We had a little rain fall overnight again but it soaked right into the ground.  The cool nights have definitely helped the river temperatures.  It’s in the low 50’s this morning and feels great. We should only warm up into the high 60’s by mid afternoon.  The cooler air temps and cloud cover is a big plus for the system.  We may see a mid afternoon storm but the precipitation should only amount to 1/10th”.  That will soak into the ground too.  We have found a lot of fish eating tiny olive spinners (#24 – 26) in the afternoon.  Try a caddis first but if you get rejections you may have to go small.  Blind casting isonychias and cahills in the riffles has also produced some fish.  Morning dry fly activity has been unpredictable but nymphing before the sun hits the water has been decent.  The West Branch and Upper East Branch have been cooler than the rest of the system.  While the cool weather and clouds will help check the water temperature with a thermometer if you plan to fish the Mainstem, Lower East Branch, or lower Beaverkill.  They have been peaking in the high60’s to low 70’s in the afternoons.  The release hotline lists the release from Cannonsville as 402 cfs this morning.  We have 1 cfs more than we did this time yesterday.

Lower West Branch temps have been holding on but the cool nights really help.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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Yesterday’s weather was an interesting mix with less wind and more early clouds than forecasted.  There were some mid-day olives on some sections.  The fish were happiest during cloud cover but there were a few found in shaded areas too.  Nymphing during low light periods has been decent.  We were hit with a brief unexpected thunderstorm last night but the rain soaked right into the ground and didn’t bump the flows at all.  The air temperature dropped into the high 40’s last night which is great for the system.  This week looks great with most of the days overcast with a chance of small storms and very cool nights.  Daytime temperatures have dropped back around 8 degrees too with today’s high only around 70 degrees.  Olives, caddis, cahills, sulphurs, and isonychias are being spotted on the water at various times.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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We had a few passing showers yesterday evening but it all soaked into the ground and did not affect the flows. The forecast is calling for cooler temperatures and some cloud cover today. There’s a possibility of a few thunderstorms later in the evening. Nymphing/swinging wets is still the best option during the day and try blind casting isonychias and cahills in the riffles. Caddis, sulphurs, olives, cahills, and isonychias continue to be the best options. Get out there early in the day and stay out to last light for the best action.

Brady and Terry found fish yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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Most of the storms missed us so the river levels are very similar to yesterday.  We’ve had a little light rain overnight and this morning but even the Beaverkill only bumped a few cfs.  The cloud cover kept the temperatures in check so most rivers are starting off the same or a degree or two cooler than yesterday.  We may see a stray shower or two today but the precipitation amounts will be negligible.  Hopefully the forecast is correct and we have clouds for most of the day.  Nymphing / swinging wets has still been the best bet during the day followed by blind casting isonychias and cahills in the riffles.  We are still fishing the same mix of caddis, sulphurs, olives, cahills, and isonychias.  The cloud cover should help the dry fly fishing today hopefully giving us a little mid day action.  Early morning and evening have been the best on the bright sunny days.

Steady

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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It looks like we’re finally going to get a break from the sun today.  We should see some storms come through around lunch time.  The clouds are coming in now and it looks like a good morning to fish.  The levels are fine on all the rivers this morning. Sulphurs, isonychias, cahills, and caddis are still making up the bulk of our fishing.  We have seen some decent blue winged olives in the mix early and late in the day.  Nymphing or swinging wets has been the best day time technique but people are doing well blind fishing dries in the riffles before the hatches start.  The rain may give us some decent midday fishing on lives and isos.  Some sections are still seeing the odd gray fox and march browns hatching.  Precipitation forecasts are all over the place so right now it’s just a guess.  A lot of it should soak into the ground in the beginning.  It looks like the storms clear out tomorrow midday and we will be left with clouds.  We hope they’re right on that one.  Water temperatures have been climbing on the lower Beaverkill, lower East Branch, and lower Mainstem so use a thermometer before you fish those places.  The release from Cannonsville remains at 401 cfs this morning.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The flows look great this morning with levels decent for wading and floating.  Water temps are decent just dropping a degree from yesterday morning after a cool night.  We should have some sun today with highs approaching 80 degrees.  There may be some fish eating caddis and olives on top early, before the fog burns off.  Nymphing or blind casting isonychias in the riffles should be decent during the day before the real hatching begins.  Once the sun drops behind the hills we should see more sulphurs, cahills, and caddis hatching right into dark.  The release from Cannonsville remains at 401 cfs.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The flows have dropped back considerably over the last 24 hours.  Everything is wadeable again.  The Main may feel a little high but it should drop back to normal levels quickly.  The West Branch cleared throughout the day but still had little color in the afternoon.  Yesterday was tough one in the heat and bright sun.  The fish seemed shy when the bugs were coming off and didn’t feel comfortable until the sun dropped behind the hills.  Nymphing deep runs was probably the best bet during the daytime.  Caddis and sulphur patterns were working in the evening through dark.  Today looks better with light winds, clouds, and slight chance of rain.  The precipitation totals will be negligible.  The release from Cannonsville Reservoir is 401 cfs this morning.  It looks like Pepacton may be spilling but it is very little water.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

The West Branch came through yesterday’s storms in decent shape and is fishable this morning.  It’s off-color but may be clearer the farther upstream you go. It’s at wadeable levels this morning so all is good there. We should see our normal caddis, cahills, sulphurs, and isonychias. Streamers may be a better option than nymphs right out of the gate but there will be spots to nymph before the hatches start. The East Branch in Hancock is running dirty this morning but should start to clear as the Beaverkill drops quickly and that water flows through.  We shouldn’t see any storms today, just sunshine and air temperatures close to 80.  The release from Cannonsville is 401 cfs this morning.   We may spill later as the runoff comes across the reservoir but it will happen gradually.

Theo with a nice fish yesterday. Photo by Thorn May

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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We’re getting hit by some passing storms this morning.  So far none of the storms have lasted long but the rain has been heavy.  At 7 AM this morning all of the rivers still looked good in Hancock.  Some of the creeks are leaving a silt line at their mouths but overall they look okay.  All of the rivers in the system are rising right now but so far so good.  We may see a few more thunderstorms in the afternoon.  The forecast keeps shifting around but as of this morning Wunderground is calling for the rain around 2 PM.  The release from Cannonsville is 400 cfs this morning.  We had a bit more sun than expected yesterday and the daytime thunderstorms in the forecast failed to materialize.  People did well nymphing throughout the day despite the sunshine.  There were fish rising early before the sun hit the water and again in the evening.  Olives and Caddis mixed with a few cahills.  We are seeing Isonychias hatch so if you don’t want to nymph blind casting riffles with a bigger dry fly can be productive.  If you are fishing the lower Beaverkill, lower East Branch, or lower Mainstem in the afternoon check the water temperature with a thermometer.

So far so good on the West Branch this morning

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The release from Cannonsville has been increased to 500 cfs this morning.  The forecast changed every time we looked yesterday.  We never received any precipitation and the sun broke through the clouds mid day.  There were a fair amount of bugs hatching but a lot of the fish were shy in the low clear water.  Nymphing and swinging wets in the riffles worked.  The fish were eating on top when the sun dropped behind the hills.  Overall it was a pleasant day to be on the water.  We had the usual suspects with caddis, cahills, sulphurs, and olives.  If the forecast holds today looks like a good day.  We should see clouds and light rain amounting to less than 1/4″.  There were some olives and caddis on the water this morning and a few fish eating in the fog.

There were a few caddis on the building last night

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata (waning- mostly spinners left)
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The release from Cannonsville has been increased to 401 under Chart 4E.  The rain also gave the rivers a very slight bump but everything remains in good shape this morning.  Yesterday was a great day of comfortable air temperatures and cloud cover.  It paid to be patient but there were good numbers of fish eating caddis, olives, isonychias, and then sulphurs in the evening.  Some of the fish are getting a little picky in the low water so watch your cast and try smaller flies first.  Nymphing is still decent in the lower flows- especially with the low light conditions.   It looks like we’ll see similar weather today with less than 1/4″ of rain.  The forecast seems to be changing every time we look so keep an eye on it.

Every bump in flow is a bonus

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata (waning- mostly spinners left)
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The Cannonsville release remains at 275 cfs this morning.  We had clouds all day yesterday and a cool night so water temperatures are starting off a little lower this morning.  We’ve seen a few drops of rain this morning and may get a little over 1/4″.  That should soak into the ground and not make much of a difference in flows.  Dark Blue Sedges and Isonychias are working well right now.  Both are decent flies to blind fish through riffles too when nothing is rising.  We’re still seeing some sulphurs and cahills coming off.  Some sections may have a few Coffin Flies around so still carry a couple in case you get lucky.  Nymphing has picked up in the lower water and people are doing well on small patterns.  In heavier runs swinging Isonychia wet flies should work well today.

Theo found a nice fish yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata (waning- mostly spinners left)
Brown Drakes #10-2xl – Ephemera simulans
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Pale Evening Dun / Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Light BWO – #14 – Drunella cornuta (previously Ephemerella cornuta)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Blue Sedge – #14 – Psilotreta spp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update: