September 17, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 17, 2015

NY dropped the Cannonsville release to 300 cfs yesterday only to turn around and ramp the water back up this morning.  According to the recording we should settle into a 650 cfs release this morning.  The additional water is for the downstream flow targets.  Dropping and then raising the water like this in a 24 hour period is great reminder of NYC DEP’s total disregard for downstream users.  The normal percentage of storage for NYC’s water supply on September 16th is 74.6%.  The current storage this morning is 81.1%.
The bright sun made fishing tough during the day yesterday.  Nymphing was decent early until the bright sun made it’s appearance.  We had a mid-afternoon bonus of flying ants that got things going a little earlier than the olives.  In the evening we had the normal olive hatches mixed with few sulphurs.  The ants ruled the day though.

Flying Ants coming out of the ground yesterday

Maybe someone at DEP gets a bonus for every single drop of water kept behind that dam

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

September 16, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 16, 2015

The sun popped out again yesterday making nymphing the most productive technique until the sun dropped behind the hills.  We did have some small olives hatching mixed with a few flying ants.  We are coming off another cool night so river temperatures look good this morning.  Today will be sunny again with air temperatures in the low 80’s.  We should drop back into the 50’s again tonight which will be good for the system.  We should drop back to cooler daytime temps over the next couple of days.  You can feel Fall in the air.  Once we get a cool down we should see better hatches of fall isonychias, olives, and heptagenias.

Bob Shermer from the weekend. Photo by Bob Lewis

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

September 15, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 15, 2015

The cooler temperatures have been nice but we did have some wind to contend with yesterday as the front pushed through.  Nymphing was the most productive method until the wind finally died down in the evening.  We’re still fishing small olives and sulphurs.  We have seen a few of the Fall isonychias and heptagenias flying around.  Those hatches should pick up over the next couple of weeks.  The cool weather has dropped the water temperatures and both the Mainstem at Lordville and the East Branch at Fishs Eddy are starting off at 59 degrees this morning.  Our air temperatures will creep back up into the 80’s over the next few days but that looks short lived with very cool nights.

Jason Shermer with the largest Tiger Trout we’ve seen.

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

September 14, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 14, 2015

We had decent cloud cover for most of yesterday but the light intermittent showers never appeared.  The olives seemed to hatch on their sunny day timeframe in the late afternoon.  Nymphing was definitely the best technique for most of the day.  We had a few tricos in the morning but most of the dry fly action was after 4 pm.  It’s starting to feel like Fall and we are seeing seeing a few more caddis and just a few of the #14 Fall Isonychias.  We have some warm weather coming our way in a few days but it finally feels like Summer is losing it’s grip.  Accuweather is calling for cloudy skies and some decent winds gusts this afternoon.  The air temperature should be cooler today with highs approaching 70 degrees.

Joel with a nice fish from the weekend. Photo by Bruce Miller

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

September 13, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 13, 2015

We have some sad news to share this morning.  Yesterday we lost our dear friend Sandy Bing.  Many of you have probably seen Sandy on the river over the years, mostly standing on his favorite rock in Homepool.  That’s where he earned the nickname “The Great Grey Heron” for his patience and precision.   Sandy loved the Delaware and was deeply involved in the fight for better releases.  He will be missed.

Yesterday’s rain kicked off the olives (#20 – 26) and we had decent hatching for most of the afternoon.  The fish responded and were happy eating on top.  We had reports of a lot of small fish feeding but some people were able to find some decent fish.  Despite the constant rain yesterday most of the rivers in the system didn’t budge overnight.  The West Branch remains at a decent level for wading and floating.  The clarity is fine.  The cooler night and rain also dropped the water temperatures on the upper Mainstem and lower East Branch.  Both of those rivers are starting off in the low 60’s this morning.  We should have cloud cover today with a few minor showers.  The precipitation totals should be negligible.

Sandy Bing getting it done on the West Branch a few years ago

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

September 12, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 12, 2015

The low water and bright sun made yesterday tough.  The release from Cannonsville Reservoir continues to be 401 cfs until further notice.  Nymphing on the West Branch was definitely the best technique during the day until the olives and small sulphurs hatched towards dark. The low water and bright sun also heated up the Mainstem and lower East again with both rivers having water temperatures peaking at 70 degrees or above.  Today should be cooler with air temperatures in the low 70’s.  Accuweather is calling for 1/4″ of rain to fall sporadically throughout the day followed by just under 1/2″ overnight.  Small olives, small sulphurs, a few isonychias, and a few cahills will cover the majority of the hatches.

Look for the shaded banks until the clouds roll in today

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

September 11, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 11, 2015

The release from Cannonsville Reservoir is 392 cfs this morning.  We did get some decent rains yesterday but most of it soaked into the ground.   The rivers realized a slight bump from the precipitation but remain clear and fishable.  The water temperatures have dropped a bit due to the rain and cooler night.  We are looking at clearing skies and air temperatures close to 80 degrees.  Yesterday’s rain kicked of the pseudo hatches a little earlier than we’ve seen lately and the fish reacted well during the day.

Chris with a colored up brown yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

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

September 10, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 10, 2015

Well it seems our dream of NYC DEP slowing ramping down decreases in releases is dead.  The release from Cannonsville is 392 leaving the flow at Hale Eddy 477 cfs.  The current total storage for New York City’s water supply system is 81.6%.  Normal storage level for September 9th is 75.1%  Despite the dry weather I believe they could have spared a little extra water to ramp us down gradually.  Despite the lip service some things never change.
We did receive some rain overnight but most of it was soaked into the ground.   Accuweather is calling for rain over the next few days.  Hopefully they are correct.  Hatches were sparse yesterday as the water dropped.  We did see decent olives and small sulphurs towards dark.

Kind of an aggressive drop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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