Author: Jeff White
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 11, 2018
There’s light rain falling this morning and the gauges are just starting to register the additional water. The forecast calls for rain off and on for most of the day but nothing torrential which should keep the feeder creeks from getting too muddy. Start with streamers but keep that dry fly rod handy as the rain ends later this afternoon. We saw several different varieties of spinners in the evening (olives, Isos and Stenos), along with brown caddis.
Iso spinner hitching a ride.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 61° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,020 cfs | 61° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 883 cfs | 50° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,660 cfs | 56° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,690 cfs | 60° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 535 cfs | 60° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 61° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 678 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 95.2% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 100.0% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 10, 2018
It was another warm, cloudy day on the river yesterday – and today looks like a carbon copy. We saw small olive spinners, as well as a number of caddis. Boating remains the best option on the West Branch and Main stem. The Beaverkill would be your best wade option this week. In the higher water, look for rising fish in the slower parts of the pool – especially in the evening. There’s rain in the forecast tomorrow but how much we’ll get has been changing every time we check the forecast.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 1,470 cfs | 61° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,990 cfs | 60° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 908 cfs | 50° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,730 cfs | 55° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,900 cfs | 60° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 589 cfs | 59° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 61° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 713 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 95.5% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 100.2% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 9, 2018
Yesterday was a mix of overcast skies, wind and drizzle – not a bad combo when we have warmer air temperatures. Today looks like another unseasonably warm day with plenty of clouds. We’ve been having luck on streamers during the afternoon, then finding rising fish later on as the sun drops. We’re seeing the usual mix of small olives, fall Isos and some leftover Stenos. There have been more caddis about but not many on the water’s surface to get the fish interested. The water levels throughout the system continue to drop, there are more opportunities for wading now.
The brown trout are showing off their fall colors. Photo by Bruce Miller
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 1,470 cfs | 61° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,050 cfs | 60° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,040 cfs | 51° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,900 cfs | 55° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,200 cfs | 59° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 638 cfs | 57° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 61° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 784 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 95.7% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 100.1% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 8, 2018
Yesterday felt more like summer than fall. The weather the next few days will continue in this unseasonably warm trend until the weekend. Today should be overcast for much of the day, perfect for olives. The river levels throughout the system continue to slowly drop. The Beaverkill is at a great level for wading this week. The West Branch remains off-color from the release. Look for rising fish in the slow edges of the pools. We’ve been seeing small olives, Isos and some Steno spinners.
Bruce with a brown showing its fall colors. Photo by Fred Nelson
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 1,470 cfs | 60° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,100 cfs | 60° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,200 cfs | 52° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,120 cfs | 56° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,570 cfs | 59° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 710 cfs | 58° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 61° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 894 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 95.7% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 100.1% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 7, 2018
The river flows are still dropping slowly throughout the system. The Beaverkill is wadeable at 800 cfs. Pepacton Reservoir is still spilling but the flow has leveled off at Downsville. We had better reports of dry fly fishing yesterday with olives and some isonychias showing up in some river sections. There is still quite a bit of water out there so watch for soft place the fish can set up. The tail outs of long pools or edges of seams can be good spots right now. The West Branch is still off color from the release. It looks pretty good for streamer fishing which is what most people seem to be doing. The cloud cover definitely helped the fishing yesterday.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 1,470 cfs | 60° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,180 cfs | 60° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,350 cfs | 52° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,350 cfs | 55° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,980 cfs | 58° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 809 cfs | 56° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 60° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,050 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 95.7% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 100.1% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 6, 2018
Pepacton is spilling this morning the the East Branch flow has risen slightly. The rest of the river flows in the system have dropped back a bit. The Beaverkill is under 900 cfs. the West Branch is dropping slower than the rest and we do have color in the river. Olives, caddis, and some isonychias were out yesterday. There was a little dry fly activity on the system yesterday plus some streamer action. The is no appreciable rain in the forecast for the rest of the weekend.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 60° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,290 cfs | 59° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,370 cfs | 50° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,440 cfs | 53° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 5,250 cfs | 58° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 899 cfs | 55° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 59° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,430 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 95.7% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 100.1% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 5, 2018
We had a little more rain yesterday than the 1/10″ predicted by Wunderground. All of the river flows jumped a bit but have now settled back to where they were yesterday morning. The West Branch looks good for streamers this morning. We did see a couple of fish rise yesterday. Little olives are around plus we saw more caddis along the bushes than we’ve seen in quite a while. The West is still off color but it doesn’t seem to bother the fish. Less water would help the system at this point. Wading is still not an option but the Beaverkill flow is down to 1,100 cfs and dropping. If Wunderground is correct we shouldn’t see any precip until Sunday. That should be .08″.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 60° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,490 cfs | 59° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,140 cfs | 49° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,600 cfs | 53° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 6,050 cfs | 57° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,100 cfs | 55° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 58° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,430 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 95.3% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 99.6% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 4, 2018
All of the rivers in the system are dropping back slowly from the rain. Wading is not an option yet but the Beaverkill is 1,230 cfs so keep an eye on that river for the first opportunity. We have 1/10″ of rain in today’s forecast and then we’re dry for a few days. Streamer fishing from a drift boat is your best bet. Try different patterns until the fish react. As the water drops there may be some fish eating olives in the really slow tailouts of long pools so bring a dry fly rod just in case.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 62° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,450 cfs | 59° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,190 cfs | 49° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,760 cfs | 53° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 6,050 cfs | 57° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,230 cfs | 56° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 58° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,560 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 94.6% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 99% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 3, 2018
Yesterday’s rain started around lunch and continued all day with a few breaks. It wasn’t necessarily heavy but it lasted long enough to blow the rivers out by early evening. People did get some fishing in and had success on streamers before it got dark. The West Branch is fine to float already this morning and we should continue to drop throughout the day. It is off color and 2,790 cfs at Hale Eddy so it looks like another streamer day. Wading is not an option anywhere on the system so stick to a drift boat if you’re going out today. Luckily there is no real rain in the forecast for the rest of the week so we should settle back to normal over the next couple of days.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 62° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,790 cfs | 61° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,320 cfs | 52° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 4,340 cfs | 56° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 8,870 cfs | 57° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 2,150 cfs | 57° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 60° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 2,340 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 93.6% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 98% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 2, 2018
Today’s forecast has been all over the place. It looks like scattered thunderstorms so it’s tough to tell if we will get hit or not. There is currently nothing near us on the radar but that should change around noon. If there is a dramatic change in river conditions we’ll do a mid afternoon update. Otherwise the rivers are in very similar shape as yesterday. The Beaverkill will offer a few wade opportunities at 1,000 cfs and check the Willowemoc and other small streams for more. The Cannonsville release is still 1,499 cfs and Hale Eddy is running 2,440 cfs with the runoff. It is still off color coming from the dam but it is clear enough to fish both dries and streamers.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 1,470 cfs | 62° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,200 cfs | 61° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,150 cfs | 49° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,440 cfs | 50° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 5,140 cfs | 57° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,020 cfs | 56° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 60° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,300 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 90.3% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 93.5% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 1, 2018
The river flows are still dropping slowly but are still high for this time of year. Wading is still not an option but if the Beaverkill drops below 1,000 cfs there will be some opportunities. Keep an eye on that gauge first. The West Branch is still off color but fishable. Part of the color is coming from the release but there are also a couple of feeder streams still pushing some mud. It doesn’t seem to bother the fish and we are finding fish on streamers and a few eating small olives here and there. Hopefully the runoff subsides and the release is cut back later this week. That should clear a lot of the color and give us more dry fly suitable water. We should have clouds all day with the air temp hitting 70 degrees.
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 1,470 cfs | 62° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,290 cfs | 60° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,180 cfs | 48° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,830 cfs | 52° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 5,910 cfs | 56° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,210 cfs | 53° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 58° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,310 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 90.3% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 93.5% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions September 30, 2018
The river flows are still dropping slowly but at least they are headed in the right direction. Yesterday was an odd mix of clouds and sun that made you put and take your jacket off most of the day. The fish seemed a little happier and were eating streamers. We did have reports of some dry fly activity in the long slow pools but count on streamers as your best bet. If you do see risers try isonychias or small olives. The West Branch still has quite a bit of color to it but the fish don’t seem to mind. Fishing should improve as the water levels drop. Last night’s air temp dropped down to 41 degrees so it definitely feels like Fall now. Wading is still not an option at these flows so stick with a boat.
Travis with a nice fish from yesterday. Photo by Samantha Dennis
Hatching:
Light Cahill – #14 – 16 – Steno spp.
Isonychia – #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Light Blue Winged Olives – #16 – 20 – E. attenuata
Dark Blue Winged Olives – #18 – 22 – E. lata
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 | 1,470 cfs | 62° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,500 cfs | 60° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,370 cfs | 48° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 3,680 cfs | 52° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 7,280 cfs | 56° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,570 cfs | 53° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 1,499 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 57° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,590 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 90.3% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 93.5% |
