Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Tangled tackle fondling 2026

Tangled tackle fondling 2026

The snow is mostly gone, the mud is flowing, the stocking trucks are rolling and that means only one thing: it’s tackle fondling time!

Yes, it’s that happy time of year when we dig out all the gear we carefully cleaned and stowed away back in November.

What’s that? You left it all in the car until you had to help Aunt Edna move? And now it’s piled up in the garage?

Never mind that. What’s important is getting ahead of it,starting now.

Reels: Take the spools off and blast them with a can of compressed air. Then deploy a Q-tip to get the stubborn stuff. Then deploy something long and pointy to get the little bits of cotton that came off the Q-tip.

Lines: Clip off the old leader. It’s no good. Pull the fly line of the reel and clean it with something. There are many commercial products available. The Rio line cleaner seems to work pretty well, but it goes fast. I use a weak solution of Dawn dish soap and warmish water and a clean sponge or two, so I can see just how much yick comes off the line. Then I give it a shot of some stuff called Albolene, which is used for removing heavy theatrical makeup. It also functions as a line dressing and costs much less than actual line dressings.

Rods: I check guides and ferrules, and give everything a wipe with a chamois cloth or something similar. Then I start emailing people I barely know looking for someone who repairs rods.

I have something like 60 fly rods, and they are a pain in the neck to store. But I had a brain wave over the winter and bought four kitchen garbage cans. Ignoring the lids, I arranged them in a corner of my living room and to my delight found I can corral most of the rods in such a way that I can actually find the one I want.

It works very well. If the cans had an Orvis or Simms logo on them I could sell them for $85 apiece as a “modular rod storage system.”

Flies: What you absolutely don’t want to do is buy more fly boxes because the giant cardboard box filled with fly boxes is still in the back of the car and you can’t remember what’s in any of them so it’s better to just buy new flies and boxes and use those, reserving the joy of sorting through the old boxes for the summer when you’re at the summer camp that has a nice big table. Whatever you do, don’t do this. Oh, excuse me, that must be the Amazon guy at the door with my new boxes and flies.

Waders and boots: I have a dedicated wader rack where I hang them up. This is an improvement over my old method, which was to leave them in the car in a crumpled heap all winter. Check for leaks by taking a small flashlight and running it over the seams from the inside of the waders. If you see pinholes then it’s time to deploy Aquaseal. There are wader repair kits that have small tubes of Aquaseal and patches that can be cut to fit. Do not buy a big tube of Aquaseal unless you plan to use it very quickly, otherwise the big expensive tube turns to stone in a matter of days. That’s why the tubes in the kits are small. Ask me how I know this.

Check boot laces and replace if necessary. Paracord is your friend here, if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind using a lighter to create an aglet. Look for missing studs and replace. Clean the soles with an old toothbrush. Do this outside. Ask me how I know this, too.

Note: Thanks for all the kind inquiries as to my new right hip. I am pleased to report that Ye Surgeon took me off the Injured Reserve list a couple of weeks ago, and as soon as things settle down a bit on the run-off, I will be back in action for the first time since September 2025.

Latest News

Early morning Kent crash sends car into ditch, disrupts traffic on Rt. 341

A blue SUV remains in a ditch after an early-morning crash along Segar Mountain Road in Kent May 27.

Ruth Epstein

KENT – A driver escaped with minor injuries after an SUV crashed into a utility pole and water line before rolling into a ditch along Segar Mountain Road early Wednesday morning, May 27, disrupting traffic for much of the day and affecting water service to a nearby residence.

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. near 36 Segar Mountain Road, just under half a mile east of the intersection with South Kent Road. State police said the blue SUV struck the pole, went over a guardrail and came to stop in a roadside ditch.

Keep ReadingShow less

Pauline King Garfield

Pauline King Garfield

EAST CANAAN — Pauline K. (King) Garfield, 94 of 77 South Canaan Rd. formerly of East Canaan, died Sunday May 24, 2026, at Geer Village.She was the wife of the late Duane Garfield who passed August 14, 2017. Pauline was born April 3, 1932 in North Canaan, CT in the former Geer Hospital. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Rose (Van Vlack) King.

Pauline spent her career at Becton Dickinson in Canaan, after being a stay-at-home mother for many years.She was employed at Becton Dickinson for 23 years. She enjoyed bus trips with her late husband Duane to the Casinos, spending time with her family watching the grandchildren grow up. Recently she made a comment to care givers that was “wait until I see that husband of mine for leaving me here, I am going to read him the riot act.” Over the years she enjoyed many crafts, but her favorite was crocheting gifts for everyone.

Keep ReadingShow less
A blessing for pets — and a lifeline for their health
Lazarus, a Eurasian eagle owl, poses with Dr. Laura, his longtime handler. The rescue raptor — known as the event’s “wow factor” for his striking presence and six-foot wingspan — will appear as the Raptor Ambassador at Rhinebeck’s Blessing of the Animals.
provided

For many pet owners, animals are family. On Saturday, May 30, that bond will be celebrated in a uniquely practical and heartfelt way when the Blessing of the Animals returns to Third Lutheran Evangelical Church in Rhinebeck alongside a free rabies vaccination clinic hosted by Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.

The event, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., is free for Dutchess County residents and open to dogs, cats and domestic ferrets three months and older. While the clinic itself provides an important public health service, organizers say the day has become about much more than vaccinations.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Local filmmaker Yonah Sadeh takes his lens to China

Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh on a shoot last year in New York City.

Matt Kashtan
When I was around 12, a family friend showed me how to use my family’s computer...from that point on, it was pretty much all movies. — Yonah Sadeh

Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh of Falls Village left May 8 for China, where he will shoot a short documentary.

“I got into a documentary film intensive program where we have two weeks to shoot, edit and screen a 10-minute documentary about a topic of our choosing,” he said.“I’ll be in Changsha, Hunan, making a film about a fifth-generation shadow puppet master.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Silvano Monasterios wows packed Cornwall Town Hall audience

Silvano Monasterios thrilled a sold out audience in Cornwall.

Natalia Zukerman

Grammy-nominated pianist, composer and producer Silvano Monasterios performed works from his upcoming “Solo in Paris,” his seventh album, on Sunday, May 23 at Cornwall Town Hall to a packed audience. Presented by Music Mountain in partnership with the Cornwall Town Hall and Cornwall Library, the concert showcased Monasterios’ signature fusion of sophisticated jazz harmonies and vibrant Latin rhythms. Throughout the performance, he moved seamlessly between intricate compositions and spontaneous improvisation. The concert built excitement for Music Mountain’s upcoming summer jazz series, which will bring an array of acclaimed performers to the historic venue. For more information, visit musicmountain.org

Author Courtney Maum to discuss new novel at Norfolk Library

Norfolk Library celebrates the release of Courtney Maum’s latest novel, “Alan Opts Out,” with a book launch party Tuesday, June 2, at 5:30 p.m. The author will speak about her book in conversation with WAMC radio producer Sarah LaDuke.

A graduate of Brown University with a degree in comparative literature, Maum is an acclaimed author of five books, including the romantic comedy “Touch,” a New York Times Editors’ Choice and NPR Best Book of the Year; “Costalegre;” and “I’m Having So Much Fun Without You.” Her memoir, “The Year of the Horses,” was chosen by the TODAY show as top pick for Mental Health Awareness Month. Vanity Fair listed her author’s guidebook “Before and After the Book Deal,” as a best resource for writers, and she has an eponymous Substack newsletter.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.