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.

May 3, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 3, 2015

I guess one bonus of the pathetic May releases under the FFMP is that the West Branch and Upper East Branch are now a waders paradise.  The Lower East and Mainstem are decent for both floating and wading.  The flow at Callicoon is now 1,710 cfs and dropping.  Luckily the water temps have stayed cool so far.  We are seeing a mix of blue quills and hendricksons, plus the little black caddis are active.  Much of the dry fly activity is happening later in the day.  The low, clear water are making the fish a bit shy and pickier than normal for this time of year.  We are finding success fishing emergers, cripples, and floating nymphs.  Nymphing has been decent in the riffles early in the day.  We haven’t seen many spinners yet but they should be coming over the next few days.  Today’s forecast is sun, light winds, and a high of 72 degrees.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 50 degrees this morning and peaked at 57 degrees yesterday afternoon.

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 2, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 2, 2015

The Cannonsville release was raised to 160 cfs yesterday.  The spill is ending so the net gain in flow will not amount to much additional water in the West Branch.  Yesterday was a great fishing day with overcast skies and moderate winds.  The blue quills, hendricksons, and little black caddis continue to hatch.  The amount of mayflies on the water is increasing each day so the dry fly fishing is improving each day.  The rivers should warm up more today with a forecast of sun, 70 degree air temps, and maybe a very brief rain shower in the afternoon.  The winds should be around 5 mph with gusts peaking around 8 mph.  Overall this should turn out to be a great fishing day.
Cannonsville Reservoir is 100.4% capacity with an inflow at Walton of 423 cfs.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge peaked at 55 degees yesterday and is starting off at 49 degrees this morning.

Check out our new photo gallery with regular updates here:  https://thedelawareriverclub.com/photo-gallery/

Steve with a brown on the Mainstem. Photo by Samantha Dennis

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 1, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 1, 2015

According the recording the release from Cannonsville remains 74 cfs this morning.  Nymphing was effective yesterday and the dry fly fishing improved by late afternoon.  We had a decent flush of blue quills, little black caddis, and a few hendricksons mixed in for good measure.  The warmer air temps and sunshine forecasted for the next few days should force the bug hatching to increase.  The topwater action has been a little later in the day than we’re used to but with the increasing water temperatures the timing should move up.  There is some sporadic caddis action in the mornings.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 52 degrees this morning and peaked at 56 yesterday afternoon. Cannonsville Reservoir was 100.5% capacity with a spill of 65 cfs this morning.

Larry with a Mainstem Brown. Photo by Jim Swift

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.

April 30, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 30, 2015

The leading edge of the hendrickson hatch has begun.  We are seeing a few on the river mixed with blue quills and the fish have just begun to notice.  The winds have been an issue for the risers this Spring but today looks like we’re only getting winds around 5 mph with gusts to 7 mph.  If Accuweather is correct this should be a great fishing day once the clouds move in during the afternoon.  The West Branch is getting low due to the terrible release schedule under the FFMP and the spill slowing down.  The temperatures throughout the system are great so far this season. The release from Cannonsville is 74 cfs and the spill has dropped to 107 cfs.  Cannonsville is 100.6% capacity.  The West Branch at Hale Eddy peaked at 56 degrees yesterday and is starting off at 48 degrees this morning.

Jared releasing a nice rainbow yesterday. 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.

April 29, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 29, 2015

Yesterday fished well with nymphs and some dry flies in the afternoon. The blue quills were hatching and the fish responded in between wind gusts.  Fortunately the wind forecast shows the gusts dropping over the next few days which should help the dry fly action.  We are seeing a mix of blue quills, olives, and the occasional hendrickson.  The few hendricksons we are seeing are the leading edge of the hatch and many of the nymphs don’t look ready to go yet.  Hopefully this will lead us into a more “normal” spring with a few weeks of hendricksons.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is starting off at 46 degrees this morning and peaked at 52 degrees yesterday afternoon.  Cannonsville is still spilling a small amount with a capacity of 100.6% and an inflow from Walton of 507 cfs.  The weather looks great today with sun and a high of 66 degrees.

Jeff and Doug with the double yesterday! Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

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.

April 28, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 28, 2015

The flows and river temperatures haven’t changed much from yesterday morning which is a good sign for fishing today.  Despite yesterday’s wind the fish did get active on the surface in between gusts and in protected areas.  The hatches have been brief in the mid afternoon but should increase in length over the next few days.  The forecast looks fantastic with the rest of the week in the 60’s with a mix of sun and clouds.  Blue winged olives, blue quills, and a few of the first early hendricksons have been spotted.  Nymphing is still the most effective method but definitely keep your eyes open for risers.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is 44 degrees this morning and peaked at 46 yesterday.  It will climb higher today.  Cannonsville is at 100.5% capacity with an inflow at Walton of 673 cfs.

Ann with a great Delaware rainbow

Hatching:

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.

April 27, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 27, 2015

It was a long cold wait but yesterday we finally had some consistent rising fish.  There was an afternoon flush of olives and blue quills with a few little black caddis thrown in for good measure.  The bugs and the fish should get more consistent towards the weekend as our warmer weather picks back up.  Nymphing was effective for most of the day and dark streamers were still producing some fish when the sun wasn’t hitting the water.  Accuweather did not live up to it’s name yesterday and we spent most of the day with clouds and chilly temps.  We have some light intermittent showers moving in today. Luckily the small spill over Cannonsville is helping the downstream flows.  We need it due to the pathetic 74 cfs release under the FFMP Chart 4A.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is 43 degrees this morning and peaked at 49 degrees yesterday afternoon.

Chris with a nice brown yesterday. Steve Shen photo

Hatching:

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.