Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day.  The weather has definitely helped the water temps and some of the rivers are peaking in the high 40’s everyday now.  The bug activity has increased.  There is a legitimate shot at catching a fish on a dry fly now.  Saying that, nymph and streamer fishing will still be way more productive.  Any dry fly action would be a gift.  If you’re stuck on dries look for the highest water temps in the system, go there, and be patient.  We need just a little more sun and warmth to get it going.  The rivers are dropping throughout the system.  That will help.
Sunny and 61 degrees today.  Winds out of the South 5 – 10 mph.  Sounds like a good day.

An unidentified angler makes his first catch of the season a paralep.  He was a fighter!

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 0 Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

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Yesterday was beautiful except we had some wind to deal with for most of the afternoon.  The water warmed up in the afternoon and we are starting off today a little warmer.  Today’s forecast looks a little better with more sun and air temperatures in the high 50’s.  Hopefully Wunderground is correct and our winds will be around 5 mph.  All of the rivers in the system are dropping this morning.  The East and West Branches are still high but the Beaverkill has dropped down to 882 cfs and is still falling.  That’s shaping up nicely.  There were definitely more active bugs yesterday with caddis, stoneflies, olives, and some blue quills in the air.  A few more degrees in water temp and things will really get going.  Streamers and nymphs are still the mainstays right now but that will change.  A couple more days f sun and warmth will really get things moving in the right direction.

The Beaverkill is shaping up nicely this morning – and peaked at 45 degrees yesterday

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

Today is going to feel like Summer out there.  50 degrees, sun, and winds around 10 mph.  It did not snow this morning.  It looks like we’ll have temps in the 50’s all week.  The East Branch and Beaverkill flows are dropping.  The flow on the West Branch has come up due to the increased amount of water spilling.  The water temperatures are still a bit cold throughout the system but a few days of warm air and sun beating down should help them climb.  The dry fly action will get better and better as the temps rise.  Starting off with streamers or nymphs is still your best bet.  The release from Cannonsville will increase in steps today and settle in at 1.499 cfs at 3 pm.

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

We have a light snow covering and wind this morning.  Wonderground is sticking to their ten day forecast and today looks like the last cold day.  Tomorrow we see sun and temps climbing into the 50’s. Hopefully they are correct and the weather sticks around for a while.  The sun and warmer air temps should help warm the water bringing out the bugs.  It looks like a good week coming our way.  The hotline says the spill over Cannonsville Reservoir is 1,341 cfs and the release is zero.  The Upper EB and Beaverkill flows are both dropping.    If we don’t get any more rain the Beaverkill should be in great wading shape in a couple of days.

Streamers and nymphs today.

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

We had a dusting of snow overnight that was just enough to cover the grass but the roads are clear.  It should melt by the early afternoon.  The weather channels still have a decent warm up coming our way Saturday.  It should be a great weekend on the water.  The East Branch and Beaverkill flows are both beginning to drop.  Pepacton is still spilling and the flow in Downsville is 1,870 cfs.  Cannonsville is also spilling and the flow in Stilesville has been falling.  This is an oddball one because the spill over the dam is 973 cfs.  The release has been decreases to 393 cfs thsi morning and will be decreases to 138 cfs today.  There is still over 1,600 cfs flowing into the reservoir from the upper WB alone so the spill should actually increase as it catches up.  The release from Cannonsville will decrease on the following schedule  10 am: 339 cfs, 1 pm: 285 cfs, 4 pm: 231, 7 pm: 184 cfs, 10 pm: 138 cfs.  It’s nice to see the release ramped down over the course of the day.

Home Pool with a light dusting this morning

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

We had a few snow showers overnight that left us with a dusting in the grass.  It won’t last long today once the air temp warms up.  We should see high 40’s today.  Wonderground has better weather arriving Saturday and sticking around.  It may be Spring now.  The flows are still up this morning but are beginning to drop back.  The Beaverkill and The WB at Stilesville are both dropping back quickly.  Stilesville is dropping because they cut the release from Cannonsville back to 1,120. It is still spilling 365 cfs this morning.  Pepacton Reservoir is spilling bringing the East Branch flow at Downsville to 2,290.  Streamers are still the best option but things look good for the next two weeks.  Water temps should climb over the weekend and it warms up and the runoff subsides.

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

It looks like both Cannonsville and Pepacton Reservoirs are spilling this morning.  We did not get the rain totals that people east of us did but we received enough.  The Beaverkill at Cooks Falls is flowing over 3,000 cfs this morning.  It will take a few days for the runoff to subside over there.  The West Branch flow just started to climb around midnight so it’s just beginning the register on the gauge at Stilesville.  There is just a lot of water out there right now so if you fish be careful.  It definitely looks like streamers on today’s menu.  There’s not a lot of precipitation in the forecast for the rest of the week and we should have a bit of a warm up on Saturday.

The East Branch at Downsville is way up this morning

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

We were missed by a lot of the rain and ice yesterday but we did not get missed by the falling air temp and wind.  As a result most of the water temps are starting off a lot lower today.  Most people fished streamers yesterday mainly because the wind made it tough to do anything else.   According to Wunderground we will see the air temp climb to almost 50 today but will not be able to shake off the wind.  Gusts are going to be pretty strong.  We should see a little over 1/2″ of rain today.  That may be enough to get both Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs spilling.  This all seems kind of crazy after seeing all the people with sunburns fishing Saturday.  If you fish today your best bet will be to nymph the upper East or throw streamers on the other sections.

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

Yesterday really did feel like Summer.  It was t shirt weather by late afternoon.  We’re hearing mixed reports but most people found some bugs.  Fish eating them seemed to be a little harder to find.  That’s not too uncommon in the beginning of the season.  Most people seemed to be sticking with streamers.  We went from Summer right back to early Spring this morning.  Air temps will be lower for the next few days.  We may see a few showers and even some freezing rain so be careful on the roads up here.   Despite the cooler night the water temps are up a little from yesterday morning.  The Beaverkill and lower East Branch flows are up a little more but are beginning to drop back.  The Upper East is still flowing under 500 cfs at Harvard.

Hatching:
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

It’s going to be a beautiful day with a high in the mid 60’s.  The Beaverkill flow is up a bit bringing the lower East Branch with it.  The West has dropped a bit with a release of 1,499 cfs and the spill dropping to 7 cfs.  Yesterday’s sunshine made the stoneflies more active with a lot of them buzzing around the river in mid-afternoon.  Caddis  and olives were mixed in after lunch too.  The higher flows on the West Branch and lower East Branch are still best for streamers and nymphs.  If you’re looking for rising fish check out the longer, slower pools and be patient.  Very patient.  The Upper East is still running low and is in good shape for nymphing.

A small dark caddis pupa could be a good nymph choice today

Hatching:

Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

According to the hotline the release from Cannonsville Reservoir is 1,499 cfs.  It is currently spilling 23 cfs.  The rain has bumped the flow in the Beaverkill which has bumped the flow in the lower East Branch.  The East Branch above the Beaverkill remains low.  It’s already warm out this morning.  We will be in the mid to high 60’s for the next two days so it will feel like Summer out there.  Streamers are still the most reliable method but there has been an increase of stonefly activity plus a few mayflies spotted.  We’re looking forward to some decent fishing over the next few days.

Have a stonefly rigged this weekend

Hatching:

Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

The release from Cannonsville Reservoir is still 1,499 cfs.  The spill has dropped to 76 cfs as the reservoir level has dropped.  On the other side of the system the level of Pepacton Reservoir has slowly been creeping up and sits at 98.9%.  The air temp should hit the mid 50’s with a light rain.  Total rainfall should be under 1/4″ so it’s shaping up to be a nice day.  Wunderground is still calling for unseasonably warm temps Friday and Saturday so the weekend looks good.  We should see some more rain push in Sunday through Monday.  The stoneflies were a little more active yesterday afternoon once the air warmed up.  Your best shot at fishing those on top are long, slow pools or back eddys.    Streamers are still your best bet right on the West Branch right now.  the EB and Beaverkill are still dropping offering a good mix of nymph and streamer fishing.

East Branch at Harvard

Hatching:

Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

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