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.

April 6, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 6, 2015

We had some snow on Easter but most of it melted as soon as it hit the ground here along the river.  Some places in the hills received three inches which will be great for the reservoirs.  The runoff has subsided a bit and the rivers are dropping.  The best opportunity for wading is still on the Upper West Branch due to the low release from Cannonsville.  The water temps are cold this morning but the air temp should hit 58 degrees later today.  Below Oquaga Creek streamers fished slow should be your best option.  There are some stoneflies around so keep an eye on long slow sections by mid-afternoon.

Jared Makowski’s variation of a Willie Gunn for swinging in the cold.

Hatching:

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

April 5, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 5, 2015

On paper The Upper West Branch looks the like the best section of the system to fish again this morning.  The flow throughout the rest of the system is dropping back a bit but that should begin to level out by this afternoon.  We still have some color coming in from the feeder streams but the West Branch is clear above Oquaga Creek.  There are some stoneflies hatching below Oquaga but at the current levels fishing streamers slow will likely bring the most action.  Accuweather is calling for some chilly air temps today but we should return to the 50’s tomorrow.  They are also calling for some light sporadic rain over the next few days.

We had a light dusting of snow overnight but it should melt today.

Hatching:

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

April 4, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 4, 2015

The warm weather and rain over the last couple of days has kicked runoff into high gear.  Most of the system is clear of standing ice but the Mainstem and lower East Branch still had decent sized icebergs floating down this morning.  The West Branch still has some logs and stumps floating down but not as much ice.  All of the rivers are off color due to the feeder streams.    The best and maybe only spot to wade today is the Upper West Branch above Oquaga Creek. The flow at Stilesville is low but increasing so keep an eye on the gauge as the rain and melt continue throughout the day.

A big change over the last two days. 

Hatching:

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

April 3, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 3, 2015

Yesterday’s warmer weather and overnight rain has really helped the system open up from the ice.  The feeder creeks have started pumping some water down and you can now see chunks of ice floating in the Lower East Branch and Mainstem.  The West Branch is in the best shape over but here does have some color from the feeder creeks.  We are mostly ice free now on the West.  The gauge at Hale Eddy still says ice for the current cfs but the river has risen from 2.5 feet to 4.5 feet since yesterday morning.  The flow should continue to increase throughout the day as the melt continues and the remaining rain moves through.  Hatching remains sporadic with a few stoneflies here and there and a few fish finding them on the surface.  Streamers fished slow looks like the best opportunity to put a fish in the net today.

Looking for risers and matching the hatch on the West Branch. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:

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

April 2, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 2, 2015

Yesterday was a cold start to the season but the warmer afternoon is helping the rivers open up a bit.  The forecast today is calling for a high of 58 degrees although I suspect it will be a little lower than that.  Winds should be around 12 mph with some decent gusts as the warm front and rain storms move in.  The weather today and tomorrow should be great for the system and we should see more stoneflies over the weekend.  We’ve seen a few fish rise but the low water temperatures have kept the surface quiet for the most part.

Fishing has been interesting this week. The winter scenery has been awesome. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:

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

April 1, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 1, 2015

Winter is slowly losing it’s grip on us, slowly.  We had a bit of snow yesterday afternoon but luckily we are looking at warmer temperatures and sunshine today and a much needed warming trend towards the weekend.  Most of the system has open water in faster sections and ice on the larger pools.  The Beaverkill seems to be the most fishable river right now.  Water temps dropped to the low 30’s overnight so it will take a while for the rivers to warm up today.  We are seeing some little black stones hatching and a few sporadic fish eating them.  Nothing to target yet.  The hatching should increase as the river warms up over the next few days.  Nymphing and slowly stripping streamers should offer the best opportunity to connect wit a fish.

Jared Makowski found a rainbow willing to eat a streamer yesterday afternoon on the lower West Branch

Hatching:

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