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Delaware River Report / Conditions October 6, 2013
Every time you have a tough day on the river, there is always a saving grace – when everyone else does as well. This was definitely the case yesterday. Despite “perfect” weather conditions for dry fly fishing, there was very little surface action at all, despite times of HEAVY clouds of pseudo spinners taking up the air – so much that you needed to keep your mouth closed at times. Folks on the West definitely moved fish on streamers, and some limited activity on nymphs, but overall quite a slow day. Today could be a game changer, with even more cloud cover than yesterday (the sun popped out way more than was predicted), as well as scattered rain and thunderstorms, these low pressure systems will hopefully get the fish and bugs up and moving!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,030 cfs @ 53º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,170 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 188 cfs @ 54º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 387 cfs @ 60º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,670 cfs @ 60º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 131 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 77.9% – 1,010 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 5, 2013
What a difference a little cloud cover and precipitation can make! The fish were definitely more active yesterday, and sections of the West and Main had very good hatches later in the afternoon. The only downer was the wicked thunderstorm that rolled through the area right around that time, forcing many to get off the river. We had more ground strikes than I have seen in a long time, including a car right in front of the club (everyone was fine)! A good time to lean on the old adage, “discretion is the better part of valor.” Today we are looking at clouds pretty much throughout the day, very little wind, and a chance of some showers here and there, no thunderstorms predicted fortunately. This should allow those who are heading out to take full advantage of the bugs that should come with a day like this!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 910 cfs @ 53º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,020 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 191 cfs @ 52º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 356 cfs @ 60º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,500 cfs @ 59º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 118 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 77.9% – 905 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 4, 2013
A little better on the dry fly action in the evening last night, depending on where you were fishing. There were plenty of spinners in the air river-wide, but they decided not to bother coming down until right before dark for most folks. I choose poorly and did not have that luck. The streamer bite was also a bit slower than it has been lately, likely due to the bright sun (and beautiful day in general). The good news is that we have clouds and rain in the forecast (at least in limited amounts) over the next few days. The additional cover should get the fish to start looking up some more, and will definitely encourage those lazy spinners to get to business and hit the water!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 923 cfs @ 52º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,020 cfs @ 52º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 176 cfs @ 52º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 344 cfs @ 58º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,340 cfs @ 58º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 117 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 78.5% – 905 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 3, 2013
It was another tough one out there yesterday. While some browns were out and active swiping at streamers, the majority decided to lay low for the majority of the day. The bugs did a little bit of the same, with sporadic flushes appearing from mid-afternoon on, with just a little glimmer of action right at dark. I am not really sure why it was slow, but we did have a mild pressure change sweep through, bringing the warm weather in, which could be the culprit in this case. Today we’ve got a carbon-copy on our hands with warm air temps, very little wind, and a decent amount of cloud cover. Coupled with a fairly steady release, this should get the bugs (and fish!) up and moving today!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 801 cfs @ 52º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 892 cfs @ 52º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 179 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 356 cfs @ 57º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,380 cfs @ 58º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 122 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 79.2% – 812 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 2, 2013
While an absolutely stunning fall day yesterday, it was definitely better for looking at the changing foliage than the fishing. Bugs were slow to come throughout the day, and there was just a little baby flush at night, nothing really to write home about. Those swinging streamers had decent actions on pre-spawn browns, but otherwise it was pretty quiet overall. Today we are expecting more cloud cover, and similar temperatures to yesterday, with the only main variable is a drop in flow – down from a 1,050 release to 812. This is not a drastic swing, but it could definitely affect the fish further. The good news is there is only one way to find out what is going on – get out there and fish!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 836 cfs @ 51º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 931 cfs @ 52º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 179 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 364 cfs @ 57º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,650 cfs @ 57º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 125 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 80.0% – 812 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 1, 2013
Happy October! Business first: Don’t forget, if you have a NYS Fishing License, it expiered yesterday, and it is time to get a new one. They are available at most sporting goods shops in New York (being in PA, they won’t let us sell them), and also online using the NYS DECALS system. Click there to be taken over, but read the rest of the report first – it’s the polite thing to do!
Yesterday was a bit of a tough one for the dry-fly enthusiast, with little or no bug activity until right before dark, and even then the fish were not too keen on rising with any regularity. Those blind casting Isos did pretty well, with the fish in the shallower riffles and along the banks eager to please. Those throwing streamers also had another great day, at least on the West Branch. Today the flow has been raised again (let’s just be glad they are ramping it, instead of just yo-yo-ing us) by another 100 cfs. This should not be overly noticiable to those who were out yesterday, and hopefully will not adversely affect any action that might take place today. We are expecting another warm afternoon, with highs in the mid-70s, and some decent cloud cover to boot. Although yesterday was tough, today definitely could be a whole different animal.
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,050 cfs @ 51º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,140 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 182 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 375 cfs @ 55º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,600 cfs @ 56º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 129 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 80.9% – 1,026 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions September 30, 2013
What a difference a day can make (at least on the West Branch!). The higher flows were as hock to the system early on, but the fish have certainly adapted. The Browns were highly aggressive for the majority of the day on streamers and wet flies, and the late afternoon turned into some great dry fly fishing, with the trout up and after the psuedos, cahills, hebes, and isos that were coming off. Much to my delight, Bob had great luck just throwing the cheeseburger (Iso) last night – convincing fish that were obviously sipping the psuedos to come and eat the big flies instead. Today, we’ve got a bit more cloud cover predicted, which can only help both the streamer fishing as well as olives popping more throughout the day. The release has also been bumped up to 950 cfs, which should not make too much of a difference in where the fish are hanging out. Time to put in the boat!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 976 cfs @ 51º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,090 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 185 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 383 cfs @ 55º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,480 cfs @ 56º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 134 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 82.6% – 950 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions September 29, 2013
Well that was disappointing. Despite some better flows and a bit of good color in the water, the fishing yesterday was mediocre at best. The browns were certainly not as aggressive as they were the previous day, and even though there were very good numbers of Stenos hatching, they did not entice the fish to rise until the very last light of day. Looking in the crystal ball for today, it remains just as foggy as the air outside currently is here at the club. The flows have been bumped up again to help with Montague flows, so there will be another good surge of cold water making its way through the system today. This increase could depress the action a little bit, or it could also mean that the fish will be more active during the bright sunlight predicted for today. Fortunately, there is a way to find out – go forth and fish!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 872 cfs @ 51º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 971 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 188 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 400 cfs @ 55º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,400 cfs @ 57º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 140 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 82.6% – 763 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions September 28, 2013
Definitely an interesting day on the river Friday. With a small bump in release, there was great color in the water, and the browns were very active, and chasing streamers on the West Branch. Emphasis on “chasing,” as hooking them seemed to be a challenge at times! The dry fly action was pretty slow throughout the day, with a big flush of bugs around 3PM, but nothing else until about 20 minutes before dark – likely a result of all the sunshine hitting the water. Today we are in for an interesting day. The release has been brought up to 763 CFS to meet the Montague minimum flow level. This will certainly be flushing a bunch of vegetation down, and certainly affect where the fish want to hold in the river itself. It should also make for some excellent streamer fishing while the water is high with a bit of color, and the browns being as aggressive as they are, could definitely be a boon for everyone!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 750 cfs @ 51º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 841 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 191 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 417 cfs @ 56º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,100 cfs @ 59º(will go up) |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 146 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 82.6% – 763 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions September 27, 2013
Well, it definitely did not turn out as planned yesterday. The fish were hunkered down for much of the day, ignoring streamers and nymphs for whatever reason, but turned on briefly during the evening. “Briefly” is a euphemism for about 20 minutes right before dark. Certainly a tough day, as we did not get the active behavior we were expecting from the fish, but I guess that’s why we call it fishing! Today, we’re looking at a slightly cloudier day (excellent), with temps in the mid-70s. I would postulate that we will see more dry fly and sub-surface action today than yesterday due to the break from the sun, but if all my predictions came true, I would have been the guy with the $400M Powerball ticket last week!
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 441 cfs @ 51º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 552 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 194 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 430 cfs @ 55º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,070 cfs @ 576º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 152 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 83.1% – 447 CFS release |
Delaware River Repor t / Conditions September 26, 2013
Did you know that the fish will actually eat a Pseudo? Well last night they were definitely into them, up and down the West Branch, as well as the Main. There were definitely good numbers of Stenos and Isos out yesterday as well, and the fish were keyed in on them at times. Today we’ve got a pretty much an identical, beautiful day on par, with bright sun, and warmer (high 60s) temps. While normally we cringe and the sun, this time of year it can certainly warm up the water a bit and actually get the bugs and fish working, so don’t be surprised to see hatches right in the middle of the day today.
What’s Hatching:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella lata – Dark BWO – #18
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 383 cfs @ 49º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 498 cfs @ 51º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 197 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 448 cfs @ 54º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,070 cfs @ 56º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 161 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 83.6% – 396 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions September 25, 2013
Hey! The fish were looking up yesterday! We had a good mix of bugs when the wind quieted down, and the warmer air temps were a nice respite from the previous day, that much is for sure. The browns were definitley interested in streamers (in the shade at least), while the ‘bows were up and taking Isos and Stenos on the Main, with a few eating the plentiful Pseudos on the West. Today, we’ve got pretty much a carbon-copy day in the works, albeit with (mercifully) less wind. I would anticipate the bugs showing up late morning, with the possibility of a good Trico spinner fall around 11 or so. Regardless, the evening should be a fun time to be out there as well – good luck!
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18 – starting to wane
Epeorus vitreus – PED / Pink Lady – #14
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL, #12
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 372 cfs @ 49º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 490 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 203 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 476 cfs @ 53º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,110 cfs @ 55º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 171 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 84.1% – 375 CFS release |