River Conditions / Blog – Page 153 – The Delaware River Club

September 9, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 9, 2015

According to the DEP recording the release from Cannonsville has been dropped t0 664 cfs this morning. The Hale Eddy flow will drop over the next few hours and level out around 700 cfs – unless they drop the release further during the day. This will make wading a bit easier in some of the pools and floating is still fine. The West Branch is still the best bet since the East Branch at Fishs Eddy peaked at 75 degrees yesterday and the Mainstem peaked around 68 degrees at Lordville. The upper East Branch near Pepacton Dam is cool but it is very low and clear making fishing tough. The hatches seem to come in minor flushes yesterday and never built into one decent hatch. The bugs are still the same with olives, sulphurs, cahills, and some isonychias. We found some fish rising on the slow edges and patience was definitely the key. We did have a lot of green weeds / slime floating own the West Branch yesterday. There is some color to the water coming out of Cannonsville but the clarity is fine for fishing. Both seem to be the norm for Fall fishing over the last few years.

Tony with a respectable fish yesterday

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur #18-20 – E. dorothea
Tricos #22 – 26 – Tricorythodes sp.
Light Cahills #14 – various steno species (invaria, etc)
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
Charcoal Caddis #14 -16 – dark Brachycentrus sp.
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis sp.
Flying ants #16-24

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	676 cfs	50°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	931 cfs	51°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	148 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	208 cfs	68°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	1,350 cfs	65°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	79 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	664 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	53°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	65 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	65.2%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	81.9%

September 8, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 8, 2015

The release from Cannonsville has been increased again to 969 cfs to help meet downstream flow targets. The flow of 1,050 cfs should make Art happy this morning. When they raise the water we are seeing the green weeds / slime increase above Hale Eddy but it has still be okay to fish with a dry fly. As you move down the river the floating weeds filter out. Nymphing has still been the best technique during the bright sunny days. We are seeing a few flushes of mayflies during the day but a lot of the action is in the evening. We are coming off a hot day and a warm night. The East Branch at Fishs Eddy is starting off at 68 degrees this morning and the Mainstem a Lordville is 63 degrees. We are facing another sunny day with air temperatures approaching 90. The system definitely needs the rain Accuweather is forecasting for tomorrow and Thursday. No change in the hatching. Olives, small sulphurs, some cahills, and a few isonychias. We are still seeing some tricos in the morning and there is always a possibility of flying ants out there with the current weather conditions.

Brooke found one in the bright sun. Photo by Jared Makowski

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	976 cfs	50°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	1,050 cfs	51°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	151 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	211 cfs	68°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	1,180 cfs	63°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	82 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	969 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	54°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	70 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	67%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	83.3%

September 7, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 7, 2015

The release from Cannonsville has been increased to 797 cfs this morning to help meet the Montague flow target. There is very little flow being added from the feeders so the West Branch shouldn’t end up much higher than the release. The increased flow has also increased the amount of weeds and algae floating in the upper section. It mostly filters out by mid river but you will still see some. Accuweather is calling for another sunny hot day today with air temperatures approaching 90. Winds should be light with gusts only around 6 mph. We are still fishing olives, small sulphurs, plus a few cahills and isonychias. The lower East Branch and upper Mainstem are still to hot to fish.

we’re still finding the odd steno / cahill around

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	813 cfs	49°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	885 cfs	50°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	151 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	216cfs	67°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	1140 cfs	64°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	84 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	797 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	54°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	74 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	67%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	83.3%

September 6, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 6, 2015

The release from Cannonsville has been increased to 747 cfs this morning. Hale Eddy has leveled out at 828 cfs. Wading will be a little more difficult in the higher flow but is still possible if you pick your spots carefully. The bright sun has made fishing during the day tough so nymphing has been the best option until the olives hatch in the evening. If you are fishing the upper river you may see some daytime flushes of sulphurs and olives. If you run into a lot of the green weeds / slime floating down move down river. The lower East Branch at Fishs Eddy and the Mainstem at Lordville both peaked over 70 degrees yesterday. Accuweather is calling for air temps in the low 80’s, sun, and no wind.

The spiders are finding the hatches on the West Branch

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	750 cfs	49°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	828 cfs	49°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	151 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	226cfs	67°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	1090 cfs	64°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	87 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	747 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	54°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	81 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	67%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	83.3%

September 5, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 5, 2015

No real changes from yesterday. The thunderstorms either never materialized or totally missed us although we did get a little cloud cover in the early evening. The flow at Hale Eddy has leveled out at 756 cfs. The additional release appears to be to meet the downstream flow target. Water temperatures remain fine on the West Branch and the hatching remains the same. Small olives, flushes of sulphurs, a few cahills, and the odd isonychia will cover you for most of the river. We are seeing some tricos spinners in the morning on the larger pools and the flying ants remain a possibility everyday while we have the warm, humid weather. Both the lower East Branch at Fishs Eddy and the Mainstem at Lordville peaked over 70 degrees yesterday.
Today we are looking at sunshine with air temperatures around 80 degrees. Wind gusts should only be 5 mph out of the Southeast.

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	665 cfs	49°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	756 cfs	50°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	151 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	226cfs	68°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	1090 cfs	66°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	90 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	675 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	56°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	85 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	67%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	83.3%

September 4, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 4, 2015

And we’re up! This morning the release from Cannonsville Reservoir has been increased to 675 cfs. That still not a bad level for wading and floating. The hatches remain the same with olives, sulphurs, cahills, and a few isonychias. We are still seeing a few decent flushes of sulphurs but the olives have been more consistent. We’ll continue to see flying ants as long as this hot, humid weather holds on. The West Branch is still the river to fish. There has been a little action on the upper East Branch but that river needs more water right now. The lower East and the Mainstem are still peaking over 70 degrees by mid afternoon so we are staying off those two. Accuweather is calling for partial sun with a thunderstorm or two moving through the area during the day. The predicted precipitation and winds are negligible. Air temperatures will be in the low 80’s.

and we’re up again

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	665 cfs	47°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	732 cfs	50°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	153 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	237 cfs	68°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	994 cfs	67°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	93 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	675 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	56°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	90 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	67.3%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	83.6%

September 3, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 3, 2015

We’re up a little, then down a little, then back up a little. The release from Cannonsville was increased to 555 cfs this morning. It seems like we’re going through a period when DEP is making micro adjustments to the releases to cover flows downstream yet save every single pint of water they can. That or whoever has their hand on the dial is having scotch for breakfast. If that’s the case hopefully they are drinking something good like Glenkinchie 12. With that said the increases and decreases are minor and should have no affect on the system. The West Branch remains the most consistent fishery with olives, some sulphurs, a few isonychias, and minor flushes of cahills. Flying ants are still around but are unpredictable. Definitely carry them for the next week or two. We are still finding fish rising to trico spinners in the mornings- mostly when the fog burns off.
The lower East Branch and Upper Mainstem are still too warm to fish with Fishs Eddy peaking around 74 degrees yesterday. The total current NYC Water Supply is at 83.9%. Normal Storage for September 3rd is 77%
The forecast is calling for a very light storm in the late afternoon with a small amount of precipitation. The winds should be light. Hopefully we see some cloud cover early.

Jared Makowski with a nice brown yesterday

Up, down, down,down, up.

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	548 cfs	47°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	627 cfs	50°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	153 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	243 cfs	68°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	994 cfs	67°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	98 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	555 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	56°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	98 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	67.5%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	83.9%

September 2, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 2, 2015

The release from Cannonsville was dropped slightly overnight to 542 cfs. The West Branch is still at decent levels for floating and wading and ha been the best option for fishing. We are still seeing some tricos in the morning. Nymphing has been productive during the day until the hatches start in the afternoon. Look for shaded banks early. The flying ants can come at anytime and the fish generally rise to them regardless of the weather. The hatches have remained the same with olives plus a few sulphurs, isonychias, and cahills. The lower East Branch temperatures peaked over 70 degrees yesterday and the Mainstem at Lordville was right there too so we’re still leaving those rivers alone. We are looking at mid to high 80’s air temperatures today with sunny skies. Winds should be calm.

Steve landing one as the fog rolls in. Photo by Jared Makowski

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	538 cfs	46°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	616 cfs	50°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	156 cfs	56°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	252 cfs	67°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	1,020 cfs	65°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	102 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	542 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	55°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	104 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	67.8%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	84.3%

September 1, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 1, 2015

The release from Cannonsville has been cut back slightly but we still have a decent flow at Stilesville of 577 cfs this morning. The current release is 579 cfs.
We are facing another warm day with air temperatures around 85 degrees, sunshine, and winds of 4 mph. Thursday looks like our first shot at getting some rain with a 40% chance of thunderstorms.
We are still fishing olives with some small sulphurs mixed in. Keep an eye out for flying ants- especially on humid afternoons. A few isonychias and cahills round out the hatching. We should start to see more fall caddis as we get into September.

The up and down release. Levels are sill decent for floating and wading

The classic 24 hour up and down release. Levels are sill decent for floating and wading

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	577 cfs	47°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	654 cfs	49°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	156 cfs	57°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	261 cfs	67°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	1,070 cfs	65°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	108 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	579 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	55°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	113 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	68.1%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	84.7%

August 31, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 31, 2015

It looks like the release from Cannonsville has been raised to 600 cfs. I expected a change in the other direction on September 1st so this is a nice surprise to wake up to this morning. Hale Eddy should continue to climb a little more this morning and level out by lunch time. The flow at Stilesville is level at 598 cfs. If that changes during the day we’ll follow up with a mid-day report. The West Branch is still at a great level for wading and floating.
Flying ants were the fly of the day yesterday. We started getting reports of fish eating ants throughout the system around 11 am and it continued through the afternoon. We are still seeing sporadic small sulphurs, a couple of isonychias, and just a handful of cahills. The afternoon olives have been the most predictable hatch on the system.
Moderate winds, mostly sun, and air temperatures in the mid 80’s

Jared Makowski found a nice one feeding on top yesterday afternoon

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	598 cfs	46°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	676 cfs	49°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	159 cfs	55°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	270 cfs	65°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	964 cfs	64°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	110 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	500 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	55°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	124 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	68.8%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	85.8%

August 30, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 30, 2015

We’re coming off a warm night and looking at another day with air temperatures around 80 degrees. Accuweather is calling for mostly sun with humidity. There is a chance for a shower in the early evening but the precipitation amount should be negligible. Hopefully the warm weather and humidity push more flying ants out of the ground and onto the water. The sulphur hatches are definitely waning leaving us with olives until we get the push of fall mayflies. There are enough remnant sulphurs hatching to bring some fish to the surface but patience is definitely called for right now. Nymphing during the day has been effective.

We’ve seen a lot of small olives lately. Look for patterns you can see on the water

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	494 cfs	45°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	570 cfs	49°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	159 cfs	56°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	276 cfs	64°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	974 cfs	63°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	116 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	500 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	55°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	138 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	68.8%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	85.8%

August 29, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 29, 2015

We’re coming off another cool night so water temperatures are about the same as this time yesterday. We also had another day of unexpected cloud cover with no real precipitation. We are on a bit of a warming trend with high air temperatures hitting close to 80 today with the night dropping back to the high 50’s. No rain in the forecast again but we should have some cloud cover. While the sulphur hatch is waning there are still enough coming off to interest the fish. The hatches seem to be a little lighter and more sporadic than we’ve grown used to so be patient. Olives are still around in good numbers throughout the system. We are seeing a good mix of sizes from #18 -26. There are still a few isonychias and cahills hatching on some sections of river. While these hatches seem light and sporadic too we have heard reports of people catching fish blind casting the isonychias in the riffles. Definitely carry flying ants.

Net

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur #18-20 – E. dorothea
Tricos #22 – 26 – Tricorythodes sp.
Light Cahills #14 – various steno species (invaria, etc)
Golden Drake #12-2xl – Potomanthus distinctus
PED / Pink Lady #14 – E. vitreus
Large Blue Winged Olive #14 – D. cornuta
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
Charcoal Caddis #14 -16 – dark Brachycentrus sp.
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Flying ants #16-24

West Branch at Stilesville, NY	494 cfs	45°
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY	566 cfs	48°
East Branch at Harvard, NY	162 cfs	52°
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY	289 cfs	60°
Mainstem at Lordville, NY	984 cfs	61°
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY	122 cfs	N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Release	500 cfs
West Branch at 191 Bridge	N/A	53°
West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow)	155 cfs
Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity	68.8%
Pepacton Reservoir Capacity	85.8%