Delaware River Report / Conditions August 26, 2013

Happy  Monday! While yesterday was not stellar, it was certainly an improvement over Saturday. The bright sun definitely depressed insect activity, aside from areas of shade, and the evening. There were folks that saw sporadic sulphur hatches on the mid-West Branch during the day, but they were short lived until the evening hatch. While short (7PM on), the evening hatch was definitely fun, and the fish were eager to eat. The real good news is the weather over the next three days – clouds, clouds, and rain. No complaints at all. This incoming system should provide some great daytime bug activity, and will certainly extend our evening fishing as well. The air temps will be a little warm, so if we do get evening thunderstorms, there is always the chance for a bunch of fog to appear, so be ready!

A KILLER photo of an Isonychia bicolor (aka White Gloved Howdy) female dun. Photo by: Jeff White

A KILLER photo of an Isonychia bicolor (aka White Gloved Howdy) female dun. Hopefully the clouds will bring more of these guys out to play!  Photo by: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 494 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 570 cfs @ 49º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 167 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 379 cfs @ 66º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,110 cfs @ 65º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 148 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 83.4% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 25, 2013

Man, it was tough out there yesterday. Realize “tough” is shop-guy speak for kinda sucked. The bright sun depressed much of the activity, all the way until just before dark. There were even clouds of Tricos early in the morning (finally!) here on the Lower West, with many of them falling – no fish up to snack. It could be the result of the drop in flow, but typically a drop from to a 500 release from a 600 release rarely has an adverse effect. Perhaps it did this time, I only have speculation. Today we are expecting another sunny, “pleasant” day (at least by the normal world’s standards – we love clouds and rain), which will hopefully be a bit more normal, with bug activity up high early, shifting down stream as the day progresses. Very little wind as well, which is always nice – let’s hope the Tricos decide to fall again as well (but with more action from the fish this time!).

Hey! Trout! This is food! Photo: Jeff White

Hey! Trout! This is food! Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 477 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 561 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 170 cfs @ 56º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 396 cfs @ 64º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,140 cfs @ 64º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 157 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 83.4% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 24, 2013

It physically hurts me to type this next bit: yesterday, they wouldn’t eat an Iso. At least not for me, or those I talked to. The good news is there were plenty of bugs to be had in the evening, especially sulphurs and small olives, and while spotty, the fish were up and rising with some degree of regularity. The old standby of tossing a cheeseburger over them did not have the desired effect, unfortunately. Also, NYC has dropped the release from Cannonsville back down to 500 cfs, as the reservoir level is down under 84%. We should stay here for the foreseeable future, and the smaller drop should not adversely affect the fishing or bugs. As for weather, today is supposed to be a mirror-image of yesterday, sans wind (thankfully). Bright sun, patchy clouds will likely make daytime fishing a bit challenging, but evening should certainly light up again!

This nice bow was caught at half past dark-thirty (8:27 or so) last night. Photo: Pat Regan

This nice bow was caught at half past dark-thirty (8:27 or so) last night. Photo: Pat Regan

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 477 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 561 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 176 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 434 cfs @ 64º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,220 cfs @ 64º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 176 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 83.4% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 23, 2013

Great cloud cover made for some really good daytime fishing yesterday, with folks seeing sulphurs, olives, and flying ants (which the fish ignored for some unknown reason). As the day went on, a series of pretty good thunderstorms rolled through, and they definitely affected the hatching activity – by curtailing it quite a bit. As they came through, the bugs stopped for a bit, then a big wall of wind made its way downstream, and the river lit up, with fish up and eating anything going over top of them. This lasted for about 5 minutes, then the rain started in earnest and shut everything down for the evening. While it was pretty much a downpour off and on for an hour or so, the river level is fine, and clarity is still amazing. Today, we’ve got mostly cloudy skies predicted again, and with less humidity I wouldn’t worry too much about the thunderstorms in the afternoon. Could be another great day out there!

Once this burns off, we'll be in great shape! Photo: Bart Larmouth

Once this burns off, we’ll be in great shape! Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 577 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 676 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 197 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 542 cfs @ 67º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,350 cfs @ 66º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 217 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 84.4% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 22, 2013

Not quite as productive as I had hoped out on the river yesterday, with the bright sun putting a bit of a kibosh on activity throughout the day, and the bugs never really popped en masse in the evening. There were some very nice flushes of sulphurs and epeorus, and the fish were definitely interested, but they never came off in strong enough numbers to get the river really lit up. Today we’re going to have some possible t-storms rolling around with warm air temps, which means (in all likelihood) we’ll have some good stop-and-go hatching throughout the day, and likely some fog if the rain ever materializes. Cloud cover is supposed to be be thicker as well, which does bode well for active fish during the day. Still hoping for those flying ants to show as well!

These guys were sporadic, but the fish were still taking the 12-2XL Comparaduns! Photo: Bart Larmouth

These guys were sporadic, but the fish were still taking the 12-2XL Comparaduns! Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 577 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 676 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 206 cfs @ 57º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 467 cfs @ 66º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,340 cfs @ 64º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 184 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 84.4% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 21, 2013

Oddly enough, yesterday went just as expected – a bit of activity whilst the fog hung around, but after the sun came out, the upper river was the place to be (especially when the sporadic clouds rolled through). As the sun dropped in the late afternoon, the bugs started in earnest, with the fish ignoring the olives coming off, and instead focusing on the sulphurs and hebes rolling down the river. Today is slated to be the warmest day of the week, but we are expecting additional clouds as well, which is always a good thing. The fog should appear in the evening, but fortunately it has not been as dense as usual, and will allow you to fish all the way into dark!

Let's hope the big clouds of these start appearing with this warmer weather. Tricos. Photo: Jeff White

Let’s hope the big clouds of these start appearing with this warmer weather. Tricos. Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 577 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 681 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 209 cfs @ 56º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 501 cfs @ 64º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,400 cfs @ 63º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 201 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 84.8% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 20, 2013

Clouds! They are what we had all day yesterday, despite what the weathermen predicted. Or is it weatherpersons now? Not sure what is PC….regardless, we had cloudy skies all day, and the bugs were definitely up, and the fish active. Definitely a great day on the water, and the action continued on into dark, even with the fog settling on the river around 8 (which is normally a kiss of death). Today, we are looking at partially sunny skies (i.e. less clouds), and temps in the low 80s. I would expect the fog to be back tonight, but so long as we do not have any rain (which we are not supposed to), it should be easily manageable for sure, and the fish should be active as we approach the evening.

Bruce Miller almost cracking a smile with this great Brown he took on the Main Stem Sunday. Photo: Pat Giordano

Bruce Miller almost cracking a smile with this great Brown he took on the Main Stem Sunday. Photo: Pat Giordano

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 577 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 687 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 219 cfs @ 54º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 536 cfs @ 62º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,450 cfs @ 61º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 215 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 84.8% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 19, 2013

Cloud cover – gotta love it! The fish and bugs were definitely happy without the sun beating down on them yesterday, and definitely got even happier as the day progressed. There were TONS of BWOs kicking around (Latas, Deficiens, and Pseudos), but they must have been invisible below the surface as they were completely ignored by the fish. Sulphurs were the name of the game, as well as some larger Heptagenias (olive sulphurs) and of course, my favorite – Isonychia. I also had my first decent reports on teh Main Stem, which has been markedly cooler over the last few days. There seems to be little daytime hatching activity, until the “magic hour” in the evening. Unfortunately, that seems to only be a 20-minute hour some evenings, but the fish are quite active, and markedly less picky than their West Branch Counterparts. Today, we are heading into some warmer weather, and the clouds will be patchier. Chances are we will be slipping back into a late-afternoon hatching program, but the thicker the clouds, the earlier it will get started!

Brendan Canvanagh took advantage of the cloud cover yesterday, fishing with his Grandfather, Norm Price who took the photo.

Brendan Canvanagh took advantage of the cloud cover yesterday, fishing with his Grandfather, Norm Price who took the photo.

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 577 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 692 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 222 cfs @ 53º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 580 cfs @ 61º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,500 cfs @ 60º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 232 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 85.9% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 18, 2013

Better. At least yesterday was better than Friday. We had good numbers of bugs throughout the day, and while the fish were not exactly super excited, they definitely got happy towards the evening. Those fishing Sulphurs did very well, as did anyone pitching a cheeseburger (Iso) if your timing was right. The large hatches of olives went virtually unnoticed, but the spinner fall right as darkness crept in definitely got the fish’s attention. Today, we’re looking at another beautiful (for us fisher-folk) cloudy day, with temps near 80. This will certainly mean more olives throughout the day, and the sulphurs should show up with their Iso bodyguards at some point as well. The river is easily wade-able, so do not panic at the additional water in it, you’ll be able to get wherever you like!

A friendly visitor to the boat last night - about a size 12-2XL / 10 Iso. Photo: Michael Johnson

A friendly visitor to the boat last night – about a size 12-2XL / 10 Iso. Photo: Michael Johnson

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 577 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 698 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 229 cfs @ 56º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 614 cfs @ 62º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,580 cfs @ 62º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 248 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 85.9% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 17, 2013

Uncooperative. That’s the best word to describe the fish yesterday. We had decent bugs during the day, and really good hatching in the evening, but few fish were up and on them. Blame what you will, pressure change, or even our bit of good news – the release being upped to 600 cfs (an addition of 100 cfs). I am doubtful that the cold water affected them, but having the flow be so steady for so long, it definitely could be the culprit. Regardless, we’ve got a good looking day on deck, with lots of clouds, good temps, and (hopefully) acclimated fish. I would expect good hatching again during the day, and very likely an excellent evening rush as well. Today and tomorrow look like the best days of the week, weather-wise, so take advantage and get out there!

Jeff White holds Tony May's THICK West Branch Brown. Photo: Bart Larmouth

Jeff White holds Tony May’s THICK West Branch Brown. Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 577 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 709 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 242 cfs @ 55º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 675 cfs @ 61º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,670 cfs @ 61º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 274 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 85.9% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 16, 2013

The bright, bright sun did us no favors yesterday, suppressing the bug and fish activity throughout most of the day. When the clouds did materialize, we saw flushes of olives and sulphurs, but the Isos and Heptagenia did not get ramped up and going until evening. The fish pretty much ignored the olives in the daytime and at the end of the day, but they keyed in on big isos, as well as the pretty significant number of Dortheas (#18) that were popping. Today we are looking at a very similar day, with patchy clouds and copious amounts of sunshine, which will likely make for another morning/evening kind of day, unless the bugs decide to pop up in Deposit (they took a vote and opted not to to yesterday). But, the good news is that if the bugs wait until evening, we will have another great flush and that always gets them up and looking!

Plenty of pretty browns like this were up late in the day yesterday. Photo: Jim Swift

Plenty of pretty browns like this were up late in the day yesterday. Photo: Jim Swift

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 486 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 621 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 242 cfs @ 53º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 740 cfs @ 59º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,700 cfs @ 61º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 311 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 85.9% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 15, 2013

Phew. Definitely a tough on yesterday. Even though there was pretty decent hatching, the winds in the afternoon made for fun casting, as well as hid the bugs from the fish a bit. When they did turn on, the fish were especially picky, and/or would feed on dry, then head right down and start nymphing, then back up on a dry. Timing was everything! When the evening rolled in however, the fish rediscovered the Isos that were coming by, and definitely became a bit more cooperative! Today, we are not expecting the wind, and the air temps should be significantly warmer. There will still be some nice scattered cloud cover, so we will hopefully have a more “normal” summer day!

Joe Costello with a great West Branch Brown caught this week. Photo: Jim Swift

Jim Berry with a great West Branch Brown caught this week. Photo: Jim Swift

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 486 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 643 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 259 cfs @ 53º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 900 cfs @ 58º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,920 cfs @ 58º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 362 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 85.7% – 500 CFS release

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