Ken’s Fishing story: Incredible and YET so True… Most evenings, Patroon owner Ken Aretsky can be found in the restaurant’s main dining room, greeting guests and assuring that all goes off without a hitch. But even a man who loves his job as much as Ken does needs to sometimes get away from it all to relax. For Ken, that means fishing.

Fly fishing to be exact. Whether it’s a quick getaway to the Catskills to cast for trout, or a full-blown Canadian adventure to pursue massive salmon, Ken throws himself into fishing with all the gusto we see in him at Patroon. (Guests used to seeing Ken turned out for the dining room will not be surprised to learn that he is always impeccably dressed and equipped in the water, too!)

During his June salmon trip in Canada, Ken fished on the Grand Cascapedia River in Gaspe, Quebec. He caught a 26-pound Atlantic salmon on a 12’6” Sage graphite rod with a William Olsen reel for an eight-weight line. For the second year in a row, Ken caught his salmon on the last night, by the last light.

In March, Ken had an Argentinian adventure, staying at The San Huberto Lodge in Patagonia on the Malleo River, and the Tres Rios Lodge on the Chimehuin River — where he caught his 25-inch, 6-pound brown trout. He used a Hardy Princess reel with a five-weight line, on an 8’5” graphite Hardy rod.

On weekends during the fishing season, Ken can usually be found casting on the Upper Beaverkill River, or on the West, East or the Main Stem of the Delaware River. As you can see in this casual video…

Ken Fishing, small video. Click here.

So the next time you see Ken at Patroon, ask him about his latest fishing experience — if there’s one thing an angler loves almost as much as fly-fishing, it’s talking about fly-fishing!