Delaware River Report / Conditions July 18, 2012

I think I may still be sweating from yesterday. Good lord it was hot and humid here, I can only imagine what it was like for you folks further south of us and / or in the Urban Jungle. That being said, and against all conventional wisdom, there were bugs in the heat of the day yesterday, all the way down to the Game-lands. Granted, they were size 20 sulphurs with very few fish coming up to take advantage, but they were still there. Also amazingly, the fog wasn’t too thick down here last night, and the fish did take advantage of that fact, rising to the slightly bigger sulphurs (#18) that started to pop late, along with the occasional Iso. Today we’re just waiting on the thunderstorms! It’s supposed to get pretty crazy around here starting at lunchtime. As I always joke, one of two things will happen with the storms – it will either turn everything on, or turn everything off. I wish this river would behave more like a western one at times, but I guess that is why we all love it so much – we’re glutt0ns for punishment!

A Nice Brown with the tail cut off. Photo by: Anonymous (won’t take take credit for lopping the tail off)

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20