Tangled Lines looks back on 2024

The Esopus Creek in the east-central Catskill Mountains in New York.
Photo by Gary Dodson

The Esopus Creek in the east-central Catskill Mountains in New York.
It rained a lot in 2024, and then it didn’t.
That’s the Tangled Lines 2024 recap in a nutshell.
With recent changes in angling regulations in my two main stomping grounds, Connecticut and New York, the idea of “trout season” is now more of an idea than a legal reality.
Poor conditions, not regs, keep me inside. This includes high water, low water, muddy water, and ice chunks floating in high or low, possibly muddy water.
Let us not overlook the angler’s poor condition. In 2024 the Tangled Lines medical beat was established, and how.
Out in 2024: Ice cream. Chips. Bread. Pasta, unless it is made entirely from chickpeas, comes in an orange box and costs a lot more than the regular stuff. (Also — don’t overcook it. The difference between al dente and al mush is about 12 seconds.)
In: Salad. Fields and fields of…salad.
It’s been a tough slog. I am considering starting a nonprofit advocacy group, the Society for the Suppression of Salad. We could march in the Memorial Day parade, waving styrofoam cheeseburgers.
But I did drop about 30 pounds, and kept it off.
A shout out to yoga mastermind Samantha Free of Millbrook Yoga. I described my lower back pain to her. She took one look at my feet and saw I was pronating.
Between deploying an inexpensive corrective insert in my shoes and the stretches and moves Sam showed me, I no longer stagger around like a decrepit man in his early 60s.
Now I lurch around like a klutz in his late 50s. Might not seem like much, but I’ll take what I can get.
The new and improved me voyaged into the wilds of western New York at the end of April, catching the end of the steelhead run in the Salmon River in and around Pulaski.
I managed to land a steelhead. The fish struck me as a little tired out but I put it in the win column anyway, if only because I did it in the most offhand manner possible short of sitting in a lawn chair on the bank with a bobber, a worm, and a piece of line tied to my foot.
I spent more time than usual this year prowling the Catskills outside of my usual Esopus watershed, with mixed results.
And then everything dried up, except for one quick blast of rain in early August that didn’t do much in Connecticut but brought the East Branch of the Delaware in New York up about three feet. This was not helpful.
Switching to bass lake mode for August, I noticed a persistent pain in my right (casting) shoulder.
At first I chalked it up to slinging gigantic, heavy flies such as the Chupacabra, which is like casting a wet sock.
But it soon became clear that something was wrong.
Hello, rotator cuff!
The doc sent me to another low-key miracle worker, physical therapist Mike Mangini in North Canaan, and I am pleased to report I can, once again, inform fellow motorists that they are Number One with a simple, rotator cuff-dependent gesture.
I don’t believe in setting goals or making elaborate plans for fishing. Too often the goal is silly, like catching a big lunker largemouth with a one-weight rod. (It could be done, like tap-dancing in roller skates, but why?).
Or the plan falls through because the fellow who was going to take me to the secret place disappears, leaving no forwarding address.
Instead, for 2025 I will concentrate on simple things. Getting better with longer, finer leaders. Learning some form of two-handed cast without getting buried in minutiae regarding shooting heads and grain weights.
And finding ways to do more with less. I am tired of rummaging around in the pack or vest du jour, looking for the only fly that will work.
Because they all work — if you do it right.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.