Monday April 1st-Opening Day is finally here! The last three months have slowly come and gone, it is now time to hit the local streams & reservoirs. Make sure you have both valid NY Fishing LIcense & Watershed Access Permits. Both links can be found on the left side of this website. We are stocked with all the early season flies you need, plus new 2013 rods & reels. If you are looking to get into fly fishing, call us for our beginner schools & instruction. For all the live bait & tackle you need, remember Cross River Bait & Tackle is open early and loaded up for the season. Call 914.763.6083 for spring hours. We hope you can get out and enjoy the great fishing this spring season, july & august dog days come sooner than you think!

We have another driving tour-This Sunday, March 3rd from 10am-1pmish, we will take a driving tour throughout the Croton Watershed Trout Stream area.  This is a great overview for people who are new to the area, learn where the local streams are and learn where some of the great local hotspots exist. We have great freestone & tailwater action within 20 minutes of our store, and we will do our best to make sure you know where to go come opening day. $75 per person, we are limited to 6 spots, two trucks with 3 people in each. Please RSVP bedfordsportsman@aol.com or call 914.666.8091 cash/check only.

Chapter Meeting January 24, 2013 This is a special date! Time: 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Date: January 24, 2013 Place:Emmanuel Lutheran Church 197 Manville Road Pleasantville, NY Need Directions call The Bedford Sportsman 914.666.8091 2013 starts with a bang! Our featured speaker will be noted guide and friend-of-the-chapter Eric Stroup. We’re moving the meeting back one week to the 4th Thursday in January to coincide with the Somerset Fly Fishing Show. Eric will be speaking about southwest Montana’s Ruby River, a river that he has guided for several years.   The Ruby is a spectacular small river fishery located in the beautiful Ruby Valley, just 30 minutes west of Ennis, MT and an hour from Bozeman, MT. For such a small body of Eric, left, with a satisfied client. water, it holds suprisingly large trout.   Dominated by browns, most of the fish run between 14-18″ with fish over 20″ a real possibility. The ruby is also a fickle river. It runs the spectrum from blazing hot to icy cold. Although the Ruby is not as famous as some of its larger neighbors, it is one of the regions top Montana fly fishing rivers.   It’s a river that is near and dear to Eric for many reasons, and one that you will surely want to hear about and plan a visit to.   As founder, owner and operator of the Spruce Creek Fly Co, Eric has solidified his reputation as one of the premier guides on Pennsylvania’s limestone creeks.   Eric’s knowledge and passion extends well beyond guiding. As the official instructor of the Regal Engineering Fly Tying School in Pennsylvania, Eric has the opportunity to share in his knowledge of fly tying and the entomology that enhances any Eastern Fly Fishing experience. His tying techniques are also available on his DVD, ‘Practical Fly Patterns that Catch Trout’ Volume I & II, with fly fishing great, Charlie Meck.   An accomplished author, writer and presenter with feature articles in Fly Fisherman Magazine and Eastern Fly Fishing, Eric Stroup offers the Total Fly Fishing Experience. Look for Eric’s first book COMMON-SENSE FLY FISHING: 7 SIMPLE LESSONS TO CATCH MORE TROUT.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND HAVE A HAPPY & SAFE NEW YEAR! THANKS TO ALL FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR OF FISHING AND MEETING NEW FRIENDS IN THE STORE AND ON THE WATER. LET’S HOPE FOR A GREAT 2013. TIGHT LINES!!!!

The recent Albacore Tuna fishing has been on fire! Here are a few nice photos of some of buddies landing the little tunny speedsters. Get out on the water now, don’t miss the great fall action!!!! Get up to Watch Hill RI, or book a guided light tackle trip here in the Long Island Sound with Capt. Mike Platt of Light Bite Chaters. Call us for more info.

Our favorite time of year is upon us, the fall season has arrived and there is plenty of action around!  The local streams have been fishing very nicely throughout the month of September, the East Branch in Brewster has plenty of active fish taking flies on the surface and nymphing. Large attractor dry fly patterns-Caddis, Adams, Wuulf’s, etc. coupled with a small flashy nymph size 16,18 off the back has been a deadly combo. Terrestrials (ants, beetles) have been another great topwater offering, throw them near the banks and pay attention, quick strikes mean lots of lost fish if you are not paying attention……..REMEMBER TO RENEW YOUR FISHING LICENSE, THE 2012 LICENSE EXPIRES ON 9/30…….The reservoir smallmouth fishing has picked up, slow rollin’ soft plastics and jigs have been waking up the bronzebacks, fall is agreat time to fish for the smallies and some cruising trout in not so deep water. Our Cross River location sells all the bait & tackle if you want to dunk sawbellies or worms, call them at 914.763.6083 for fall weekend hours……..Last but not least-The saltwater report thankfully has been buzzing in the shop and on the shorelines of Rhode Island & Montauk! Good baitfish numbers have the shoreline & inshore anglers active cruising for striped bass, bluefish & our speedy albacore tuna! Call us for a fishing report, or if you are looking for inshore light tackle, fly or bait guided 1/2 day trips, we can hook you up with the right Captain’s. Stay tuned for upcoming sale & Oktoberfest celebration at The Bedford Sportsman, always a great time at the shop!

We apologize for the lack of updates recently, the fishing season is well underway and May is the month to hit the streams, the reservoir’s and the saltwater!  I would like to give big shout-out’s to the angler photos below-George West with a nice spring striper,  Bryan C. with a nice brown trout in hand & steelhead from up north on the Salmon River, and finally to Ben Colley with the biggest baddest (locally caught on a fly rod) Brown Trout we have seen in a loooooooong time!….Nice Job boys, please keep the photo’s coming! The local streams are all fishing very nicely right now, we had some excellent dry fly fishing the past few weeks due to the low water, but the recent rain has gotten the “nymph-o-maniacs” back into the action. Safe to say that an abundance of Caddis nymphs, emergers and dries should be in the box-tan, olive and grey lead the way. Look out for the pale Mayflies arriving soon, we have seen some popping out here and there, Cahill’s, Sulphers, Pale Evening Dun’s are just around the corner…………Reservoir bass and trout bite has picked up recently, dunk some sawbelly’s for the trout, or fish crankbaits and jerkbaits for the bass, we will say it ’til we drop-MAY IS THE MONTH!!!!! We have recently opened up a sister location CROSS RIVER BAIT & TACKLE-yep you know it, the place on Rte. 35 that has been there for years! We are stocked with LIVE BAIT & WORMS for all the bait fisherman, plus the tackle shop has all the rods, reels & lures you need to fish the local waters Call us at 914.763. 6083 for directions………The Saltwater scene has kicked into gear, The Hudson River & The Long Island Sound are heating up with Striped Bass on the move. Remember, we can book you with great local Capt.’s for striped bass & bluefishing, do it in the month of May or June!!!! Well,all we can say is get out and wet the line, the dog days of summer will be here soon so fish now!!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE BEDFORD SPORTSMAN THIS  MARCH & APRIL -PLEASE NOTE ALL EVENTS ARE FREE UNLESS NOTED, YOU MUST RSVP FOR THESE EVENTS. CONTACT THE STORE AT 914.666.8091 OR EMAIL bedfordsportsman@aol.com

This Saturday, April 14^th 1pm “SUCCESFUL FLY PATTERNS OF THE LOCAL CROTON WATERSHED TROUT STREAM SYSTEM.” Trout Unlimited President and fly tier Bob Wesolowski will be here to tie a handful of fly patterns that catch fish! Streamer, nymph, dry & wet fly patterns will all be represented. Bob teaches the trout unlimited fly tying school and has the recipes that will put more fish in hand.

Sunday, April 15th 9am-1pm BEDFORD SPORTSMAN BEGINNER FLY FISHING SCHOOLS START. Winter is over, you have hopefully taken advantage of some of our seminars & driving tours, now it’s time to fish! Join us for a 4-hour intro fly fishing school designed to get you rigged & casting for trout. We cover: equipment & rigging, basic fly fishing knots and casting technique. We meet here at the store for an hour covering the rod/reel and knots portion, then off to a pond for basic casting instruction, finally we put you on the stream casting and fishing both wet & dry flies. That’s when the fun really starts! $175 per person, only $225 total if you have two people! We supply everything, dress for the weather. Please call us 914.666.8091 or bedfordsportsman@aol.com. FUTURE SCHOOL DATES INCLUDE SUNDAY 4/22.