April 30, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 30, 2016

Yesterday’s wind forecast seemed to have missed the mark by 10 mph or so making for a tough start to the day. Once it settled down we had a nice steady rain that wasn’t too bad.  We had decent hatching of olives, hendricksons, blue quills, and some tan caddis.  Some of the bugs seemed to come in waves so patience was the key.  Overall it was a good day out there for most people.  The rain picked up towards dark and that was the end.
Today looks warmer with a high of 60 and more sun.  Winds should be 2 to 5 mph- hopefully that is on the money today.

Chris with a nice brown. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria – Definitely Spinners – duns are waning on some sections still strong on others
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus) –
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis – almost gone – you’ll still find a few here and there
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp. – Waning
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp. – Waning

April 29, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 29, 2016

The hatching, rising, and catching were all great yesterday.  We’re still fishing Hendricksons, Caddis, Blue Quills, Blue Winged Olives, and Quill Gordons.   Some sections are beginning to turn on with the March Browns.  This is turning out to be one of the better fishing Springs in recent memory.

It looks like we are in for a great weather fishing day with air temperatures in the mid- 50’s, winds from 4 – 7 mph, cloud cover, and a very light shower possible.  We do need some rain despite the reservoirs being in great shape with both Pepacton and Cannonsville well over 95% capacity.  The cold nights are really helping out by keeping the water temperatures down.

Tony with a beautiful brown from yesterday. Photo by Kevan Smaracko

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria – Definitely Spinners – duns are waning on some sections still strong on others
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus) –
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis – almost gone – you’ll still find a few here and there
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp. – Waning
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp. – Waning

April 28, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 28, 2016

The cold snap passed and the fishing came back to what we had a few days ago.  Hendricksons, Blue Quills, Quill Gordons, Caddis, and now some March Browns.  The wind gusts made it tough at times but overall it was a good day.  It’s a crazy mix of bugs with a bit of everything out there.  The March Browns are just starting to show and some sections of river are already seeing good numbers.  The Hendricksons are hanging on and hatching in good numbers in other sections.  We are still experiencing cool nights so it is taking the rivers a while to warm up.  We should see air temperatures in the high 50’s today with some light showers possible.  Winds should be 2 – 6 mph from the East.  If Accuweather has the wind forecast correct this could be a great day.

Leonard with a healthy brown yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria – Definitely Spinners – duns are waning on some sections still strong on others
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus) –
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis – almost gone – you’ll still find a few here and there
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp. – Waning
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp. – Waning

April 27, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 27, 2016

We we completely beat by the weather yesterday.  We had rain, decent winds, and air temperatures that never seemed to climb out of the 40’s.  The wind gusts were way above the amount in the forecast.  The water temperatures just couldn’t climb and that seemed to shut everything down.  There were a few bugs out there.  We saw a few Hendricksons, small olives, a few Quill Gordons, and maybe 12 caddis.  We found some fish rising but it was tough and there were no gifts..  Nymphing was probably the most effective method.  The rain did bump the flows up slightly all across the system but everything is still in good shape for wading and floating this morning.
Today is a new day.  I hope Accuweather has this one right.  We should see sunshine (I already do so they nailed that), winds form 5 – 8 mph, and an air temp around 60 degrees. If they have the weather predicted correctly the water temperatures should rise a bit during the day and we’ll see decent hatching and happy rising fish.

Theo fought through the weather yesterday and found a riser

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria – Definitely Spinners – duns are waning on some sections still strong on others
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus) –
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis – almost gone – you’ll still find a few here and there
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp. – Waning
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp. – Waning

April 26, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 26, 2016

Yesterday ended up being very interesting. Add a little cloud cover and all of a sudden you end up with a big Hendrickson hatch, Blue Quills, Olives, caddis, mid-day Hendrickson spinners, and Little Black and Brown Stoneflies all at the same time. Then throw in a really good flush of Quill Gordons just to keep it interesting.  Bugs were out in big numbers on some river sections.  There are a few March Browns beginning to show on the lower sections too.  The fish were up and happy.  Accuweather definitely called the wind wrong and we had some unpleasant gusts for a while.  The fish got shy during the periods of sun and wind but there wasn’t much to complain about yesterday.
We woke up to a steady rain this morning.  Not heavy but nice to see for a change.  If Accuweather gets it right today we should end up with a little over 1/4″ of precipitation with winds 6 to 9 mph out of the West.

Rose with a nice one on a Hendrickson. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria – Definitely Spinners – duns are waning on some sections still strong on others
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus) –
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis – almost gone – you’ll still find a few here and there
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp. – Waning
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp. – Waning

April 25, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 25, 2016

The wind was rough again yesterday.  It looks like we’re in for a change finally and we’ll break out of this bright sun and wind pattern we’ve been living with for a while.  It seemed like things took a while to get going yesterday but by late afternoon we were seeing a healthy mix of Blue Winged Olives. Caddis, Hendricksons, and Blue Quills.  The menu depends on where you are on the system but overall there was quite a bit of trout food flying around by the evening.  Wind should be 4 – 6 mph today- hopefully Accuweather has that correct!  We may see a thunderstorm or two so definitely bring the rain gear.  The ground will soak up quite a bit of the initialo precipitation but hopefully we get enough over the next few days to keep the rivers up through the weekend.

Charlie with a nice evening brown yesterday. Photo by Kevan Smaracko

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria – Definitely Spinners – duns are waning on some sections
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus) –
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis – almost gone – you’ll still find a few here and there
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp. – Waning
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp. – Waning

April 24, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 24, 2016

The wind was a huge factor yesterday.  The breaks seemed few and far between.  There were bugs and rising fish if you hit the timing right though.  Blue Quills, Caddis, and Hendricksons were on the menu.  Nymphing was effective if you couldn’t find a wind break but the search for risers paid off if you were patient.  Today’s forecast is calling for cooler air temperatures with sunshine.  The cold night has caused the water temperatures to drop so it will take a little longer to warm up today.  Winds should be 4 – 8 mph from the North.  The froecast is calling for some rain by mid-week.  Hopefully Accuweather has it down correctly.

As you can tell by the picture below I am not skilled in the use of Photoshop.

Peter stuck it out and landed this one in the afternoon. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria – Definitely Spinners – duns are waning on some sections
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus) –
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis – almost gone – you’ll still find a few here and there
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp. – Waning
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp. – Waning

April 23, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 23, 2016

Despite the rumors there are still Hendricksons hatching on the System.  They are done on the lower sections of the river but if you’re willing to hunt around you will find them.  Definitely carry Hendrickson Spinners.  Our doors and windows are covered with them this morning.  Caddis have provided some nice daytime activity and again in the evening.  We have good cloud cover this morning but it looks like most of the rain is going south of us.  Winds should be 9 to 14 mph so look for a sheltered area on the river.  Hopefully that drops towards evening.

Mike Chain Sr found one yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp.

April 22, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 22, 2016

It was nice to wake up to the sound of rain this morning.  It was brief storm so most of the precipitation should have been absorbed by the ground.  We should see a little more today with a thunderstorm around mid-day. Chances are it will be isolated so some areas may see it and others may not.  Air temperatures will be in the low 70’s.  It looks like the best fishing weather day we’ve seen in quite a while.  If we’re really lucky the storms hit hard above the reservoirs.
The fishing was good yesterday with a healthy mix of Hendricksons, Blue Quills, and Caddis.  The hatches are coming off in the late afternoon and we have seen good numbers of Hendrickson spinners.  Some of the fish have been terribly picky even at dark but that’s what makes it fun.  In some place the caddis are so thick you need to clean your windshield after you drive by.  Nymphing before the hatches has been productive.  Use nymphs that match the size of the naturals.

Mike Chain Jr with a great rainbow. Photo by Bruce Miller

Mike Chain Sr with a nice brown. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp.

April 21, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 21, 2016

Yesterday was a bright sunny one with some light winds. There were a few wind gusts that made you turn around but they were so infrequent they didn’t bother the fishing at all.  The Hendricksons and Apple Caddis are still working their way up the system and we had pretty decent hatching yesterday.  The fish were happy and ended up rising despite the bright sun.  We are still seeing Blue Quills mixed in plus Hendrickson spinners in the evening.  All in all yesterday was one of the best fishing days of the year so far.
Today’s weather should be a carbon copy of yesterday.  The rivers dropped slightly overnight but the amount was negligible.  Winds should be 6 gusting to 10 mph.

Nick is holding down the blog for us this week! Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp.

April 20, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 20, 2016

The wind was tough yesterday but there were enough breaks to get the fish eating on top.  We’re seeing a lot of caddis in the air and enough on the water to get the fish interested.  Hendricksons are still around offering some emerger fishing.  The spinners should begin to fall once we get a few days of warm air temps and light winds.  Some people did well nymphing through the wind while other just waited for the gusts to stop.  Having a few clouds pass over was a great change.  We get the full sun back today with a forecast of air temperatures hitting the mid 60’s and winds of 1 – mph.  The menu hasn’t changed so carry most of your Spring patterns out there.

Nick is having a great week. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp.

April 19, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 19, 2016

Yesterday was interesting / strange.  Lots of caddis on the water and in the air, good blue quills, late hendricksons, and spooky fish.  We heard some reliable reports of a decent hendrickson spinner fall but not a lot of fish eating them at dark.  It sounds like that was very location specific since a few miles away I had spinners but definitely not large numbers.  The clear water, bright sunshine, and pressure (moon phase, barometric pressure, wind gusts, insert your favorite Delaware excuse here) seems to have some of the fish acting a bit spooky .  We saw a lot of fish eat a couple of times never to return and other fish were friendly.  It’s time for a real stealthy approach and accurate casting.  We have some wind and cloud cover this morning which is actually a welcome change from the summer like conditions of the last few days.  The clouds may make the fish feel safer and more willing to feed steadily one the bugs come.  The wind should be 4 mph with gusts to 15 mph.  Let’s hope there is actually a break in between gusts.
Cannonsville Reservoir level has dropped slightly due to diversions to NYC and the 400 cfs release.  Pepacton has come up a little.

Nick with a great fish yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp.