Author: Bart Larmouth
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 16, 2013
Yesterday certainly did work out a bit as we expected, with the bugs coming up river in the afternoon, but the fish were a bit sluggish in taking them with the bright sun overhead. That being said, those that (shudder) nypmhed yesterday did very well, finding the fish quite active in the heavier riffs up and down the river, and there was an incredible flurry of activity late in the afternoon as the fish realized they were hungry once the sun started to go down. Good sulphur and steno hatches were the predominant bugs, and a small hatch of pseudo spinners added to the late-night mix as well. The weather today would make the devil feel quite at home, so we are likely looking at a cookie-cutter day here again, but hopefully the additional cloud cover entices a bit more mid-day action!
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 692 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 222 cfs @ 60º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 379 cfs @ 70º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,390 cfs @ 70º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 184 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 96.6% – 601 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 15, 2013
Another tough one out there yesterday. While the bugs cooperated, the fish kept a very low profile until later in the evening, at least down here on the Lower West. The streamer bite was also decent early on, but as the day heated up and the sun came out, the fish hunkered down and waited that big fiery ball out. Today looks to be the first real scorcher of the year as well, with bright sun, and highs in the 90s. While there will likely be some decent fishing early up in Deposit / Stilesville, it will undoubtedly be an evening game down here again tonight. The good news is when that does happen, the fish don’t tend to be quite as picky. Let’s hope that’s true today as well!
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 704 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 226 cfs @ 60º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 404 cfs @ 70º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,440 cfs @ 69º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 203 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 97.3% – 601 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 14, 2013
The cloud cover definitely produced some good hatching throughout the day yesterday, but the fish decided they weren’t that interested in cooperation, with sporadic, inconsisttend rising. Towards evening they did get a little bit happier, but never to the level they “should” have with that many bugs out. Mother Nature always has to remind us that she is the boss! The streamer bite was definitely on however, with the browns actively chasing both white and yellow with a bit of vigor. Today we are starting to slide into the warm (ok HOT) stretch of weather predicted, with luckily similar cloud cover as yesterday. It could be a repeat, but let’s hope the fish decide they feel more like eating today!
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 721 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 232 cfs @ 58º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 430 cfs @ 66º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,500 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 219 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 97.3% – 701 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 13, 2013
Well Friday was interesting. Lots of clouds, but sporadic bugs. Mother nature decided to show us that we don’t know everything! That being said, the evening was fantastic, so long as you avoided the areas with fog kicking around. We had areas that saw a torrential downpour for about 2 minutes, and not 100 yards up the road – nothing! But, the extra humidity was enough to make the fog show up, much to our chagrin. Today, we are looking at cooler temps, and mostly cloudy skies – let’s hope Mother Nature behaves more “normally” today!
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 732 cfs @ 47º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 246 cfs @ 58º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 448 cfs @ 67º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,540 cfs @ 65º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 219 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 97.3% – 701 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 12, 2013
Another nice summer day out on the river yesterday, and things pretty much went according to “plan” – the bugs came early upstream (as well as some early morning activity on small olives down here), and then were spotty throughout the day as the clouds came and went. Amazingly, the streamer bite was pretty decent, regardless of the amount of sun hitting the water. The fish must really like their new holding lanes, and are definitely fighting to keep usurpers out. Today we’re looking at mostly cloudy (hooray!) skies, with little wind and just a few random storms rolling through. This could mean some great sulfur action all up and down the river, as well as our big friend Mr. Isonychia making an appearance as well!
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 738 cfs @ 47º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 246 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 467 cfs @ 67º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,590 cfs @ 67º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 232 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 97.6% – 701 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 11, 2013
More summertime fun on the river yesterday. We had good hatches earlier in the day with some thick clouds threatening showers (that never really came), but they petered out a bit as the sun began to pop out. The fish did get active again towards evening both upriver and down our way, but the further downstream you were, the earlier the activity ended due to our old friend, fog. Today it looks like we’re seeing a bit of a break from the heat, as well as some excellent cloud cover – if it holds, expect the bugs to be out in force!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 773 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 259 cfs @ 58º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 516 cfs @ 67º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,700 cfs @ 65º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 277 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 98.0% – 701 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 10, 2013
Definitely a weird one out there Tuesday out there – we’ve had reports all over the board, from areas with good bugs, and happy fish, to folks who didn’t see a thing. We do know the streamer bite was on during the day for sure, telling us the fish have at least acclimated to their new holding lanes. We also had some of the craziest, location-centric downpours throughout the day as well, which could account for the strange activity (or lack thereof at times) up and down the river. For instance we were poured on here at the shop for about 10 minutes, while the guys fishing down stream in Methodist didn’t even get wet. It was definitely interesting. Today we’ve got some rain in the forecast for later this morning / early afternoon, so be prepared for that, as we’re not sure how much rain it is bringing. Otherwise, I would still plan on starting way upstream for the morning, and working your way downstream towards evening if you want to chase the bugs around!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18 – starting
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 779 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 270 cfs @ 57º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 542 cfs @ 66º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,830 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 274 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 98.3% – 601 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 9, 2013
Mother Nature decided to bless us with some extra cloud cover yesterday, and it certainly helped produce bugs and fish on the upper West yesterday. Good sulphur and Iso hatches took place throughout the day, and waned towards evening, which is when they picked up a bit further downstream. We had sporadic action here at Home Pool last night, but from the reports I am hearing, up in the Game Lands fished very very well. Today, we are going to see a slight drop in air temperature to the low 80s, with some storms kicking around for good measure. The clouds are going to come and go, so there will likely be windows of activity versus the steadier flow of bugs we saw yesterday. But, with the flows steadying out up by Deposit, our typical sulphurs at noon program is already begun, which is great so long as you bring your thermals – that water is cold!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18 – starting
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 567 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 834 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 470 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 861 cfs @ 64º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,230 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 330 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 98.3% – 601 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 8, 2013
Apologies on the delay this morning, it seems our server was being attacked by a botnet, so we were locked out until just now. You have to love technology…..
That being addressed, we had a pretty good day out on the river yesterday. We had some wicked, scary looking thunderheads roll into the area in the late afternoon, but nary a drop of rain fell on us, and there was little to no thunder/lightning. This made for some great evening hatches as that air pressure decreased, up and down the system. Fish were eating sulphurs mostly, but switched over to Isos and Light Cahills towards dark. The upper river fished ‘as normal’ in the early afternoon, and did shut down as water temps dropped. I would expect similar activity today, but we are looking at bit more cloud cover – great for those looking to fish from Hale Eddy down early. There are supposed to be a few storms rolling about throughout the day, so be careful out there!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 665 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 978 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 654 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 900 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,270 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 257 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.9% – 701 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 7, 2013
Boy it was a sauna here yesterday. Hot and humid, all the way until dark. The clouds were out, giving us a respite here and there, and the bugs/fish took notice as well, getting active throughout the day, both upriver by Deposit and down by us. Our friend the fog was not as thick as we anticipated either, so the sulphurs were coming off strong, and the fish were definitely eating them! Definitely a good day overall. Today we’re scheduled to be a bit warmer, with some storms rolling through as the day progresses, so taht should make cor some interesting aquatic activity. The flow from Cannonsville has also been stepped down to 701 CFS, and will likely be stepped down to 600 by the end of the day. Not a huge shift in holding lanes for fish, but they might be a little flustered as we first get rolling today.
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 676 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 951 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 664 cfs @ 52º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 940 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,490 cfs @ 65º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 287 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.9% – 701 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 6, 2013
It looks like the spill from the reservoir has stopped, which meas that all that water coming down from Stilesville is release water, and COLD water at that! It is always nice to see the temp at Hale Eddy start under 50 degrees in the morning! That has caused a pretty substantial fog bank up and down the river this morning as well, but with the hot temps predicted today, along with “partly sunny” weather, it should burn off by mid day. Yesterday there was definite dry fly action in the afternoon / evening on the lower West Branch, but the streamer bite was off a little bit, likely due to the patchy sun sneaking out from the clouds with a bit more frequency than we like to see. Today looks to be more of the same, but with the colder temps, we could see the shift to more “normal” summer sulphur conditions way up river in Deposit.
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 897 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,220 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 670 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 998 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,910 cfs @ 63º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 324 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.9% – 903 CFS release |
Delaware River Report/Conditions July 5, 2013
Hot and humid – those two words definitely describe the Fourth for sure! I hope you all had a chance to catch some fireworks and fish! With the higher release, the water was definitely colder all the way down to Junction pool, which made our old nemesis appear throughout day with each passing shower. Its name? F-O-G. While we had some decent hatching whilst the sun was behind the clouds, when it came out (or the fog materialized) the activity definitely slowed and/or stopped. Today is supposed to be a bit cooler, but still with patchy sun and clouds. The cold water should continue, so look for mayflies throughout the day during those breaks from the blistering sun!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Heptagenia hebe – Heptagenia / Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,200 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,670 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 670 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,070 cfs @ 63º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,300 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 375 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 100.8% – 1,206 CFS release |