how to catch larger fish on the esopus?

i fish the esopus very often but rarely pull anything out over 14 inches. anyone have any ideas on how to hook a larger fish?

Late in the season before it closes, small numbers of larger browns come up the river to prepare to spawn. Unfortunately the rover closes when the bulk of the "run" takes place. In the spring after opening day you might luck out and get a large rainbow that has not dropped back after finishing spawning. My grandpa used to go there for opening day and he caught some huge rainbows. I think that they are spawning earlier and by April 1st they are mostly back in the lake.

If you are catching fish up to 14" there you're doing alright. That river has always been a "nursery" for the reservoir below. There are tons of fish there though.

I've had luck swinging big streamers deep through the deeper pools. I first tried this after watching a bait guy hammer big rainbows on minnows. He was live rigging them and bouncing them along the bottom. I've also had some luck with the brownies in late fall. I swing big streamers through the tailouts and nymph the pockets. Otherwise it seems the Esopus is loaded with 8' rainbows and 12" browns. Not that there is anything wrong with that...

Arron beat me to it by three minutes. haha

this is one of my favorite rivers to fish beacause of the numbers of fish and the fact i live about 10 minutes from it but who dosnt want to catch bigger fish lol. thanks for the advice guys

i agree catskill fly man the esopus is hands down the best place to catch fish in the catskills. I have noticed this year the wild bow population is way down from those floods we had last winter and fall. This this year i have caught some of my largest browns in their. i rencently hear the dec is lowering the creel limit from 5 to 3 this year because of studies that showed the fish populatrions are way down from last year. But with even all the troubles the esopus has had, you can still kill them in there.

caught my first bow this year 2 days ago 13 incher to also caught a 16 inch brownie out of the same pocket. and with the preasure the fish receive is way less than that beaverkill lol even tho fish size on average there is larger who cares i just enjoy catching good numbers of fish on a river 10 minutes from home.

How did you catch'em?

I bet my money that he was nymphing when he caught them! The Esopus is nymphing paradise.

the bow was on a very simple bwo and the brown was on a prince nymph they were caught down towards the resivior b4 the 5 archs behind a huge bolder in deep water.