July 4, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 4, 2013

Happy Independence Day! July 3 was definitely interesting out on the river, with thick fog rolling in every time the rain decided to come down, making visibility tough and the hatching sporadic to say the least. With the Cannonsville release now at 1,200 CFS, that will likely happen today as well if there are any passing showers. There are a few predicted, but as we all know the weathermen are not the most reliable bunch! There were good numbers of sulphurs on the shop this morning, and our first sighting of Heptagenia Hebe as well! Enjoy the fourth everyone, and be safe out there!

Patriot Rainbow says Happy Independence Day!

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:

July 3, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 3, 2013

Well that got a bit out of hand yesterday. The morning deluge we saw brought the feeders WAY up around mid-day, and the West Branch turned chocolate brown, and was running dang near 7,000 cfs here at the club. It has since dropped precipitously and cleared dramatically. There were bugs still hatching amid the craziness, but as there weren’t any boats out due to the conditions, we are lacking a good report to see what the fish decided to do. My guess would be hunker down and wait! With the clearing water and overcast skies today, we could definitely be in for a great day of fishing. There are some scattered storms predicted, but so long as they don’t inundate us, we should continue to clear and drop throughout the day – exactly what the fish like!

Bob Lewis holds a beautiful West Branch Brown. Photo: Steve Shen

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:

July 2, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 2, 2013

UPDATE: Some of the upstream feeders were inundated with rain this morning, and Hale Eddy is now at 4,000 CFS and climbing steadily.

Once again the rain just circled around us, only giving a little bump in the flows. The cloud cover and scattered showers yesterday made for some pretty good dry fly action river-wide, even into the evening. The streamer bite was still there, but like the dry fly fishing, it quieted down any time the sun poked out from the clouds. Today is looking very similar, with cloud cover and scattered storms throughout the day, as well as pea-soup-thick humidity. The bugs should be active, and with a bit more water spilling over the dam, the fish should be looking for Alewives as well!

Theo May with a BIG West Branch fish. Photo: Jeff White

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:

July 1, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 1, 2013

Definitely different out on the water yesterday, but not necessarily bad. The hatches were definitely not as prolific as Saturday, but the fish did not seem to notice, and were still up and looking for a little mayfly snack. Water clarity improved throughout the day, and we’re looking at almost normal visibility in Home Pool this morning. The big question mark is the weather. There is a chance of major storms and additional rain over the next few days, and with the feeders already swollen, we could see another big bump in the flows and a pretty good blow out. Today there are some good thunderstorms predicted, so if you do head out, be safe. Otherwise enjoy the cloud cover, and hopefully the heavy sulphur hatches that it may bring!

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to damage caused by the flooding, both Shehawken and Ball’s Eddy public accesses  are closed to ALL  USE – that’s boats and waders – until they can be repaired. I have been assured that we are on the top of the list, so this should be a short delay. Our local ECO (Environmental Conservation Officer, i.e. Game Warden) has said they will be strictly enforcing this closure. I will of course keep you updated with any changes, and the progression of the repairs. In the meantime, the 191 access on the Hancock side is still open and viable for those looking to launch boats or wade.

Rich Baker holds an EXCELLENT Rainbow from his weekend! Photo: Bud Sherry

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:

June 30, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 30, 2013

Well, it certainly was a bit tougher out there yesterday than we thought it was going to be. The water clarity was pretty poor on the West Branch, even up river. That being said, take a look at the picture below and you’ll have an idea how much the bugs cared about the clarity. The side of the shop is STILL covered with them this morning, and right towards evening the fish were actually seeing them as well, if you could find the right spot. Today, we have finally had some additional clarity come into the river down here, so it should start to greatly improve throughout the day. Cloud cover, and a few passing showers are all that is in the forecast, so it could definitely turn into a spectacular day!

We counted close to 10 different mayfly species on the shop last night and this morning. I guess we know there are still plenty of bugs! Photo: Bart Larmouth

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:

June 29, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 29, 2013

Yowza. It was BIG out there yesterday. Definitely a strange day with the flow dropping quickly above Hale Eddy, but tons of water still coming in from the feeders downstream from there. Rain late in the evening bumped us right back up again, and we are starting to fall quickly, just like yesterday. The additional rain did not help the river color clear much, as we are still pretty brown out front as of right now. The Beaverkill is running very clear, which is helping the East clear quickly as well. The other good news is very little rain in the forecast for today, so we should see the West continue to drop and clear throughout the day, which is slated to be nice and cloudy. The fish are definitely streamer-hungry, and if we get a bit more spill over top of the dam in the next day or so, this will only increase with additional Alewives coming over the top. For now, yellows and blacks are definitely a good call, and keep your eyes on the slower spots for fish taking Isos as well!

Hello there! Bob Lewis holding a nice, confused-looking brown. Photo: Steve Shen

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:

June 28, 2013

Conditions UPDATE June 28, 2013

The river is dropping like a stone around Hale Eddy, but is definitely staying higher downriver. We have TONS of water coming in from the feeders still down this way, and much of it is still off-color. The forecast is constantly changing, so we are not quite sure what kind of precipitation  we will get through tonight / tomorrow. Feel free to call the shop for an up-to-the-minute report!

June 28, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 28, 2013

Looks like we finally got one of those big storms to hit us, and not swing around. The rain just stalled over top of the Catskills last night, particularly on the West Branch basin. The river crested last night near 4,000 cfs, and is down to 3,440 at Hale Eddy as of this morning, but is definitely blown out at this point. It is dropping steadily, so I would expect the river to clear in short order, but would not expect much to happen at least this morning, but the streamer bite could definitely be back on as we progress throughout the day. If anything changes dramatically, I will certainly put an update here!

Here’s a nice brown to take your mind off the brown water. Photo: Bart Larmouth

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:

June 27, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 27, 2013

Yesterday definitely was interesting out on the river, and certainly different from Tuesday. With cloud cover for the majority of the day, as well as humid air, we expected to see some consistent hatching, but instead had sporadic (yet thick) hatches, varying in location. It seemed whenever the mist/fog that settles on the river this time of year came down, the bugs stopped, and as soon as it lifted – bam! They were back. What made it odd is when one pool was covered in the fog, just a half mile down or upstream it was clear and the bugs were out. Definitely an odd one! The fish were also SUPER spooky for some reason, let’s hope they drop that attitude and settle in to their new water levels. Today, we’re looking at some “big” storms. Considering we received exactly 0.00″ of rain yesterday, and storms were also predicted, I’m going to take that with a grain of salt. However we will have some great cloud cover, so the bugs should be out all day long.

Believe it or not, we STILL have these guys (Shad) swimming around and taking flies! Photo: Bob Lewis

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:

June 26, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 26, 2013

It’s rare that we see two pretty much identical days out on the river, but yesterday and Monday were definitely twins. Ok, so maybe fraternal twins, but still twins. Amid the humidity and heat, we definitely had good cloud cover in the afternoon, with a few gentle storms mixed in just to keep it interesting. Sulphurs and Isos were the name of the game again, with a few people finding fish that were taking pseudos amid big dorthea hatches. I guess after all the alewive gorging, the fish are now on a diet! We are expecting similar conditions today weather-wise, but as always we’ll just have to head out on the water and see!

Steve Shen with a well-fed, colorful fish. Photo: Bob Lewis

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:

June 25, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 25, 2013

The stormy weather yesterday became quite a pleasant surprise, with cloud cover throughout most of the afternoon, and just a few passing thunderstorms to wait out. The bugs certainly loved it, and were popping all over the Upper West Branch. Down here we were seeing them, but not in as large a number as they had upstream. The fish were active, and definitely less spooky than the day before. Today we’re looking at some pretty similar conditions, with some excellent clouds hanging over us as we speak. With air temps down slightly, we could see even a bigger rush of sulphurs and isos starting earlier in the day.

Guide Bruce Miller always looks so enthused when having his picture taken! Photo: Bernie Halderman

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:

June 24, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 24, 2013

That was more like it! Great hatches of sulphurs and isos popping off throughout the day yesterday, and some of the happiest fish we’ve seen in the last few days, and very few people on the river to boot. Water temps are great, and it looks like the fish have acclimated to the new levels. Today appears to be similar in nature to yesterday, with the air temps more towards the high 70s, low 80s, and some possible storms rolling through in the afternoon, so it should be another good one out there!

Bernie Halderman holds a nice mid-day brown! Photo: Bruce Miller

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: