May 15, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 15, 2015

It looks like we have a very small directed release to help meet the minimum flow target of an average of 1750 cfs at Montague, NJ.  The release from Cannonsville is 176 cfs this morning.  Hopefully they will increase the directed release this afternoon or tonight and not release any water from Lake Wallenpaupack or Rio Reservoir.  The cooler temperatures have left the system in good shape this morning with a water temp at Lordville of 60 degrees.  Our daytime air temperatures are going to climb over the weekend but the overnight temps look okay.  The water is still low exposing a lot of the gravel and boulders.  Sun can heat the rivers up quickly in this situation so double check the water temperatures with your thermometer before you fish, especially on the Mainstem and lower East Branch.
The system fished well yesterday with the smaller #16 hendricksons seeming to be the hatch of the day.  It’s still bug soup with everything from blue quills to march browns hatching.  We are still finding blue quill nymphs on the West Branch so carry everything.  Nymphing has been very productive in between hatches but most people are finding enough rising fish to keep it interesting.  Do not forget to bring hendrickson spinners!
Bottom line- we need releases for the weekend to protect the Main.

Richard with a healthy rainbow in the sun yesterday.

Hatching:
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 14, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 14, 2015

Well it’s been an interesting couple of weeks.  We went from winter right to summer, and yesterday felt like early spring.  The water temperatures have dropped throughout the system but the flows still remain low.  Last night’s air temps in the 30’s did wonders for the river.  We should hit mid 60’s today with another cold night tonight.  We are on a warming trend so without additional releases keep an eye on the water temps towards the weekend.  Accuweather isn’t calling for extreme heat like we had but it’s good to be vigilant just in case, especially on the lower sections of the Main Stem. Hopefully we get some directed releases for the Montague flow target soon.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 49 degrees this morning.
Wind made fishing tough yesterday but there were rising fish plus plenty of nymphing.  The hatching can best be described as bug soup.  Bring all your flies.  We still have blue quills and hendrickson, plus march browns and gray foxes are starting.  It should make for some interesting fishing over the next week or so.

Cam with a West Branch brown on top yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 13, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 13, 2015

Last night’s cool weather has provided us some thermal relief.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is starting off at 58 degrees this morning.  The cool weather today and frost warnings tonight should help immensely.  We do need to keep an eye on the forecast for the rest of the week.  The air temps will creep up into the 60’s by Friday with some sun.  Additional releases from the reservoirs are still needed to protect the system from thermal stress.  The low water exposes too many rocks that are heated up by the sun.  Bright sun can heat the rivers up faster than hot air temperatures.

The West Branch has fishable temperatures this morning but the Mainstem is still on the edge.  The Lordville gage is registering 65 degrees this morning.  We feel this gage registers a few degrees cooler than the actual temperatures so please check the water with your thermometer before fishing.  That should apply to fishing anywhere on the system still as the water temps can climb quickly during sunny periods.

Right now the entire system is a wade game.  The flow at Lordville is only 731 which is too low to take a boat down.

Hatching:
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 12, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 12, 2015

It looks like everyone including the fish get another day off due to the high water temperatures.  We are not fishing or guiding today.  The lower West Branch, lower East Branch, and the Mainstem all peaked over 70 degrees again by mid day yesterday.  The Lordville gage on the Mainstem is already measuring 71 degrees this morning.  That gage seems to read on the cool side so add a few degrees to that number.  We are going to see air temps in the high 70’s today so the rivers will heat up even more by late afternoon.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 67 degrees as of 5:30 this morning.  Unbelievable.

There is a potential for T Storms and .15″ of rain this afternoon.  That likely won’t be enough to bring the rivers up.  Hopefully the storms sit on us for a while and dump some real water.  Luckily the overnight air temps will drop to the 30’s with highs tomorrow in the 50’s.  This should give us some thermal relief.  If you insist on fishing the West Branch above Hale Eddy managed to stay below 70 degrees again so what little water there is up there is okay.  The closer you get to the dam the better off you will be with water temperatures.  Anything fish caught below that will likely die from stress.  No matter where you fish check the water with a thermometer first.

Hopefully Accuweather is correct and we can report on some thermal relief in tomorrow’s post.

I’m tired of posting depressing temperature graphs. Here’s a Green Drake nymph

Hatching:
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 11, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 11, 2015

Take today off from fishing.  The Lordville gage is showing 69 degrees already this morning.  We believe that the Lordville gage registers cooler than the actual river temperature so the Mainstem is a little over 70 degrees already.  It looks likes the potential for rain has been decreasing and we are only looking at around a 1/10th of an inch this afternoon with air temperatures in the 80’s.  A little more rain should fall overnight but much of it will be soaked up by the ground and vegetation that is leafing out.  The air temps will remain warm tonight but will begin to drop on Tuesday night offering a little relief.  We are watching the system closely and making decisions day by day.

We are not going to fish or take anyone fishing today.  Like yesterday we suggest everyone take today off to give the fish a break.  Hopefully mother nature provides us some relief over the next few days.

The West Branch at Hale Eddy peaked at 67 degrees yesterday.  The lower West Branch, East Branch, and Mainstem all peaked over 70 degrees.  Callicoon peaked over 75 degrees.

The West Branch in Hancock peaked over 70 degrees yesterday and is starting at 65 degrees this morning.

Hatching:
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 10, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 10, 2015

The bright sun, heat, and low release has caught up to the Mainstem and even the lower East Branch and lower West Branch.  The bright sun has been especially bad the last couple of days heating up the exposed rocks making the rivers warm up quicker.  The warm nights haven’t cooled the rivers down so we are starting off with high temperatures this morning.  If you are going to fish head out very early and end early or wade fish the upper West Branch above Hale Eddy or the upper East Branch above Harvard.  Definitely check the water temps everywhere you go with a thermometer.  Fishs Eddy and the West Branch at 191 both peaked at 70 degrees yesterday afternoon.  Callicoon peaked at almost 75 degrees. As a staff we have decided to stop floating and fishing the Mainstem until water temperatures recede to more normal levels, we expect that you do the same. With that being said a little water, either from nature, or from the dams and this river system will bounce back.

If we are lucky we will get the forecasted 1/2″ of rain over the next few days plus a cooling trend beginning Tuesday night.  Some water and a couple of nights with air temps in the 30’s will help the river immensely.  Hopefully.  We believe the water temps at the Lordville gage are hotter than it is registering.

A lot of companies would kill to have a sales graph that trended like the Mainstem water temps

Hatching:
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.
Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

May 9, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 9, 2015

Yesterday was another mix of hendricksons, blue quills, and apple caddis.  We had periods of mid-day cloud cover that made the fish feel comfortable enough to eat the caddis.  Once the sun dropped a bit the fishing fishing picked up with the mayflies and ended with a hendrickson spinner fall in some areas.  Shaded banks payed off for people who were patient in the sun.  The fish seem picky but a lot of that is caused by the huge amount of food out there right now.  Bug soup. Each fish seems to want something different so change flies often if you get refusals.  Today is going to feel like summer with sunshine and air temps approaching 80 degrees.  The rivers are starting to warm up due to the high air temperatures and low releases.  Check the water temperatures with your thermometer before fishing.

A nice rainbow in the sun yesterday. Photo by Kevan Smaracko

Hatching:
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.
Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

May 8, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 8, 2015

Yesterday was a day of sunshine but the blue quills, hendricksons, and apple caddis still came off.  The fish were picky but willing to rise.  Emergers seem to be the pattern of choice.  If you want to fish underneath before or in between hatches try swinging wet flies to mimic the huge amounts of caddis out there right now.  The blue quills and hendricksons have been hatching for a while now so definitely stay late and watch for spinner falls.  Today is going to feel like summer with the warmest air temperatures we’ve seen so far this year.  Let’s hope Accuweather is correct and we get some decent precipitation between May 10th and May 12th.  Cannonsville is currently at 98.8% capacity.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 58 degrees this morning.

Dave with one of his good browns yesterday. Photo by
Steve Shen

Hatching:
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.
Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

May 7, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 7, 2015

Yesterday was another mix of hendricksons and blue quills but the apple caddis stole the show.  At times they looked like snow coming up the river.  The cloud cover certainly made the fish feel comfortable and we saw rises in sections right after lunch.  Nymphing has been producing in the morning before the hatches plus there has been some sporadic morning risers to caddis.  Stay on the river late because there have been some blue quill and hendrickson spinner activity at dark. Today will be warmer with negligible winds.  The air temperature dropped last night so the rivers are starting off cooler this morning.  Cannonsville Reservoir is now at 99.1% capacity.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is starting off at 54 degrees this morning.

Nick had a decent day yesterday. Photo by Stephen Shen

Hatching:
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.
Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

May 6, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 6, 2015

This is another morning of overcast skies and heavy mist / very light rain.  The precipitation should end around 10 am but according to Accuweather the clouds should hang around most of the day.  It looks like most of the heavier rain will go south of us today.  Yesterday cleared up earlier than expected and we had a mix of sun and clouds throughout the afternoon.  There were a lot of different bugs on the water with a mix of hendricksons, blue quills, and apple caddis making up the majority.  Fish were eating on top but definitely were more comfortable during cloud cover and after the sun dropped in the late afternoon.  We also had some hendrickson and blue quill spinners into dark.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is starting off at 59 degrees this morning.  Cannonsville is at 99.4% capacity.

Nick with a Mainstem brown. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.
Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

May 5, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 5, 2015

Waking up this morning to cloud cover and a heavy mist seems like a welcome change after the summer conditions over the last couple of days.  The rivers are off to a warm start this morning after the sun and heat yesterday plus the high overnight air temperatures.  The West Branch and East Branch are great for waders while the Mainstem is in decent shape for both wading and floating.  The hendricksons are hatching throughout the river system and the fish are responding during periods of cloud cover and towards evening as the sun drops.  We are seeing more blue quills in sections but the hendrickson hatch should intensify over the next few days.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 53 degrees this morning and peaked at 64 degrees yesterday afternoon.  Cannonsville Reservoir is 99.7% capacity with a release of 150 cfs.

Tom found a nice fish yesterday despite the sun. Photo by Stephen Shen

Hatching:
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.
Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

May 4, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 4, 2015

The warm weather and terribly low releases are keeping the water temps at at night so most of the system is starting off over 50 degrees this morning.  The West Branch is too low to float and is a wader’s paradise.  The East Branch and Mainstem are in decent shape for floating or wading today.  We saw a decent mix of hendricksons and blue quills yesterday with most of the action in the late afternoon.  The bright sun is making the fish a bit shy so look for shade, broken water, and deeper tailouts during the day.  They are a bit more comfortable in the evening when the sun begins to drop.  there has been some morning action on caddis and some left over blue quill spinners.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 52 degrees this morning and peaked at 59 degrees yesterday afternoon.  This mornings release from Cannonsville under the FFMP Table 4A is an embarrassing 150 cfs until further notice.

Ben with his first Delaware River trout on a dry fly. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.
Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.