Come spend the day with Juliana’s at one of Westchester’s best local trout fisheries! At more than 4,000 acres, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation is Westchester County’s largest park, with miles of wooded trails, beautiful streams, and plenty to explore. The Cross River and Stone Hill River wind through the reservation and are home to native brook trout and regularly stocked brown trout. The park is also a frequent destination for several Juliana’s members and is only about an hour from Manhattan.
We’ll kick things off at 8:30 AM, meeting at Kimberly Bridge to fish the Cross River. Please note that anyone arriving after 9:00 AM will be subject to the park’s $10 entrance fee. We’ll spend the morning working the river before breaking for lunch at one of the nearby picnic areas. Anglers will bring their own lunches and beverages.
After lunch, members can take some time to explore the reservation — including a visit to the Trailside Nature Museum, or a little birding and butterflying in the nearby meadow. We’ll then head back to the river and fish a downstream section of the Cross River, where the stream becomes more wooded and offers a different setting for the afternoon.
This will be a casual, self-guided outing with no guide or set itinerary. Come for the whole day or join us for whatever portion works for you. Everyone is welcome, but please remember that a valid NYS fishing license is required. For anglers coming from the city, you can take Metro-North to the Katonah station, and a fellow Juliana’s angler can pick you up at the station and bring you to the park. Please coordinate with us in advance if you plan to take the train.
What to Bring
Flies: November fishing in the Croton watershed can mean a little bit of everything, so come prepared with a good variety of flies. Nymphing will likely be the name of the game, particularly in the deeper runs and slower water, but it’s worth having a few streamers and small dries ready to go if conditions change.
Recommended flies:
Pheasant Tail nymphs
Hare’s Ear nymphs
Walt’s Worms and other general-purpose nymphs
Small dark stonefly nymphs / Pat’s Rubber Legs
Zebra Midges and other small midge patterns
Blue-winged olives and small BWO nymphs/emergers
Egg patterns in natural/peach tones
Woolly Buggers in black, olive, and brown
Smaller streamers and sculpin patterns
For stoneflies, a few larger, heavily weighted patterns can make good anchor flies, while smaller Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, and midges can be used as droppers. If the water is clear and low, don’t overlook the smaller stuff — there's typically great late-season action on small nymphs and midges, sometimes down into the #18–22 range. And definitely bring a few Woolly Buggers and other streamers. November can be a good time to swing or slowly strip a streamer through deeper pools and along structure, particularly if there has been recent rain or the water has a little color.
Fishing gear: 4- or 5-weight rod and matching reel, 5x leader/tippet, waders and boots, net, wading staff, nippers, hemostat, hat, layers, and polarized sunglasses.
Come fish, eat, explore, and enjoy a great day on the water with the Juliana’s!
Date: Sunday October 25th, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM
Cost: Free