May 15, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 15, 2018

The bugs were back yesterday with people finding good numbers of hendricksons, blue quills, olives, and caddis.  The sun was out and it was actually hot out there for a while.  The sunshine did push the water temperatures up and they are starting off a little higher this morning.  The flows are dropping throughout the system.  The East Branch, Beaverkill, and parts of the Mainstem are the easiest to wade but people are finding their way out on the West Branch.  The air temp will be in the high 70’s today with some afternoon thunderstorms.  It’s always tough to tell if the thunderstorms will hit us or slide a bit north.  We’ll do an afternoon update if conditions change.

Larry fighting a fish yesterday. Photo by Art Bartholomew

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #20 – 26 – Psuedo sp. (
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 14, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 14, 2018

Yesterday was cool and wet out there.  There wasn’t heavy rain but it was just heavy enough to soak you.  The cooler water temperatures have slowed the hatching a bit but there were a lot of olives in some sections.  The water temps didn’t climb as high or fast as we’ve seen lately.  It took a while for the fish to react but there were risers later in the afternoon.  Olives were the main hatch with some blue quills and hendricksons mixed in some sections.  Today will be totally different with the air temp going up to 72 degrees.  We’ll have clouds and fog this morning but the sun should poke through in the late afternoon.  Winds will be low around 5 mph.  The flows have dropped a bit and the Beaverkill, upper East Branch, and lower East Branch are looking good for wading.  The West Branch is still running over 1,000 cfs but people are wading it in spots.  The warmer air temps and light wind should make the caddis more active this afternoon.

Bruce braving the rain yesterday. Photo by Art Bartholomew

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #20 – 26 – Psuedo sp. (
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 13, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 13, 2018

It rained steadily for most of the day yesterday.  We didn’t see a real heavy period, just a steady light rain.  All of the rivers seemed to come through it fine.  Some sections are up a few cfs and some are down a few cfs but basically they are starting off where they were yesterday morning.  Some sections saw decent numbers of olives during the rain.  Add your Pseudo box to your bag.    Today will be warmer with an air temperature in the mid 50’s.  The cloud cover should stick around all day with just a light shower or two in the evening.  It looks like a good day to be on the water.  If you’re fishing the lower Main or lower East Branch put a March Brown or two in your bag.  Nothing to really speak of yet but they can’t be far off on the warmer rivers.  This whole week looks good with intermittent rain, cloud cover, a little sun, and warmer air temps.

Dave with one from the weekend. Photo by Samantha Dennis

The West came through the rain just fine

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #20 – 26 – Psuedo sp. (
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 12, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 12, 2018

There was decent hatching yesterday but the wind did not help the fishing.  Hendicksons, caddis, and blue quills made up most of the menu.  There are a lot of different caddis on the water so carry a good array of different sizes and colors.  The apple caddis are so thick on some sections you’ll need to wash your windshield at the end of the day.  The river flows have been falling and there are now more wade opportunities.  Some spots on the Mainstem and West Branch are wadeable and the Beaverkill is down to 670 cfs.  Today is going to be cooler with the air temp peaking in the low 50’s.  We should have rain all day.  The total rainfall may be close to .5″ but it should be spread out over 12 hours.  Wind should be 5 – 10 mph which is a definite improvement over yesterday.

Dean Henry Jr with a hendrickson eater. Photo by Dean Henry Sr

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 11, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 11, 2018

We were hit with two brief but heavy storms yesterday but everything came through fine and the rivers are in good shape this morning.  The West Branch and Beaverkill flows are already dropping back.  The lower East Branch and Mainstem should peak and begin dropping by the afternoon.  Water temperatures are still looking fine.  The hatching was decent yesterday both before and after the evening storm.  Some sections fished better so if you don’t see much happening keep moving after giving a spot a fair chance.  There are a lot of caddis around so keep an eye out for one or two time risers that you can target.  Blue quills, hendricksons , and olives showed in good numbers too.  We have some sun this morning but should see some clouds cover by late afternoon.  There were some hendrickson and blue quill spinners last night so don’t get off the water too early.

Bob Lewis again this week

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 10, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 10, 2018

Lots of sun yesterday.  It took a little longer for the bugs to show up.  Apple caddis and hendricksons are still the main hatches with blue quills, little black caddis, olives, and dark grannom caddis in the mix.  Nymphing and swinging wets and pupa are a good bet in the sun until the fish start eating on top.  There are a lot of egg laying caddis in the evening.  Some people are finding fish eat them and others are not.  If you see a lot on the water and no fish rising keep moving until you do find them.
The West Branch at Stilesville finally hit 50 degrees and Hale Eddy is so close peaking at 49.  The West Branch release was cut back to 1,034 cfs and is beginning to look good.  The East Branch at Harvard is dropping slowly and is 714 cfs.  The Beaverkill is a very wade friendly 568 cfs this morning.  Today looks like a much better weather day.   Our sun should give way to clouds and a little rain before noon.  Total precipitation will be around 1/4″  Winds will be around 10 mph but that’s a small price to pay for the clouds and rain.  The long term forecast shows clouds and rain through mid next week.

Bob Lewis with one in the net

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 9, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 9, 2018

Hendricksons, olives, and apple caddis.  There was an unbelievable amount of bugs out there yesterday.  Some of the fish were eating on top, some of the fish were eating underneath.  Some were easy, some were tough.  It was a fun day to be on the water.  Hendrickson emergers worked well but there were a lot of egg laying caddis around.  Today will be mostly sunny, 72 degrees, with wind around 5 mph.  It’s going to be a beautiful day on the water.  The Beaverkill flow has dropped back to a decent wading level and looks good.  The release from Cannonsville Dam has been dropped to 1190 cfs with only 91 cfs coming over the spillway.  We may see a few thunderstorms tomorrow  bu they are usually wrong about that.  It does mean we should have some decent cloud cover.  The precipitation forecast is only .12″ so it should do much to the flows.

Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 8, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 8, 2018

The fish were looking up yesterday.  It sounded like most people found fish eating hendricksons or apple caddis off the surface.  Last night we heard the reports we’ve been expecting every day for the last two weeks.  You still need to look for the warmer water temps but the fish are finally happy.  Finally.  We’re starting off with a little more sun today but the air temperature should be about the same as yesterday.  We may get an afternoon shower with a .01″ of accumulation.  That pretty much just gives us cloud cover.  Wind will be 5 mph out of the south.  Today looks really good.

We could have skipped the written report today and just filled it with yesterdays fish pictures.  Finally.

Nick having a good birthday yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

I think Ted is happy. Photo by Fred Nelson

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 14 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 7, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 7, 2018

The rain fell steady for most of yesterday.  Even though it was a light rain for most of the day it was a soaker.  A good day to have two raincoats because the first one will soak through.  The rain was a little heavier later in the day but the rivers held up well.  Streamers worked well on some river sections and there were some fish landed on dries. Overall it looked like a tough day. Today we go back to warmer air temps with sunshine in the afternoon.  The water temps dropped a little overnight but will come up quickly with the afternoon sun.  The flows are up slightly but nothing crazy.  The Beaverkill only increased 250 cfs and is already dropping this morning.  The West Branch may begin to rise later in the day if the spill increases as the runoff makes it’s way across the reservoir but so far that only looks like a few hundred cfs.  Right now the spill in only 149 cfs so there may not be much of a change.  The rest of the week looks great with a couple of days of light rain but no real accumulation in the forecast.

Peter with a good one in the rain. Photo by Bruce Miller

Tim in between rain drops. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 16 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 6, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 6, 2018

Yesterday was a repeat of the last few days.  Fish were landed on dries, streamers, and nymphs.  People are catching fish on river sections that have hendricksons hatching and people are also catching fish on river sections that haven’t seen a lot of hendricksons yet.  This is feeling like the kind of year you need all of your boxes with you because it will be bug soup soon.  The early bugs will overlap and be a little out of order but eventually we will settle down into the normal hatch progression.  An don’t overlook the caddis right now…

We have a light rain and overcast sky this morning.  It will be a little cooler with an afternoon high around 60 degrees.  It looks like the rain will continue and be light for most of the day with an accumulation of a little over 1/4″.  The ground should soak a lot of that up with the trees and bushes budding.

Theo looked happy yesterday

Peter and Bruce found fish yesterday. Photo by Tim Glynn

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 16 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Dark Brachycentrus sp.
Apple Caddis – #16 – 18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Early Black Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 5, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 5, 2018

Most of the thunderstorms missed us yesterday.  We had the cloud cover and wind gusts from them but not much else until 8:30.  At that time we were hit by a pretty violent one that lasted less than 15 minutes.  Everything came through fine.  The rivers are in great shape this morning.  Flows are still dropping.  Cannonsville and Pepacton are both still spilling but that is coming close to an end as long as we don’t get any rain storms over the next few days.  We’re still fishing a mix of nymphs, streamers, and dry flies.  There are more hendricksons showing up every day along with blue quills and caddis.  We have sun this morning that may give way to some afternoon clouds.  The wind should drop in the afternoon.

Geoff on the West Branch. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 16 –  E. subvaria
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
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:

May 4, 2018

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 4, 2018

Yesterday’s brief, heavy rain didn’t affect the flows.  The Beaverkill is starting off the same as yesterday morning while the East Branch, West Branch, and Mainstem all dropped slightly overnight.  The only river that had an increase in flow is the West Branch above Cannonsville Reservoir.  The best wading is going to be on the Beaverkill and Willowemoc.  There are some places on the other rivers that are wadeable in high water – just look for the big pools with gravel bars and wide tailouts.  Just be careful.  There were some fish landed on dry flies yesterday but not as many as we expected.  A lot of came to the net on nymphs and streamers.  Everyday we expect these rivers to break wide open with dry fly fishing.  It’s been getting better gradually but it has to be close to being great.  Water temperatures are looking good and have been holding for a couple of days.  We may see a thunderstorm today but the forecasted rain totals are less than 1/4″.  The air temp will be in the high 70’s o we will get a little fog on the river if it rains.

Kevin with a  brown.  Photo by Bruce

Tony with a nice rainbow yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson  #12 – 16 –  E. subvaria (Just starting)
Blue Quills #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
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: