Happy New Year to everyone! January is upon us, which means it is once again time for the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, NJ at the Garden State Convention Center. For a change of pace, our booth will be in the Lobby of the show, and we would love to see you there, so please stop by for a visit.

Guide Bob Lewis will also be making a presentation each day of the show entitled, “Taming the Delaware,” which will have great information for both the novice and veteran angler alike, so be sure not to miss it!

Well here we are, the end of the season here at the Delaware River Club. I would like to thank each one of you for your continued business, as well as constant readership. It certainly makes it easier to publish the report daily, knowing how many are looking forward to it each morning. Keep checking back, as I will be adding content here and there, as well as announcing our Client of the Year winner(s) shortly! While we will be “closed,”  please feel free to call the shop / check out the online store if there is anything you need over the winter months, and we’ll be glad to get it out to you! Now for the normal business:

Wednesday turned into another good day of dry fly fishing, on both the West and Main. When I closed the shop up around 6 yesterday, we still had fish rising in Home Pool, taking Pseudos, most likely. I had reports of Stenos and Isos mixed in with the Pseudos on the Main Stem yesterday, starting around 1 PM or so, and continuing until dark. The larger fish were caught in the slower water at the end of the pools, but weren’t so picky that you needed to drop below 5.5X or 6X tippet. Today we’re starting with cloud cover, and will likely have some rain coming our way as well. This will likely delay the hatches a bit, but with warmer weather (mid 60s) we could still see some decent activity. Looking forward, I would expect the Pseudos to hang around well into November, so long as the weather stays warmer in the mid-afternoon. Don’t be scared to come up and wet a line just because winter is coming – the bugs will still be here for a bit, as will the fish! Thanks again for a great season!

Happy Halloween!

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12 (sporadic)

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14 (sporadic)

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Current Flow Conditions:

Once again, things actually went according to schedule. Bugs and fish on the West from about 2PM until 5:30 PM or so, mostly olives but with the occasional Iso thrown in for good measure. Today we’ll likely see it start a bit earlier, as the temps will be in the mid to high 50s, and hopefully go a bit longer into the evening. NYC did drop our flows a tad down to a 593 release, but that should not adversely affect the fishing too much. There are still a handful of Stenos out there, so be looking for yellow bugs, as well as the possibility of some late season flying ants, at least on the Main Stem – had a report of those guys being out yesterday! Get out there and have some fun while the season is still here!

There were a few of these on the porch from yesterday – pale Steno spinners! Photo by: Bart Larmouth

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Current Flow Conditions:

Ended up being cloudier than expected yesterday, which made the Olives very happy, as well as the trout up and eating them. They started a bit later on the West Branch, more towards 3 or so, but kept going until past 5. The Lower Main (below Buckingham) picked up a bit earlier, as the water temps were a bit warmer down that way. We’re cooling off a bit today, with temps not quite hitting 50, and a good amount of cloud cove, so I’d expect the bugs to hatch a bit later in the day again, and likely continue on a bit more into the evening as well.

Bob Lewis holding a FAT WB Brown. Photo by: Steve Shen

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Current Flow Conditions:

Sunday was definitely a much calmer, sunnier day overall, and the fish did respond in the mid-day hours to flushes of Isos and Pseudos taking advantage of the warmest part of the day. The West fished a bit more than the Main, and the fish were super-spooky over on the East and Beaverkill, which is no surprised based on the low flows that direction. We still have higher water on the West thanks to directed flows keeping Montague as high as it needs to be, which makes it perfect for both wading and floating. We’ve got similar days for the rest of the week, so hopefully the pattern will continue, giving everyone a chance to sleep in if they choose, without missing the majority of the action!

Pat Giordano with a nice October Brown! Photo: Michael Johnson

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Heptagenia hebe - Olive Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

I couldn’t hear the reports over all the wind out on the water yesterday. With cold temps, the 20+ gusts definitely made for a brutal, chilly day, with just sporadic insect activity to boot. Those throwing streamers fared better, but not much, as if the fish decided to hide from the wind as well. Today we are looking at much more reasonable weather wind-wise, and with partly cloudy skies we should see a return of the bugs and the fish up and eating them. We’ll still be in the low 50s temp wise, so be sure to pack a fleece or two!

Sometimes, as Lefty Kreh says:, “if it ain’t chartreuse, it ain’t no use!” Another Jeff White creation. Photo: Jeff White

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Heptagenia hebe - Olive Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

Despite the colder weather Friday, it turned out to be a good day for dry fly fishing, with lots of olives popping up between 2 and 5 PM. The only bit of trouble was the wind, which put the fish down at times, and certainly made you wish for a nice set of hand warmers at the same time. We’re looking at similar conditions today, with hopefully less of a stiff breeze during the afternoon. There will likely be a little smattering of rain/sleet/snow as the day progresses, so keep the warm and waterproof gear handy!

And don’t forget the Rainbows are still hungry! Sandy Bing holds a nice WB fish in this photo by Steve Shen

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Heptagenia hebe - Olive Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

There is definitely a chill in the air, and the bugs felt it as well. With the colder air temps, our hatching yesterday was limited to about 3 hours – from 2 to 5, the warmest part of the day. That being said, I had a few people telling me it was good streamer / nymph day, as the water temps in the West were still in the mid to high 50s. Today is forecast to be a whole  bunch like yesterday, except with the possibility of some actual rainfall. The flows have been fairly steady in the West, so we should see similar activity (both bug and fish) throughout the day, but if you’re looking for dry fly action, I would take a nap, and wait until the afternoon.

Now THAT is wide brown! Photo by: Jeff White

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Heptagenia hebe - Olive Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

Well Fall finally reared its ugly head yesterday, with cold temps, a good frost, and spotty rain throughout the day. The reports I received spoke of cold-ass weather, but not too many fish. I think they decided that this sudden summer-to-winter transition wasn’t cool either. Today we’re expecting a little more of the same, sans rain. NYC is also yo-yo-ing the flows to meet the Montague release, which could likely have an adverse effect on the fishing as well. Regardless, you can’t win if you don’t play, so if you have a chance to head out today, definitely take advantage – our browns are definitely randy and upset, so any streamer or nymph coming their way will likely elicit a response.

Nothing nicer than a fish that fills the net! Photo: Bruce Miller

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Heptagenia hebe - Olive Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

We started off with clouds and rain first thing yesterday, which gave way to mostly cloudy skies by the afternoon. Even with this change in pressure, the fish and bugs definitely responded in a positive way. Pseudos, Stenos, Hebes, and Isos were all out on the water yesterday from about 12:00 PM on, and the fish while seemingly sporadic, were actually quite catch-able if you could put the fly down in front of them fast enough. As the day wore on, the streamer bite also turned on, with browns actively chasing smaller white streamers, all the way up until dark. The bugs shut down around 6PM or so, when the temperatures really started to drop, aside from a few stray stupid caddis here and there. This morning we have our first frost of the year, and are expecting the temps to just hover around 50, with mostly cloudy skies. If you’re dry fly fishing, I would sleep in and give the water a bit to warm up. Those fishing subsurface will likely have an earlier start, but I wouldn’t expect anything great to happen early in the morning.

Bruce Miller with a nice, big, pregnant female he caught yesterday on a white streamer. Woh – and look! He’s smiling! Photo: Bart Larmouth

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Heptagenia hebe - Olive Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

Not too shabby for a Monday. Despite the bright sun, there were some pretty good hatches of mayflies throughout the day, culminating with a spinner fall yesterday evening, pretty much river wide. Isos and Psuedos through the day, with Stenos and steno spinners during the night. Today we’ve got a cloudier day on par, with scattered rain showers throughout the area, and highs only in the mid 50s. Definitely a good day to pack an extra fleece, but the lack of wind and good cloud cover will certainly make all the little bugs happy, and then bring the trout up to get them!

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

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

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18

Heptagenia hebe - Olive Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions: