Delaware River Report / Conditions July 21, 2013

Cloud cover all day yesterday, but absolutely zero storms reared their heads. A bit of a curse and a blessing. A blessing for those fishing, but a curse in that we would like our feeder streams to fill up a little bit more! Otherwise the fishing was pretty decent – good activity up top early on during the day, albiet the fish were not as active as you would expect with weather like we had. The warmer water temps (And cooler air temps) did mitigate our fog problem, so those who headed out late were able to see all the way until dark, and take advantage of the evening hatch. There were definitely some Pseudos mixed in with the sulphurs, and the fish were up on them. Today we’re expecting fewer clouds, and similar “cooler” temps in the low 80s, so with no acute air pressure changes, expect a very similar day to yesterday, which is not a bad  thing!

Ed has his hands full with this nice brown! Photo: Bob Lewis

Ed has his hands full with this nice brown! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 664 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 206 cfs @ 60º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 295 cfs @ 70º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,220 cfs @ 67º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 134 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 95.1% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 20, 2013

The drop in flows did affect the fishing a bit upstream yesterday, even though it was “ramped” down as opposed to immediately dropped. There were bugs, but the fish were not immediately interested, until much later on in the day. The hatches were also a bit sporadic at times, but as evening came, folks started seeing more targets, and more eager fish. The heat wave has finally broken it appears, but that also means that we will have a front moving through, creating storms and cloud cover throughout the day today. The former is concerning, but the latter is excellent. With temps in the low 80s, it is going to be a definite respite from the hot weather this week. The fish should have settled again, so hopefully they will be up and ready to feed with that big ball of fire in the sky hiding behind the clouds!

Mike Darcy with a nice West Branch Brown caught in the fog the other night. Photo: Jim Swift

Mike Darcy with a nice West Branch Brown caught in the fog.  Photo: Jim Swift

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 670 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 209 cfs @ 64º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 305 cfs @ 74º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,240 cfs @ 70º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 148 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 95.1% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 19, 2013

Despite the heat, yesterday was a good day out there! Lots of bugs, and quite a few fish to be had as well, especially once the afternoon was upon us. There were some big, loud peals of thunder in the evening, but no rain or lightning really materialized from it. The influx of humidity did bring some thick fog unfortunately, so there were folks who were forced to call it a bit early, despite the fact that fish were still rising happily. Today we are looking at a duplicate day weather-wise, but our flow has been brought back down to 600 cfs as of 9:00 AM this morning. The lower river will stay high and cool until dark most likely, but the upper stretches will drop back down earlier in the day. The bugs should not be affected greatly, but the fish might be a tad put-off, we will just have to go out there and see!

Intern Billy Rivellini wanted to get artistic with this photo of his great brown. Photo: Bob Lewis

Intern Billy Rivellini wanted to get artistic with this photo of his great brown. Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 872 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 962 cfs @ 46º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 209 cfs @ 62º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 319 cfs @ 74º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,600 cfs @ 68º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 148 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 95.6% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 18, 2013

Good news everyone! It looks like PA Fish & Boat has come through for us, and Ball’s Eddy will be back open either late today or tomorrow! Along with that, it was pretty good news on the river yesterday (at least in the PM) as well, with some great hatches down river, and fish up and actively feeding much earlier than they have been as of late. Upstream the fishing was tough, as there were tons of dorthea coming off, but almost no fish up and taking them – most likely a result of the sudden influx of water. I would expect the fish to be settled by today, and a bit more eager to feed. The fog did roll in a bit earlier as well, due to the high temperatures, but was definitely more patchy than usual, allowing anglers to have some shots during the clear periods that we had been missing lately. We have some thunderstorms in the forecast today, but we will see if they materialize or not. Otherwise, it looks be to be another great summer day out on the West Branch!

Chris Fielding holds a nice Brown she took this past Monday! Photo: Bob Lewis

Chris Fielding holds a nice Brown she took this past Monday! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 923 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 999 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 213 cfs @ 62º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 330 cfs @ 74º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,630 cfs @ 68º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 156 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 96.0% – 900 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 17, 2013

After a bunch of clamoring, NYC has finally put a bit more water down the West Branch in order to help cool the lower river and the Main Stem (where Lordville had reached near 76 degrees the last two days), bumping it up to 900 CFS as of midnight last night. We should expect that to remain in place for about 48 hours or so. Yesterday was another bright, hot day here on the river, but again we had some fantastic action towards dark, and sporadic action throughout the day (when the clouds rolled through). Today we are looking at even warmer temperatures (92+), but the cool water should help produce some more daytime bug activity further down the river. The fog may decide to show up as well later on in the day – let’s hope it doesn’t!

Jerry Hustak with a Brown that looks like it swallowed a Nerf football! Photo: Bob Lewis

Jerry Hustak with a Brown that looks like it swallowed a Nerf football! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 923 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 992 cfs @ 46º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 210 cfs @ 61º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 352 cfs @ 71º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,330 cfs @ 70º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 167 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 96.4% – 900 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 16, 2013

Yesterday certainly did work out a bit as we expected, with the bugs coming up river in the afternoon, but the fish were a bit sluggish in taking them with the bright sun overhead. That being said, those that (shudder) nypmhed yesterday did very well, finding the fish quite active in the heavier riffs up and down the river, and there was an incredible flurry of activity late in the afternoon as the fish realized they were hungry once the sun started to go down. Good sulphur and steno hatches were the predominant bugs, and a small hatch of pseudo spinners added to the late-night mix as well. The weather today would make the devil feel quite at home, so we are likely looking at a cookie-cutter day here again, but hopefully the additional cloud cover entices a bit more mid-day action!

There are also a few of these kicking around as well - Hexagenia limbata! The Hex - sorry for the lack of focus, but you get an idea of the size of this bug. Photo: Bart Larmouth

There are also a few of these kicking around as well – Hexagenia limbata! The Hex. Sorry for the lack of focus, but you get an idea of the size of this bug. The are not really a fishable hatch, but are dang cool to see on the water! Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 692 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 222 cfs @ 60º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 379 cfs @ 70º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,390 cfs @ 70º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 184 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 96.6% – 601 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 15, 2013

Another tough one out there yesterday. While the bugs cooperated, the fish kept a very low profile until later in the evening, at least down here on the Lower West. The streamer bite was also decent early on, but as the day heated up and the sun came out, the fish hunkered down and waited that big fiery ball out. Today looks to be the first real scorcher of the year as well, with bright sun, and highs in the 90s. While there will likely be some decent fishing early up in Deposit / Stilesville, it will undoubtedly be an evening game down here again tonight. The good news is when that does happen, the fish don’t tend to be quite as picky. Let’s hope that’s true today as well!

A Stenonema stenocron male - love the colors, especially the eye! These guys have been coming off sporadically, and you will find fish on them - a light cahill comparadun is the trick. Photo: Bart Larmouth

A Stenonema stenocron male – love the colors, especially the eye! These guys have been coming off sporadically, and you will find fish on them – a Light Cahill Comparadun is the trick. Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 704 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 226 cfs @ 60º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 404 cfs @ 70º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,440 cfs @ 69º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 203 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.3% – 601 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 14, 2013

The cloud cover definitely produced some good hatching throughout the day yesterday, but the fish decided they weren’t that interested in cooperation, with sporadic, inconsisttend rising. Towards evening they did get a little bit happier, but never to the level they “should” have with that many bugs out. Mother Nature always has to remind us that she is the boss! The streamer bite was definitely on however, with the browns actively chasing both white and yellow with a bit of vigor. Today we are starting to slide into the warm (ok HOT) stretch of weather predicted, with luckily similar cloud cover as yesterday. It could be a repeat, but let’s hope the fish decide they feel more like eating today!

Say it with me fish: "I like the bugs.  I like the bugs. I like the bugs." Photo: Bob Lewis

Say it with me fish: “I like the bugs. I like the bugs. I like the bugs.” Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 721 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 232 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 430 cfs @ 66º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,500 cfs @ 66º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 219 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.3% – 701 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 13, 2013

Well Friday was interesting. Lots of clouds, but sporadic bugs. Mother nature decided to show us that we don’t know everything! That being said, the evening was fantastic, so long as you avoided the areas with fog kicking around. We had areas that saw a torrential downpour for about 2 minutes, and not 100 yards up the road – nothing! But, the extra humidity was enough to make the fog show up, much to our chagrin. Today, we are looking at cooler temps, and mostly cloudy skies – let’s hope Mother Nature behaves more “normally” today!

Fred Gardner did well this week! Photo: Bruce Miller

Fred Gardner did well this week! Photo: Bruce Miller

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 732 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 246 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 448 cfs @ 67º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,540 cfs @ 65º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 219 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.3% – 701 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 12, 2013

Another nice summer day out on the river yesterday, and things pretty much went according to “plan” – the bugs came early upstream (as well as some early morning activity on small olives down here), and then were spotty throughout the day as the clouds came and went. Amazingly, the streamer bite was pretty decent, regardless of the amount of sun hitting the water. The fish must really like their new holding lanes, and are definitely fighting to keep usurpers out. Today we’re looking at mostly cloudy (hooray!) skies, with little wind and just a few random storms rolling through. This could mean some great sulfur action all up and down the river, as well as our big friend Mr. Isonychia making an appearance as well!

We see fish with crazy war wounds sometimes, and this guy's tail is no exception! Photo: Bob Lewis

We see fish with crazy war wounds sometimes, and this guy’s tail is no exception! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

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 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 738 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 246 cfs @ 59º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 467 cfs @ 67º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,590 cfs @ 67º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 232 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.6% – 701 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 11, 2013

More summertime fun on the river yesterday. We had good hatches earlier in the day with some thick clouds threatening showers (that never really came), but they petered out a bit as the sun began to pop out. The fish did get active again towards evening both upriver and down our way,  but the further downstream you were, the earlier the activity ended due to our old friend, fog. Today it looks like we’re seeing a bit of a break from the heat, as well as some excellent cloud cover – if it holds, expect the bugs to be out in force!

Jim Swift with a piggie! Photo: Billy Rivellini

Jim Swift with a piggie! Photo: Billy Rivellini

What’s Hatching:

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 773 cfs @ 49º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 259 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 516 cfs @ 67º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,700 cfs @ 65º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 277 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 98.0% – 701 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 10, 2013

Definitely a weird one out there Tuesday out there – we’ve had reports all over the board, from areas with good bugs, and happy fish, to folks who didn’t see a thing. We do know the streamer bite was on during the day for sure, telling us the fish have at least acclimated to their new holding lanes. We also had some of the craziest, location-centric downpours throughout the day as well, which could account for the strange activity (or lack thereof at times) up and down the river. For instance we were poured on here at the shop for about 10 minutes, while the guys fishing down stream in Methodist didn’t even get wet. It was definitely interesting. Today we’ve got some rain in the forecast for later this morning / early afternoon, so be prepared for that, as we’re not sure how much rain it is bringing. Otherwise, I would still plan on starting way upstream for the morning, and working your way downstream towards evening if you want to chase the bugs around!

Fred Gardner with a great West Branch Brown from yesterday evening. Photo: Bruce Miller

Fred Gardner with a great West Branch Brown from yesterday evening. Photo: Bruce Miller

What’s Hatching:

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

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18 – starting

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 567 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY 779 cfs @ 49º
East Branch at Harvard, NY 270 cfs @ 57º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY 542 cfs @ 66º
Mainstem at Lordville, NY 1,830 cfs @ 66º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY 274 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 98.3% – 601 CFS release
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