The water temps dropped a few degrees throughout the system due to the nighttime temperatures in the 50’s.  The rivers have dropped back a little as the runoff subsides and everything looks good this morning.  Once again the hatches were dominated by small olives and sulphurs but some sections had decent numbers of golden drakes.  We should have clear weather to day with light winds.  Nymphing or swinging wet flies may be a good bet early.  Mid day look for sulphurs and olives on the upper West Branch.  Once the sun drops behind the hills the dry fly fishing should pick up on the lower sections of river.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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Olives.  We had fewer clouds than forecasted but people were able to find fish rising to olives and sulphurs.  Besides the duns we are seeing decent numbers of olive spinners during the hatch so look closely at the water when you find risers.  Definitely carry your summer sulphurs / cahills in #14 – 16 and a few isonychias.  The iso hatch has been spread out but they are around.  A few Golden Drakes have been spotted along with the Tricos.  The trico fishing should get better as the runoff subsides and the flow slows down.  Mid to lower West Branch is in decent shape for nymphing.  Smaller flies seem to be working better even underneath.  We’re looking at more sun today with just a few clouds.  Cooler air temperatures will help.  We should drop down to 50 degrees tonight.  If you plan on fishing the Upper Main, Lower East, or Lower Beaverkill check the water temps first.  The sunshine over the last couple of days has brought those water temperatures back up.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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We had a mix of sun and clouds yesterday afternoon and the fish were definitely happier when the clouds were around.  The Upper West Branch has settled into the normal summer fishing with sulphurs and olives.  The mid to lower West Branch was a lot of small olives and some cahills / summer stenos.  Lordville peaked at 63 degrees yesterday and there were some good Upper Mainstem reports of cahills, caddis, and olives.  Today looks like a copy of yesterday with good cloud cover and no precipitation in the forecast.  The clouds definitely help but fishing did pick up even more once the sun dropped behind the hills.  Nighttime temperatures are dropping into the 50’s.  The combination of clouds and cool nights have really helped the water temperatures on the Upper Mainstem and Lower East Branch.

Prime time on the West Branch

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The rivers are still dropping and are looking better today.  The West Branch, Upper East, and Beaverkill all look good this morning.  The lower East and Main are still off color but improving.  Olives an sulphurs are still the main fare with a few cahills and isonychias mixed in for good measure.  Tricos and a few Potomanthus are around but not in large numbers yet.  Today looks like a good olive day with great cloud cover this morning.  We may see an afternoon / early evening shower but the precipitation amounts should be negligible.  The wind forecast looks ideal peaking around 6 mph.  Swinging wets has been productive before the hatches.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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Despite the color the West Branch fished well yesterday.  The fish were eating streamers well in the morning.  By mid-day there were decent olives hatching and the fish were eating them in the slower pools.  There were a few sulphurs and cahills hatching to round things out.   The West Branch looks much better this morning.  The runoff is subsiding and the release from Cannonsville has been increased to 500 cfs adding more clean water.  The cloudy days and cooler nights kept the water temperatures in better shape on the lower Beaverkill and lower East Branch.  The Beaverkill looked good yesterday afternoon but the lower East is still pretty dirty in Hancock.  Today looks really good with cloud cover and winds peaking around 7 mph.  Wunderground shows no rain for today.  We are seeing a few tricos around.  That will get better as the water drops and the hatch moves forward.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The best bet for dry fly action is going to be above Oquaga Creek on the West Branch.  We were hit with more rain overnight but the flow in Stilesville is 339 cfs this morning.  It should be clear and fishable up there and it is definitely wadeable.  The lower West Branch is off color but looks really good for streamer fishing.  The flow at Hale Eddy is 1,140 cfs so if you are wading below Deposit pick your spots carefully.  The Eastern drainage is definitely off color and running high.  The flow in Downsville is 136 cfs and the flow at Harvard is 1,150 cfs.  There’s a lot of water in those feeder creeks right now.  We may get a little more rain today but Wunderground is only predicting .03″.  We should keep the cloud cover which will help the olive and sulphur fishing on the upper West Branch.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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We were hit with a good storm overnight and woke up to a steady rain this morning.  All the rivers in the system are up and off color.  It looks like the rain is tapering off this morning so the West Branch should drop and look a lot better tomorrow morning.  The flow didn’t move much at Stilesville so the West Branch above Oquaga Creek should be in decent shape.  If you go up there you should see some afternoon sulphurs and olives.  It is still perfect for wading up there.  Below Oquaga Creek it looks like a streamer from the boat kind of day.  If the river drops quickly enough there is a slight chance of finding a few fish on top in the big pools so carry a dry fly rod too- but count on throwing streamers for the most part.  Try dark streamers first in the off colored water.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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The release from Cannonsville has been cut back to 401 cfs.  Water temperatures on the West Branch are still in good shape.  We have cloud cover this morning with a chance of showers.  Looking at the radar it seems most of the rain will slide north of us again.  The forecasted amount of rain has been reduced and most of it should soak right into the ground.  Most of the storms look like they will happen overnight into tomorrow morning so we should be fine.  We are seeing the daytime sulphurs on the upper West with some olives mixed in.  The lower West has some olives and is definitely better for nymphing due to the algae up top. Think small with most of your flies although there are some cahills and isonychias around.  The lower East, lower Beaverkill, and Mainstem are all too warm for trout.  Stick to the upper East or West Branch.

One in the net last night. Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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We were hit with an evening thunderstorm that seemed to help the fishing.  Once the brief rain stopped there were olives hatching even on the lower West Branch.  The fish seemed happy with the cloud cover and fog and were rising.  The upper West Branch had a nice flush of sulphurs the fish responded to.  There was not enough rain to budge the river flows and we are beginning today about the same as yesterday morning.  The West Branch is in great shape and is 58 degrees at the 191 Bridge.  The lower East Branch, lower Beaverkill, and Mainstem are all starting off at 70 degrees this morning so avoid those areas for trout.We should have cloud cover for most of the day with a little light rain in the afternoon.  It looks like a really good day to be on the water.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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We were hit with a brief storm in the evening but most of the heavy stuff fell about 3o miles south of us.  None of the river flows budged much and we are starting off today virtually the same as yesterday morning.  The best dry fly action is still on the upper West Branch.  Sulphurs and olives are the most common hatches with some cahills and isonychias mixed in.  Small flies seem to be working better so have sulphurs down to #20 and olives from #20 – 24 or even #26.  Nymphing is still going to be better on the mid to lower sections of the West Branch because of the algae.  Again think smaller flies.  We will be cooler today but still in the low 80’s.  Wunderground is calling for some cloud cover but you’ll still be better off fishing shaded areas until the sun drops.  We may see some light rain tomorrow which should definitely help.  The release from Cannonsville is still 600 cfs.  The lower East Branch, lower Beaverkill, and Mainstem are still warm to fish for trout.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

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Today should be the last day this week with air temperatures in the high 80’s.  We should get a few storms moving through late this afternoon dropping the air temperature and leaving around 1/4″ of rain.  That should soak in the ground.  The clouds will be a great help this afternoon whether you’re nymphing or looking for risers.  The best bet for dry fly action is the Upper West Branch but evening may pick up on the lower sections once the clouds and rain showers start.  Nymphing has been better on the lower sections because there is less algae floating in the water column.  The algae should filter out and become less of a problem with the higher release.  It may take a couple of days to filter through.

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

The release from Cannonsville has been increased to 599 cfs.  This will be good for the river since even the lower West Branch got warm yesterday in the bright sun.  Look for the bugs in the colder water.  There were sulphurs, olives, and a few isonychias hatching yesterday.  We are looking at another warm day with air temperatures approaching the high 80’s.  We should have some clouds around which will help but look for places that get early shade for risers.  This is going to be a good day to fish the Stilesville area during the day. The lower East Branch, lower Beaverkill, and Mainstem are all too warm for trout.  The lower Mainstem temperatures look great for smallmouth as an alternative.  The air temperatures will cool down toward the weekend.

Water temperatures are great on the upper West Branch

Hatching:
Slate Drake #12-2xl – 12 – Isonychia bicolor
Sulphur – #16 – 20 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Green Caddis – #16 – Ryacophilia sp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update: