April 18, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 18, 2015

The reports from yesterday are a bit mixed but it seems most success came on nymphs.  There were a few stoneflies and very few mayflies around in the afternoon.  There were fish rising but they were inconsistent making them tough to target.  You had to be in the right place at the right time and cast quick to target them.  Hare’s ears, copper johns, and pheasant tails in #14 -16 seemed to work well.  We still have decent water temperatures this morning with air temps of 70 degrees in the forecast.  They are calling for wind gusts around 15 -156 mph in the afternoon so find a bend in the river or some other wind break.  Hopefully the wind will blow more stoneflies on the water.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 46 degrees this morning.

Larry makes the blog two days in a row! Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 17, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 17, 2015

The fish have reacted nicely to the warmer water and are staring to get more aggressive.  The streamer and nymph fishing has improved while the dry fly fishing has still been sporadic due to the nature of the stoneflies.  We did see some mayflies on the surface yesterday but not enough to get the fish looking.  The hatching should improve over the next few days with the warm days in the forecast.  We have light rain this morning and overcast skies.  It looks like a fishing day.  The West Branch at the 191 Bridge peaked around 52 degrees yesterday but we are starting off at 47 degrees already this morning.  That’s around 5 degrees warmer than this time yesterday morning.  Cannonsville Reservoir is at 95.4% capacity with an inflow at Walton of 1,220 cfs.

Larry with a nice East Branch brown yesterday. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 16, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 16, 2015

The water temps look pretty decent this morning throughout the system.  Hale Eddy is starting off at 44 degrees this morning.  The forecast is calling for an air temp high of 66 degrees, sun, with some clouds moving in later.  That should heat the rivers up a bit hopefully triggering some activity.  Some minor rain might move in tonight but the best news is the cloud cover will keep the overnight low air temps in the mid 40’s.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge peaked around 51 degrees yesterday and looks to be in great shape for nymphing and some stonefly activity.  Cannonsville Reservoir is 94.5% capacity and the WB at Walton is flowing in at 1420 cfs.

Kevan with a nice brown this week. Molly only finds it mildly interesting. Bob Lewis photo

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 15, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 15, 2015

The weather yesterday confirmed that Spring is finally here.  The fish continue to chase streamers and seem more willing to commit with the warmer water temperatures.  There are still plenty of  early stoneflies and we have seen fish eating them in the slower pools.  A few chimarra caddis have been spotted on the West Branch so that hatch should increase over the next week.  We are looking at another great afternoon with air temperatures peaking around 61 degrees.  Cannonsville is at 93.1% capacity with an inflow from The West Branch at Walton of 1780 cfs.

Checking out some fish food on the West Branch

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 14, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 14, 2015

The last two days of warm weather have done wonders for the system and we are beginning to see signs of life.  There was a large number of early stoneflies around yesterday with a few fish sporadically looking up but the fish seemed to have turned on a bit to the streamers and nymphs.  The West Branch at the 191 bridge peaked at 49 degrees yesterday and this morning the whole system is warmer than we’ve been all season.  Cannonsville is at 91.6% capacity with an inflow from the West Branch at Walton of 2,100 cfs.  It finally feels like Spring!

Bradley with his first Delaware fish of the season yesterday

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 13, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 13, 2015

Yesterday was the most pleasant day of the year so far and the forecast is calling for high 60’s to low 70’s today.  The warmer overnight air temperatures have helped the rivers a little.  Hale Eddy is starting off at 41 degrees this morning and the flow has dropped below 1000.  The stoneflies were hatching well yesterday with some coming back for their egg laying flights but the risers were sporadic with a lot of one and two timers.  Hopefully the warmer temps will make the fish more active and willing to rise steady.

Jared found some stoneflies in the boat yesterday

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 12, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 12, 2015

The flows throughout the system are dropping back now that the rains have stopped and the melt has slowed.  We still have a little snow and ice left in the hills but a few days of warm weather should take care of that.  At this point we are just waiting for the water temps to increase enough to get the bugs active.  The sun shining this morning is certainly a welcome sight.  The first mayflies have been spotted on the system but no risers yet.  We just need to gain a few degrees in water temp to see more insect activity.  The Upper West Branch is still low due to the release from Cannonsville so nymphing is definitely an option there.  The lower sections are beginning to look great for streamers as the water drops and clears up.  The air temps should be in the high 50’s to low 60’s this week which is great news.

Upright wings are always a welcome sight this early in the season, even if the fish don’t think so yet.   Photo yesterday by Fred Nelson

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 11, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 11, 2015

The recent rains have made fishing tough but on the positive side Cannonsville Reservoir was at 82.4% capacity yesterday and the inflow from the West Branch in Walton is 5000 cfs this morning.  The rivers are still high and off color this morning but there is a noticeable improvement on the West Branch.  Visibility looks like a couple of feet making streamer fishing from a boat a decent option.  We just need the water temps to rise about 10 degrees to get the fish active.  Today should be cooler with some wind gusts in the 20’s.  Accuweather is forecasting a warming trend over the next few days but it will take a while for the high water to warm up.

Fill that reservoir!

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 10, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 10, 2015

Yesterday ended up being another cold wet day.  The air temps stayed cool and with the combination of no sun and high water the water temps stayed in the 30’s throughout most of the system.  The colder water over the last few days has slowed the stonefly hatches down and has made the fish more lethargic.  Streamer fishing has slowed down too and slow swinging big flies is working better than strip retrieves again.  When the water temps climb back up they will be chasing streamers more aggressively again. The system has a lot of color from the runoff so the clearest water continues to be above Oquaga Creek on the Upper West Branch. It’s also the safest place to wade and one of the few spots low enough to nymph effectively.  We have just under a 1/4 inch of rain in the forecast today but the air temperature should hit 60 degrees.

High water with a little snow still on the banks. This weeks warmer temps should help

April 9, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 9, 2015

We were hit with a pretty decent rain storm last night after a day of sproradic rain.  Most of the rivers in the system have risen and just begun to drop back this morning.  We have quite a bit of water moving down towards Delaware Bay so the best and possibly only wading option is above Oquaga Creek on the Upper West Branch.  Below the feeders most of the rivers are off color and colder this morning.  We do have a fantastic forecast ahead of us with air temps in the 60’s tomorrow and some sun on Saturday.

Despite the high water the early stonefly nymphs are still active. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 8, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 8, 2015

We are getting some much needed rain this morning- great news for the reservoirs.  Most of the rivers in the system have risen overnight leaving the Upper West Branch as the best option for wading and nymphing.  The lower West Branch looks decent for a streamer run with color in the water and over 1500 cfs flowing at Hale Eddy.  The precipitation should become a little more sporadic during the day with air temps in the low to mid 40’s.  There were some stoneflies ont he water yesterday but the fish haven’t become happy yet.  We need the water temperatures to come up a little more.

Finally seeing some signs of life this Spring!

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 7, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 7, 2015

Yesterday really felt like Spring was here and the warm overnight temperatures helped keep the water temps in the high 30s and low 40s this morning.  We had a little rain but the rivers look about the same this morning with a little color still coming in from the feeder creeks.  The Upper West Branch will offer the best nymphing opportunity today while the rest of the system looks great for streamers.  Since the water temperatures are still low fish slow and methodically.  We should hit the high 40’s to low 50’s today with some decent rains on the way- much needed rain for the reservoirs!

Jared landed a couple of browns on the West Branch last night.

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.