Well this winter was an exact opposite of what we experienced last year. March was warm and we have already caught fish on the surface on a mix of stoneflies, Quill Gordons, and Blue winged Olives. We have seen some impressive swings in temperature so far this Spring and it looks like we are in for some cool weather for the next 5 days. This may slow the hatching down but won’t stop it. Nymphing has been productive with a mix of pheasant tails and hare’s ears in #12 – 18. It is shaping up to be an early Spring so we’re expecting the mayfly hatches to really kick up once the cold snap passes.
So here we are on opening day and already we need rain. According to the recording we are on table 4A of the FFMP which gives us a current release from Cannonsville of 110 cfs. This is the “no Forecast Based Available Water” table so they are using their backroom voodoo to assume we won’t get any precip to refill the reservoirs. The current NYC Water Supply storage is 93%. Normal for this time of year is 93%.
Weather.com is calling for an 80% chance of rain today with a little over 1/4″ of rain.
Jim with a good March fish. Photo by Bruce Miller
Hatching:
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)
Quill Gordons #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 – Taenopteryx & Strophopteryx spp.
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 108 cfs |
43° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 258 cfs |
50° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 156 cfs | 50° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 574 cfs | 51° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,150 cfs | 52° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 311 cfs | N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 110 cfs | |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 50° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 280 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 91.5% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 89.7% |
