Shepaug River
by Bob Rancan
April 6, 2024
Did what has become our annual First Day of NJ Trout season escape to CT on April 6th.
Flow was fine on this rocky river: 3.26 at the gauge at Peter's Dam (209cfs) plus lots of rain runoff into the Bantam River and other creeks.
Bob Zerby was my only taker and we had an offer to join member Paul D's CT/NY AMC group and run some of the Bantam into the Shepaug but decided to run the lower Shepaug though Steep Rock Reservation. Some of the AMC group did the whole 13+ mile run as well. In other springs, even in April, there are many rocky shallows to get over but this time it was a fast, easy run.
After lunch, we stopped at the trail bridge across the river at the beginning of the famous horseshoe curve. We hiked up to the abandoned railroad tunnel that was cut through the granite hill. Since it was a warmer winter there were no sheets of ice in the tunnel, either on the walls or floor.
Even though we were on a fast-moving river, lots of birds were out and there was some good spotting. At least 3 osprey were fishing the river and there were many, many phoebes, common merganser pairs and wood ducks. At a brief pause near the end, I spotted a brown creeper working around the trunk of a tree and finally, just around the bend from the take-out was a lone Belted Kingfisher.
Lots of clouds, some sun, a good deal of wind, colder than expected but another great day!
Bob