ridley, an Avoca senior who grew up fishing the Cohocton River behind her grandfather’s house.

“I just walk down and fish,” she said. “I listen to the water and feel the breeze.”

Get to the point: How are the fish?

For those looking forward to Saturday’s opener, there were questions about what type of conditions can be expected. Especially following the warmer winter this region’s been through.

DEC biologist Pete Austerman provided some answers and said there is plenty of room for optimism, even if some rainbow trout have started to run and spawn. Thursday’s water temperature was at 42 degrees and the DEC had a look at 15 fish before heading off to another area of Naples Creek.

“It’s a good sign,” he said. “There definitely should be fish left for April 1.”

The forecast of cooler air the next couple of days will certainly help, said Austerman.

“They look good,” he said.

Why you fish

The challenge of fishing, particularly for trout, has taken on a romantic quality. The test of wits in reading the water, matching the bug hatch for fly anglers and correctly presenting the offering to make it irresistible for the fish is what makes the reward so satisfying.

“As a teacher, I had to deal with 25 to 30 kids a day in a classroom and it can be intense,” said Yudichak. “Four hours in the creek and I was ready for anything for the next month. That’s what a hobby does for you.”

Julia Euclide and her husband Tom are from Ohio, but have a place on Canandaigua Lake. They made the trip specifically for Thursday’s sampling.

“We wanted to see all the big fish and it’s really cool to see all the school kids,” said Julia.

But really, it’s about the trout.

“It’s a beautiful fish,” Julia said of the rainbow trout. “And making your way your way upstream is always so beautiful.”

For Tom, it’s about separating yourself from life’s issues and tackling something different. As Gierach writes, it’s about shifting priorities.

“Trying to match the fly to what’s going on in the environment at that time,” he said.

Fishing is something different for each angler that ventures into the water and the pull for some is not the same for all. But make no mistake, there is something spiritual about the water and the language it speaks.

“It calls you. It really does,” said Peterson. “It’s one of the only natural experiences you can have in our artificial world.”

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Trout sampling at Naples Creek in NY draws a crowd