April 19, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 19, 2017

Yesterday turned out to be as beautiful as advertised.  Great sun, warm temperatures and manageable winds all day long.  We saw a nice mix of caddis, blue quills, and stoneflies in the late afternoon.  Some people found some targets on top after lunch into the evening.  Streamers are still producing and the nymphing is really picking up as the blue quill and hendrickson nymphs get more active and ready to hatch.  We have some rain in the forecast this afternoon and tomorrow.  Looking at the radar it seems to be scattered storms so it’s tough to tell exactly how much we will get.    The wind should pick up when the front comes through late in the day and then drop back down.  This is great for the river system.  We always hope for a cool wet Spring to augment releases under the FFMP and overall that seems to be what we’re getting right now.  If enough rain falls and reservoir spill increases we may have a nice mix of alewife fishing and dry fly action this weekend.

Mainstem water temperatures are looking great for mid April

Hatching:
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

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April 18, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 18, 2017

The good news is we are seeing some blue quills mixed with the olives and quill gordons.  Looking at the flows and water temperatures it seems like we are right on the edge of great dry fly fishing.  Yesterday should have happened on top but the wind gusts made it tough. There were some one timers but the fish didn’t get the opportunity to get steady. Streamers are still working well and some nice fish were landed.  Today looks incredible with air temperatures close to 60 degrees and winds gusting to 6 0r 7 mph.  Water temperatures look great this morning and will climb nicely in the sunshine.  Today should fish really well and we expect to find rising fish.  We have some clouds and rain in the forecast beginning tomorrow.

Chris with a nice streamer fish yesterday. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:
Blue Quill – #16 – Paraleptophlebia. adaptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 17, 2017

Cannonsville Update 4/17/2017

April 17, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 17, 2017

Update

They are currently testing some safety equipment at Cannonsville Dam so the release has been cut.  Once the testing is over this afternoon the release will be increased back to normal.  We still have runoff pushing through the system so there is water in the river and everything will be fine.    We were hit with some good thunderstorms yesterday evening with high winds and brief heavy rains.  The rivers are clear this morning and looking good.  The rain didn’t seem to last long enough to muddy anything up.  Today looks nice with high air temperatures approaching 60 with a mix of sun and clouds.  We may have some wind gusts approach 15 mph but that seems pretty normal for April weather on the Delaware and shouldn’t affect the fish.  The wind will be a pleasant 6 mph when it isn’t gusting.

All of us took yesterday off to be with family so here’s Ben with a nice fish from Saturday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 16, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 16, 2017

We had some wind yesterday but that didn’t prevent people from catching fish.  Streamers produced fish and some people landed a few fish on dry flies too.  Water temperatures look great and the flows are dropping down to manageable levels.  There are a few spots people are now wading the West Branch and nymphing has picked up.  We saw olives mixed with the stoneflies on the water yesterday.  The weather looks pretty normal for April over the next week with air temperatures in the 50’s.  The hatching should improve by next weekend offering better dry fly shots.  We may get a thunderstorm today that will drop just under 1/4″ of rain.

Dave with a West Branch brown. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 15, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 15, 2017

The rivers are dropping quickly and the water temperatures are climbing.  Things are looking good for this coming week.  The nights have been cool but the days have been beautiful.  We are starting off with sunshine this morning but we may see some clouds move in and a light shower this afternoon.  late tonight / tomorrow looks like the best chance of rain with around 1/4″ predicted.  Wind gusts will be around 12 mph today so definitely manageable and very Delaware Spring like.
The rivers fished well yesterday with most fish landed on streamers but there are people finding fish eating dries here and there.  That will  improve over the next couple of days as the water temperatures climb.  The Beaverkill system is still your best bet for wading.

Dan with a healthy looking fish yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 14, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 14, 2017

Yesterday’s wind seemed quite a bit stronger than the forecast called for but fish were landed.  Cannonsville, Pepacton, and Neversink Reservoirs are all still spilling but the levels are dropping and we should see that end over the next few days if we don’t get additional precipitation.  The river levels are dropping back too but the best wading today will be on the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers.  The East, West, and Main are in perfect shape for boating.  There are still alewives in the system and we’re seeing some caddis mixed with the stoneflies and olives.  Streamers are still your best bet but bring a dry fly rod just in case.  The rising will get more consistent as the water temperatures rise over the next week.  Winds should be lower today and air temperatures in the high 50’s.  We do have a possibility of some rain tomorrow.

Patrick with one of his fish yesterday. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 13, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 13, 2017

We are coming off a cooler night so water temperatures dropped back a few degrees.  You’ll do better if you choose your fishing spot based on the warmer water temps.  Streamers are still your best bet but bring a dry fly set up just in case you run into the stoneflies and olives.  Streamers have produced better when you fish deep and slow rather than using a quick retrieve.  The water is dropping  but concentrate on the real slow pools and eddys.  The weather will be more “normal” for April over the next few days with cool nights and daytime temps in the mid to high 50’s.

Pete with a chunky brown yesterday. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 12, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 12, 2017

Yesterday felt like Summer with air temperatures approaching 80 degrees with sunshine.  The rivers warmed up and the Beaverkill is starting off at 50 degrees this morning.  Streamers were still the most productive method but there were some fish eating stoneflies and olives sporadically in the big slow pools.  Our air temperatures will drop back to normal today with daytime temps in the 60’s and nighttime temps in the mid 30’s.   The release from Cannonsville was bumped up again to 1,496 release.  Cannonsville, Papacton, and Neversink Reservoirs are still spilling but are coming down quickly.  Last night’s rain didn’t add much water to the flows.  Boating is still the way to go but wading will become an option as soon as we stop spilling.  The fish look good and healthy this Spring with some of them getting chunky eating alewives.  The warmer water temperatures will definitely help the hatching activity.

Bob found a nice brown yesterday. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 11, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 11, 2017

Yesterday was as beautiful as advertised and most people we saw landed some fish.   White streamers produced best for us imitating the good numbers of alewives in the river.  We saw a lot of alewives floating on the surface on the West Branch and Upper Main but the fish were eating the the streamers fished deeper and slow.  We did find some fish rising to stoneflies mixed with a few olives.  If you’re looking for dry fly action pick a slower edge and be patient.  The fish we found were a little sporadic but it was nice to see after a long winter.  The dry fly fishing will improve as the water temperatures climb this week.  Wading is still not a great idea but fishing from a boat is fine.  Today looks beautiful with air temperatures in the high 70’s, winds 10 mph or less, and maybe a shower in the afternoon.  Rain totals look under 1/4″ overnight which shouldn’t be a problem.  The bump in flow on the West Branch was an increase in release to 1,078 cfs.

Theo with a West Branch streamer eater

Hatching:
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 10, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 10, 2017

The rivers are dropping back quickly but they are still high and cold.  The Beaverkill looks like it will be the first to offer any wade opportunities.  There is a little rain in the forecast beginning tomorrow but the predicted amounts aren’t large.  We may see 1/4″ tomorrow but it’s only listed as a 30% chance right now.  Today looks beautiful with sunshine, air temperatures in the 70’s, with a few wind gusts around 11 mph.  Floating is still your best option.  There are alewives in the system from the reservoir spills but the lower water temperatures are keeping the fish a little sluggish.  The temps are coming up each day so activity should improve.

Mainstem water temperatures are looking better each day

Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 9, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 9, 2017

The rivers are slowly dropping back as the runoff subsides but are still high and cold.  Cannonsville, Pepacton, and Neversink Reservoirs are all spilling.  Yesterday was chilly and blustery until the sun popped out in the afternoon.  Today starts the run of warmer air temperatures for the rest of the week.  We should have sunshine and low 60’s today.  The water temperatures should warm up as the flows drop and we get some sunshine.  We have a little rain in this week’s forecast but the amounts seem negligible right now.  If the reports are correct there may be some wading opportunities on the Beaverkill later in the week.

The Beaverkill flow is dropping back quickly

Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

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