Author: Jeff White

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 3, 2019

Yesterday was a pleasant one in between wind gusts.  Once the sun popped out and the gusts stopped in the afternoon it felt good to be outside.  The forecast has changed slightly and we have a couple more days of cold nights ahead of us before we warm up a bit.  It is beautiful out this morning but there will be some strong winds coming through by lunch time.  The water temps are up a bit from yesterday morning and should climb throughout the day with the sunshine.  Nymphs and streamers will be your best bets in the wind today.  Most of the nymph fish are coming on flies that match the size of the naturals although some people are getting a few on larger nymphs like Pat’s Rubber Leg.  Both tightline and indicator nymphing seem to work fine right now.

 

Finally some signs of Spring in the Catskills

Finally some signs of Spring in the Catskills

Hatching:
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (light hatching)
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 669 cfs 37°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,050 cfs 39°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 382 cfs 39°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,850 cfs 39°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 3,690 cfs 40°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 1,070 cfs 34°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 600 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 38°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,440 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 98.6%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 97.8%

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 2, 2019

The cold nights and lack of sun over the last two days have dropped the water temps throughout the system.  They’ll take a little longer to warm up this afternoon.  The flows are dropping slowly as the runoff subsides.  We should be dry for the next couple of days with cool nights and warm days but we are on a warming trend.  Typical for April.  Nymphs and streamers will probably be the most effective methods.  Keep switching patterns until you find what the fish are looking for.  The wind should peak around 12 mph today.  There should be some dry fly shots in the late afternoon in protected areas and in between wind gusts.  If you see a fish rise cover it.  They can still be a little sporadic this time of year depending on the bugs.

Hale Eddy is dropping to a more manageable level

Hale Eddy is dropping to a more manageable level

Hatching:
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (light hatching)
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 669 cfs 37°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,140 cfs 37°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 456 cfs 36°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 2,180 cfs 37°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 3,160 cfs 37°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 1,070 cfs 34°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 600 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 34°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,650 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 98.2%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 97.2%

 

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 1, 2019

Yesterday was chilly and windy.  We saw a few snow flakes go by.  That made fishing tough but it did pay off for some people.   Nymphing was the probably the best strategy for most of the day but the streamer bite picked up in the afternoon.  The wind did not help the sporadic dry fly fishing we’ve had over the last few days.  Definitely carry your olives and stoneflies.  If there is a calm day or a wind break there is a shot at rising fish.  We’re coming off a cold night so it will take a while for the water temps to climb today.  It looks like a repeat of yesterday with more sunshine.  It looks like we have two days left of this cool down and then back to warmer weather beginning Wednesday.  The release from Cannonsville has been increased to 600 cfs.We are starting off this season under FFMP Table 4G.  There is quite a bit of runoff flowing throughout the system.  The next few days look dry so we should see the feeder levels drop.  Between the dropping feeder stream flows and the vegetation beginning to drink up some of the ground water we should see the river flows drop slowly throughout the week.

 

Jeremy with a streamer brown yesterday.  Photo by Chris Calabrese

Jeremy with a streamer brown yesterday. Photo by Chris Calabrese

Hatching:
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (light hatching)

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 669 cfs 37°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 1,340 cfs 40°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 591 cfs 37°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 3,330 cfs 43°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 3,160 cfs 37°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 5,980 cfs 39°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 600 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 37°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,880 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 96.4%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 95.3%

 

Delaware River Report / Conditions March 31, 2019

There were legitimate dry fly shots yesterday.  The wind made finding consistent fish difficult but the shots were there if you could take advantage of them.  Stoneflies and olives made up the bulk of the bugs we saw.  Nymphing was definitely the most productive method.  The feeder streams were adding some color to the river by mid afternoon and there were some people fishing streamers.  We had some rain.  The West Branch is a bit high at 944 cfs at Hale Eddy but it looks okay this morning.  The Beaverkill and East Branch are sending a lot of water down the Mainstem this morning and the flow at Lordville is over 5,000 cfs.  We should see a little more rain this morning.  The NYS water is not open yet so fish the border water this weekend. 

 

Tim Glynn found a nice West Branch brown yesterday

Tim Glynn found a nice West Branch brown yesterday

Hatching:
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (light hatching)

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 203 cfs 39°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 944 cfs 44°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 561 cfs 43°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 3,330 cfs 43°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 5,070 cfs 45°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 2,260 cfs 39°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 200 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 40°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,780 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 96.4%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 95.3%

 

Delaware River Report / Conditions March 30, 2019

It seems we had a little more rain than was initially in yesterday’s forecast.  Most of the river flows climbed slowly throughout the day and didn’t warm up as quickly as we hoped they would.  The feeder streams were adding some color by late afternoon.  There is still some snow left in the hills adding to the runoff on warm days.  That made for tougher fishing and mixed results.  Nymphing and streamers are still the best options.  Pheasant tails and small stonefly imitations are working well for us.  Today looks a little more promising with an air temp high of 65 degrees, cloud cover, and only .15″ of rain.  Winds will be 12 – 14 mph from the South.  Hopefully Wunderground has today’s forecast correct.  The rivers won’t heat up quickly today due to the higher flows and cloud cover. The NYS water is not open yet so fish the border water this weekend. 

 

 

Patrick with another from the last week of March.  Photo by Bob Lewis

Patrick with another from the last week of March. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (light hatching)

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 203 cfs 39°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 785 cfs 41°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 349 cfs 40°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,820 cfs 41°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 2,190 cfs 43°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 1,110 cfs 39°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 200 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 40°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,520 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 96.4%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 95.1%

 

Delaware River Report / Conditions March 29, 2019

We’re starting off 2019 with a warm weekend, some light rain, and an open Winterdale Road.  Feels like a really good start.  The release from Cannonsville is just under 200 cfs.  The West Branch is in great shape for wading but there is still enough water this morning to float the lower sections.  The NYS water is not open yet so stick to the border water this weekend.  The low water, sun, and warm air temps have really helped the water temps over the last few days.  The West Branch at Hale Eddy is peaking in the mid 40’s and starting off at 43 degrees this morning.  We’ll see some rain over the next two days but it should only be around 1/4″ each day.  Stoneflies and olives have been on the water on warm afternoons so there is a shot at some dry fly fishing.  There may be a some little black caddis out there too.  Nymphing has definitely been the effective method followed by streamers.  Smaller nymphs that match the naturals have worked the best for us.  #14 stonefly nymphs and #16 – 18 pheasant tails.  The ground is saturated and there are still patches of snow so the river flows will probably bump slightly in the afternoons from the runoff and light rain.

 

 

Patrick McPartland found some willing fish the last week of March

Patrick McPartland found some willing fish the last week of March

Hatching:
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (light hatching)

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 201 cfs 39°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 547 cfs 43°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 256 cfs 41°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 1,210 cfs 42°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 2,190 cfs 43°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 648 cfs 40°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 200 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 42°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,110 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 96.4%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 95.1%

Delaware River Report / Conditions Mid March 2019

The release from Cannonsville has been cut back and the West Branch is wadeable for the first time since August.  Overall we’ve had a pretty mild Winter with no real hard freeze like we’ve seen the last few years.  March can be a funny weather month so we’ll still likely see some cold days and maybe a little more snow before Spring.  The high Winter release from Cannonsville has kept the West Branch water temps warmer than most years.  Usually when that happens the fish come through fat and happy from eating all winter long.  We’ve seen some stoneflies hatching mixed with a few olives and little black caddis.  There have been occasional dry fly shots but streamers and nymphs will offer you the best chance at catching fish right now.

Stiles_3-12-2019

 

Hatching:
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives #18 – Baetis vagans (light hatching)

March 2nd Casting Class at the Sporting Gentleman

Join Art Bartholomew and Bob Lewis for a casting class at the Sporting Gentleman this Saturday, March 2nd.  8:30 to 11 am.  Stop by whether you just want an early season tune up or are just beginning.

The Sporting Gentleman
128 Glen Mills Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342

TheBob

December 22, 2018 Update

Winterdale Road finally opened this morning after a long construction project!  No more dirt road detours.

We are adding new items to our sale page every week.  Check it out for good deals:  https://drc-fly-shop.myshopify.com/collections/sale-items

We’ll be at the NJ Flyfishing Show in Edison NJ on January 25 – 27.  It was a great show last year and things look good for 2019

The bet

The bet

 

 

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 31, 2018

October 31st is traditionally our last update of the year.  We will have sporadic updates over the winter and will put one up if river conditions change dramatically and people are still fishing.  Click on the gauge links below to get the latest flows.  Otherwise we will start again on April 1st.  Today should be one of the nicest days we’ve seen in a while.  The air temp should hit 58 degrees with winds around 10 mph from the South.  It looks like quite a bit of rain in the forecast for Thursday an Friday.  Hopefully the storms track away from us.

 

The bet

The Wager.

Check the regulations to see what sections of river are open

Delaware County NY regs:  http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/delaware-county/

Border Water regs:  http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/border-waters-regulations/

 

Hatching:
Isonychia –  #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #20 – 26 – Psuedo sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophila sp.

There is construction on Winterdale Road. A short stretch is closed near the Methodist Camp between us and Hancock. We have detours listed on our website here:  https://thedelawareriverclub.com/welcome-to-the-drc/getting-here

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY  
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY  
East Branch at Harvard, NY  
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY  
Mainstem at Lordville, NY  
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY  
Cannonsville Reservoir Release  
West Branch at 191 Bridge
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)  
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 30, 2018

Yesterday’s rain didn’t do too much to the river flows.  We are starting off this morning just about where we did yesterday.  The Beaverkill / Willowemoc are your best bets for wading.  Check the current NYS regs for open sections.  Streamers are your best bet still but you may see some olives and caddis so bring a dry fly rod with you.  We should see a little more sun today with the air temp hitting the high 40’s.  No additional rain in the forecast until tomorrow night.  The wind will be around 10 mph from the North.

The Upper West Branch from Cannonsville Dam to Monument is closed.  The East Branch from Pepacton Dam to Shinhopple Bridge is also closed.

Hatching:
Isonychia –  #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #20 – 26 – Psuedo sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophila sp.
Tan Caddis #14 – 16 – Hydropsyche sp.

There is construction on Winterdale Road. A short stretch is closed near the Methodist Camp between us and Hancock. We have detours listed on our website here:  https://thedelawareriverclub.com/welcome-to-the-drc/getting-here

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,490 cfs 54°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 2,230 cfs 52°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 1,090 cfs 44°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 2,240 cfs 45°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 5,500 cfs 47°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 859 cfs 45°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,499 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 51°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 1,040 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 90.9%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 96.7%

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 29, 2018

We have some light rain falling this morning but the river flows are still slowly dropping throughout the system.  If you are wading, the Beaverkill / Willowemoc offer the best opportunities.  Check the NYS regs for closed areas.  The West Branch is still off color from the 1,500 cfs release from Cannonsville.  It looks good for streamers this morning with the color and cloud cover.  The lower East and Main Stem should be in good shape.  If the olives hatch it should happen mid afternoon during the warmest part of the day.  Concentrate on the slower sections where the fish can set up to eat off the surface.  We’ll warm up over the next couple of days with Wednesday peaking just below 60 degrees.

 

The Upper West Branch from Cannonsville Dam to Monument is closed.  The East Branch from Pepacton Dam to Shinhopple Bridge is also closed.

Hatching:
Isonychia –  #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #20 – 26 – Psuedo sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophila sp.
Tan Caddis #14 – 16 – Hydropsyche sp.

There is construction on Winterdale Road. A short stretch is closed near the Methodist Camp between us and Hancock. We have detours listed on our website here:  https://thedelawareriverclub.com/welcome-to-the-drc/getting-here

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

West Branch at Stilesville, NY 1,490 cfs 56°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 2,290 cfs 53°
East Branch at Harvard, NY 1,020 cfs 44°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 2,080 cfs 45°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 5,180 cfs 47°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 836 cfs 45°
Cannonsville Reservoir Release 1,499 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge N/A 51°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) 975 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity 91.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity 97.3%
Close