Author: Jeff White

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 24, 2017

 

Yesterday was the nicest day we’ve seen all year.  Low winds, sunshine, and comfortable air temperatures.  Today looks like a mirror image but with even less wind.  1 mph mid day from the East climbing to 8 mph in the evening.  It’s going to be a great day on the water.  The rivers are dropping back and there are a few people wading some sections.  Streamers are still catching fish and we are seeing hendricksons, blue quills, and black caddis.  The early hatches can be a bit sporadic in the beginning as they grow so be patient out there looking for risers.

Dave with a nice fish from the weekend.  Photo by Dan Treadwell

Dave with a nice fish from the weekend. Photo by Dan Treadwell

Hatching:
Hendrickson – #12 – 14 – Ephemerella subvaria
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,690 cfs
48°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 2,800 cfs
43°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 749 cfs 44°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,630 cfs
48°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 5,770 cfs
47°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 761 cfs 48°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,499 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 44°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,560 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 100.6%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 99.3%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 23, 2017

We found fish eating streamers and dry flies yesterday.  It was a bit chilly in the afternoon but the bugs and fish didn’t seem to mind.  White streamers worked well and for dry flies fish were hooked on blue quills and even hendricksons in some spots.  It looked like the true start of the dry fly fishing.  We should see that improve even  more over the next week as the water drops, air temperatures increase, and water temperatures continue to rise.  Today looks absolutely beautiful with air temperatures in the 60’s, sunshine, and very light winds.   Wading will be safest and best still on the Beaverkill and Willowemoc.  There are a few spots on the Delaware you can get out a bit and fish but you will definitely increase your chances of success by fishing from a boat.  It’s so nice to see rising fish after that cold, cold March.

 

Tim with a dry fly caught rainbow yesterday.  Photo by Bruce Miller

Tim with a dry fly caught rainbow yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Hendrickson – #12 – 14 – Ephemerella subvaria
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,770 cfs
45°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 3,110 cfs
42°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 838 cfs 42°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,840 cfs
45°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 6,650 cfs
44°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 870 cfs 44°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,499 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 43°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,560 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 100.6%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 99.3%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 22, 2017

The East Branch came through the storms in good shape and the West Branch has cleared up nicely overnight.  Both rivers look great this morning.  All of the rivers are running high and are definitely fishable from a boat.  If you are looking to wade your best options are the upper Beaverkill and the Willowemoc.  We are doing well on streamers in the high water.  You may see some dry fly activity in the big, slow pools but streamers are the way to go today.  White has been the color.  If you happen to see a rising fish we are still seeing olives, blue quills, black caddis, and early stoneflies.  Today feels like Spring with air temperatures in the low 50’s, winds 10 mph and below, and some great cloud cover.  We shouldn’t see any additional rain today.

 

Tim found a few fish yesterday on streamers.  Photo by Bruce Miller

Tim found a few nice fish yesterday on streamers. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,670 cfs
46°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 3,450 cfs
44°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 937 cfs 46°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 2,180 cfs
48°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 7,950 cfs
48°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 1,120 cfs 48°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,499 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 46°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,850 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 100.6%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 99.3%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 21, 2017

We were hit with a couple of decent storms overnight.  The rivers are up this morning.  We have a lot of color in the West Branch but it looks fishable with streamers.  The West should begin to clear up by this evening.  Some of the feeder creeks have color while others look fine.   We may see a little additional rain today but it shouldn’t amount to more than a sprinkle.  The weather looks clear until Tuesday.  Wading is not an option but boating is fine if you’re confident rowing the higher flows.    The feeder creeks should peak and begin to drop today.  We may see the spill increase.  This could turn out to be a decent streamer day and weekend.  Hopefully we see a larger flush of alewives coming over Cannonsville today as the reservoir inflow increases.

 

Steve with a nice streamer brown yesterday.  Photo by Bob Lewis

Steve with a nice streamer brown yesterday. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 859 cfs
42°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 4,660 cfs
42°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 973 cfs 47°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,770 cfs
47°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 5,270 cfs
49°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 1,070 cfs 50°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,238 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 46°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 2,050 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 100.1%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 99.2%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 20, 2017

The rain moved through yesterday and the rivers bumped a little overnight. We had some wind in the morning but by late afternoon it calmed down. We’re in great shape this morning and the West Branch is clear.  Air temperatures should be in the low 60’s with some good cloud cover.  Winds are negligible staying under 10 mph.  We may see some showers but it looks like the potential is greatest after dark.  Streamers and nymphs have been producing well.  Today looks like a great dryfly day with the combination of low wind and cloud cover.  We’ve been seeing a mix of blue quills, quill gordons, olives, and stoneflies (plus the oddball hendrickson in some sections).

 

Definitely bring your blue quill patterns today

Definitely bring your blue quill patterns today

Hatching:
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 805 cfs
41°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,550 cfs
43°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 620 cfs 44°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,310 cfs
47°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 3,600 cfs
47°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 560 cfs 48°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,238 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 43°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 795 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 100.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 99.6%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 19, 2017

Yesterday turned out to be as beautiful as advertised.  Great sun, warm temperatures and manageable winds all day long.  We saw a nice mix of caddis, blue quills, and stoneflies in the late afternoon.  Some people found some targets on top after lunch into the evening.  Streamers are still producing and the nymphing is really picking up as the blue quill and hendrickson nymphs get more active and ready to hatch.  We have some rain in the forecast this afternoon and tomorrow.  Looking at the radar it seems to be scattered storms so it’s tough to tell exactly how much we will get.    The wind should pick up when the front comes through late in the day and then drop back down.  This is great for the river system.  We always hope for a cool wet Spring to augment releases under the FFMP and overall that seems to be what we’re getting right now.  If enough rain falls and reservoir spill increases we may have a nice mix of alewife fishing and dry fly action this weekend.

 

Mainstem water temperatures are looking great for mid April

Mainstem water temperatures are looking great for mid April

Hatching:
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 818 cfs
41°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,430 cfs
42°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 601 cfs 44°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,230 cfs
48°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 3,320 cfs
48°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 473 cfs 48°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,238 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 42°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 639 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 100.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 99.6%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 18, 2017

The good news is we are seeing some blue quills mixed with the olives and quill gordons.  Looking at the flows and water temperatures it seems like we are right on the edge of great dry fly fishing.  Yesterday should have happened on top but the wind gusts made it tough. There were some one timers but the fish didn’t get the opportunity to get steady. Streamers are still working well and some nice fish were landed.  Today looks incredible with air temperatures close to 60 degrees and winds gusting to 6 0r 7 mph.  Water temperatures look great this morning and will climb nicely in the sunshine.  Today should fish really well and we expect to find rising fish.  We have some clouds and rain in the forecast beginning tomorrow.

 

Chris with a nice streamer fish yesterday.  Photo by Jared Makowski

Chris with a nice streamer fish yesterday. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 901 cfs
42°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,560 cfs
41°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 625 cfs 43°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,300 cfs
47°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 3,600 cfs
50°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 531 cfs 48°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,238 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 42°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 723 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 100.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 99.8%

Cannonsville Update 4/17/2017

 Everything looks fine.  here’s an update from DEP
Monday, April 17, 2017 10:03 AM
Good morning! I hope everyone got outside and enjoyed the nice weather over the weekend.
 
I’ve received several calls this morning from folks who wondered why DEP cut down the release from Cannonsville Reservoir, and what they can expect later today and this week.
 
The release from Cannonsville will be temporarily shut off this morning while our engineers perform their annual test of gates at the release chamber. This is normal maintenance work that they perform every April. This test was planning in conjunction with state DEC, and the Decree Party states were informed of the annual gate test as well.
 
While the release is shut down this morning, about 130 mgd (200 cfs) will continue to flow over the spillway. The release will be turned back on by early afternoon. That usually happens sometime between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.  At that point the release from Cannonsville will be 700 mgd (1,080 cfs).
 
As always, feel free to give me a ring at the office number below if you have any questions.
 
Best,
Adam
 
__________________________________________________________­­­­____________________
Adam Bosch | Director of Public Affairs | NYC Environmental Protection | Bureau of Water Supply
(O) 845 334-7868| boscha@dep.nyc.gov
 
Please follow our new NYC Watershed FACEBOOK page by clicking here.

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 17, 2017

Update

They are currently testing some safety equipment at Cannonsville Dam so the release has been cut.  Once the testing is over this afternoon the release will be increased back to normal.  We still have runoff pushing through the system so there is water in the river and everything will be fine.    We were hit with some good thunderstorms yesterday evening with high winds and brief heavy rains.  The rivers are clear this morning and looking good.  The rain didn’t seem to last long enough to muddy anything up.  Today looks nice with high air temperatures approaching 60 with a mix of sun and clouds.  We may have some wind gusts approach 15 mph but that seems pretty normal for April weather on the Delaware and shouldn’t affect the fish.  The wind will be a pleasant 6 mph when it isn’t gusting.

 

All of us took yesterday off to be with family so here's Ben with a nice fish from Saturday.  Photo by Bruce Miller

All of us took yesterday off to be with family so here’s Ben with a nice fish from Saturday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 207 cfs
42°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,080 cfs
42°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 712 cfs 46°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,450 cfs
52°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 4,090 cfs
50°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 634 cfs 53°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release  cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 44°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 882 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 101.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 100.3%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 16, 2017

We had some wind yesterday but that didn’t prevent people from catching fish.  Streamers produced fish and some people landed a few fish on dry flies too.  Water temperatures look great and the flows are dropping down to manageable levels.  There are a few spots people are now wading the West Branch and nymphing has picked up.  We saw olives mixed with the stoneflies on the water yesterday.  The weather looks pretty normal for April over the next week with air temperatures in the 50’s.  The hatching should improve by next weekend offering better dry fly shots.  We may get a thunderstorm today that will drop just under 1/4″ of rain.

 

Dave with a West Branch brown.  Photo by Bruce Miller

Dave with a West Branch brown. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,190 cfs
42°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,910 cfs
41°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 810 cfs 42°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,510 cfs
46°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 4,380 cfs
45°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 607 cfs 48°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,496 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 41°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 833 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 101.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 100.3%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 15, 2017

The rivers are dropping quickly and the water temperatures are climbing.  Things are looking good for this coming week.  The nights have been cool but the days have been beautiful.  We are starting off with sunshine this morning but we may see some clouds move in and a light shower this afternoon.  late tonight / tomorrow looks like the best chance of rain with around 1/4″ predicted.  Wind gusts will be around 12 mph today so definitely manageable and very Delaware Spring like.
The rivers fished well yesterday with most fish landed on streamers but there are people finding fish eating dries here and there.  That will  improve over the next couple of days as the water temperatures climb.  The Beaverkill system is still your best bet for wading.

 

Dan with a healthy looking fish yesterday.  Photo by Bruce Miller

Dan with a healthy looking fish yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,340 cfs
41°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 2,140 cfs
40°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 973 cfs 40°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,670 cfs
44°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 4,900 cfs
44°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 662 cfs 44°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,504 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 40°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 877 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 101.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 100.3%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 14, 2017

Yesterday’s wind seemed quite a bit stronger than the forecast called for but fish were landed.  Cannonsville, Pepacton, and Neversink Reservoirs are all still spilling but the levels are dropping and we should see that end over the next few days if we don’t get additional precipitation.  The river levels are dropping back too but the best wading today will be on the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers.  The East, West, and Main are in perfect shape for boating.  There are still alewives in the system and we’re seeing some caddis mixed with the stoneflies and olives.  Streamers are still your best bet but bring a dry fly rod just in case.  The rising will get more consistent as the water temperatures rise over the next week.  Winds should be lower today and air temperatures in the high 50’s.  We do have a possibility of some rain tomorrow.

 

Patrick with one of his fish yesterday.  Photo by Bob Lewis

Patrick with one of his fish yesterday. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,650 cfs
39°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 2,490 cfs
39°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 1,260 cfs 39°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,940 cfs
42°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 5,770 cfs
42°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 756 cfs 43°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,490 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge  N/A 39°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,230 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 102%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 100.4%
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