Ed Van Put

His unending protection of fishing waters for fly fishermen in New York State. Ed, has secured more public access and special regulation water for fly fishers than any other individual. Over 70 years old and still working for the NYSDEC, Ed remains a champion for fishermen not only in the Catskills but in the entire state. Ed is an authority on Catskill rivers, a historian and author.

His first book, "The Beaverkill," first released in 1996 and later expanded & revised in 2016, is the definitive book on the famous trout stream. The follow-up "Trout Fishing in the Catskills" received similar acclaim as a must-read expansive exploration of the development of the Catskills as America's premiere fishing destination. He was a founding member of the Beamoc Chapter of Trout Unlimited, as well as a founding member of the Catskill Fly Tiers Guild. He learned to tie flies from Harry and Elsie Darbee, the noted Catskill tiers, and lives in the Catskills with his wife Judy.