August 21, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 21, 2013

Oddly enough, yesterday went just as expected – a bit of activity whilst the fog hung around, but after the sun came out, the upper river was the place to be (especially when the sporadic clouds rolled through). As the sun dropped in the late afternoon, the bugs started in earnest, with the fish ignoring the olives coming off, and instead focusing on the sulphurs and hebes rolling down the river. Today is slated to be the warmest day of the week, but we are expecting additional clouds as well, which is always a good thing. The fog should appear in the evening, but fortunately it has not been as dense as usual, and will allow you to fish all the way into dark!

Let’s hope the big clouds of these start appearing with this warmer weather. Tricos. Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 20, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 20, 2013

Clouds! They are what we had all day yesterday, despite what the weathermen predicted. Or is it weatherpersons now? Not sure what is PC….regardless, we had cloudy skies all day, and the bugs were definitely up, and the fish active. Definitely a great day on the water, and the action continued on into dark, even with the fog settling on the river around 8 (which is normally a kiss of death). Today, we are looking at partially sunny skies (i.e. less clouds), and temps in the low 80s. I would expect the fog to be back tonight, but so long as we do not have any rain (which we are not supposed to), it should be easily manageable for sure, and the fish should be active as we approach the evening.

Bruce Miller almost cracking a smile with this great Brown he took on the Main Stem Sunday. Photo: Pat Giordano

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 19, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 19, 2013

Cloud cover – gotta love it! The fish and bugs were definitely happy without the sun beating down on them yesterday, and definitely got even happier as the day progressed. There were TONS of BWOs kicking around (Latas, Deficiens, and Pseudos), but they must have been invisible below the surface as they were completely ignored by the fish. Sulphurs were the name of the game, as well as some larger Heptagenias (olive sulphurs) and of course, my favorite – Isonychia. I also had my first decent reports on teh Main Stem, which has been markedly cooler over the last few days. There seems to be little daytime hatching activity, until the “magic hour” in the evening. Unfortunately, that seems to only be a 20-minute hour some evenings, but the fish are quite active, and markedly less picky than their West Branch Counterparts. Today, we are heading into some warmer weather, and the clouds will be patchier. Chances are we will be slipping back into a late-afternoon hatching program, but the thicker the clouds, the earlier it will get started!

Brendan Canvanagh took advantage of the cloud cover yesterday, fishing with his Grandfather, Norm Price who took the photo.

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 18, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 18, 2013

Better. At least yesterday was better than Friday. We had good numbers of bugs throughout the day, and while the fish were not exactly super excited, they definitely got happy towards the evening. Those fishing Sulphurs did very well, as did anyone pitching a cheeseburger (Iso) if your timing was right. The large hatches of olives went virtually unnoticed, but the spinner fall right as darkness crept in definitely got the fish’s attention. Today, we’re looking at another beautiful (for us fisher-folk) cloudy day, with temps near 80. This will certainly mean more olives throughout the day, and the sulphurs should show up with their Iso bodyguards at some point as well. The river is easily wade-able, so do not panic at the additional water in it, you’ll be able to get wherever you like!

A friendly visitor to the boat last night – about a size 12-2XL / 10 Iso. Photo: Michael Johnson

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 17, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 17, 2013

Uncooperative. That’s the best word to describe the fish yesterday. We had decent bugs during the day, and really good hatching in the evening, but few fish were up and on them. Blame what you will, pressure change, or even our bit of good news – the release being upped to 600 cfs (an addition of 100 cfs). I am doubtful that the cold water affected them, but having the flow be so steady for so long, it definitely could be the culprit. Regardless, we’ve got a good looking day on deck, with lots of clouds, good temps, and (hopefully) acclimated fish. I would expect good hatching again during the day, and very likely an excellent evening rush as well. Today and tomorrow look like the best days of the week, weather-wise, so take advantage and get out there!

Jeff White holds Tony May’s THICK West Branch Brown. Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 16, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 16, 2013

The bright, bright sun did us no favors yesterday, suppressing the bug and fish activity throughout most of the day. When the clouds did materialize, we saw flushes of olives and sulphurs, but the Isos and Heptagenia did not get ramped up and going until evening. The fish pretty much ignored the olives in the daytime and at the end of the day, but they keyed in on big isos, as well as the pretty significant number of Dortheas (#18) that were popping. Today we are looking at a very similar day, with patchy clouds and copious amounts of sunshine, which will likely make for another morning/evening kind of day, unless the bugs decide to pop up in Deposit (they took a vote and opted not to to yesterday). But, the good news is that if the bugs wait until evening, we will have another great flush and that always gets them up and looking!

Plenty of pretty browns like this were up late in the day yesterday. Photo: Jim Swift

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 15, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 15, 2013

Phew. Definitely a tough on yesterday. Even though there was pretty decent hatching, the winds in the afternoon made for fun casting, as well as hid the bugs from the fish a bit. When they did turn on, the fish were especially picky, and/or would feed on dry, then head right down and start nymphing, then back up on a dry. Timing was everything! When the evening rolled in however, the fish rediscovered the Isos that were coming by, and definitely became a bit more cooperative! Today, we are not expecting the wind, and the air temps should be significantly warmer. There will still be some nice scattered cloud cover, so we will hopefully have a more “normal” summer day!

Jim Berry with a great West Branch Brown caught this week. Photo: Jim Swift

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 14, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 14, 2013

Definitely an interesting day yesterday! With the early rain and silt coming in from the feeders, we definitely had color in the lower West, which slowed things down a bit during the day. Oquaga Creek (up in Deposit) did not blow up, so the river stayed nice and clear up there, all the way to Hale Eddy. It fished well, but we had some pretty decent wind show up in the late afternoon / early evening that shut pretty much everything down unfortunately. First night like that in over a month. Today is supposed to be clear and cooler (high 60s), but the wind is supposed to be blowing fairly steady throughout the day. I am not sure what affect it will have on the hatching, but I am pretty sure it will affect my casting. It is supposed to lay down by evening, which means we could be set for a great flurry of late-day activity.

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 13, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 13, 2013

*UPDATE* – We had a greater amount of rain than expected this morning, so we bumped up a bit, but the feeders are definitely throwing a bit of silt and color down into the West Branch. By no means a blow out, just some distinct lack of transparency, which will clear quickly.

Nothing too shocking to report from yesterday, with the bugs and fish behaving pretty much as expected – picky in the sun, and active in the evening. Isos, sulphurs, and hebes were the main fare, but there were some limited reports of flying ants as well – very localized and sporadic, but keep your eyes open for them. There is some weather predicted today, but everything is listed as “possible,” so we will just have to take it as it comes! Otherwise, I’d expect a pretty similar day out there. You have to love consistent flows!

A nice little football that fell victim to an ISO. Check out the white on his fins! Photo by: Jim Swift

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 12, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 12, 2013

It was definitely better on the river yesterday versus Saturday, as the wind laid down and actually allowed the fish to see what was floating overhead. The sun did make its presence known unfortunately, which did slow down the action early on in the day. As the afternoon progressed, the clouds rolled in, and the fish (and bugs!) got happier, with a good number of fish taken in the evening on everyone’s favorite – Isonychia! Today we are expecting warmer temps, but supposedly more cloud cover, and the possibility of a thunderstorm thrown in for good measure as well. The pressure changes could be helpful early on, but if they are dramatic, the hatching may slow for awhile, then pick up again right at evening when everything balances out. We will just have to see!

A nice close up of a beautiful, feisty ‘Bow. Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 11, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 11, 2013

WIND! That was the story of the day yesterday. The sulphurs came out in droves starting in the afternoon, but the stiff breezes kept the fish from seeing them, until it laid down in the afternoon. As evening approached, there were some Isos that came to visit, as well as the Hebes, making for a really good night of fishing. As for today, we are looking at some warmer temps, but similar weather insofar as clouds and sun go. The wind should not be a factor today (so they say), which is always good news. If the bugs are working like yesterday, we could be in for a great day of fishing!

Tim Ulrich with a nice West Branch Brown! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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:

August 10, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 10, 2013

Rain! It definitely came down hard and fast yesterday, sometimes incredibly so. The bugs weren’t exactly there in the downpour, but did show up a bit earlier in the day, and a brief rush in the evening. The streamer bite was pretty darn nice though! The West Branch jumped up to just over 1,000 cfs briefly, and a good amount of color stained it up for a little while. This came in from the (previously very low) feeder streams. We have balanced back out to near 700 this morning, and while there is definitely still a bit of color in the water, it is fishable, and hopefully won’t allow the fish to see the leader and fly as well as they have been lately. I’m pretty sure they’ve been taking flies based on who tied them at this point. Regardless, it’s a great level for floating and wading, and we should have some decent hatching when the cloud cover develops this afternoon.

EricFishpine landed this nice Brown in the rain yesterday – his first Delaware fish! Photo: Bruce Miller

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

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: