Delaware River Report / Conditions May 31, 2013

As much as we beg, plead, and pray for water, Mother Nature has certainly given it to us in spades. While both the West Branch and East are high, it seems as though they have peaked, and out front the West is already looking much cleaner than it did yesterday. The sudden influx of color (i.e. mud) was from the high flows hitting the dry banks. Now that we’ve peaked, the water is going to drop, and be continually clearing. Since we are at 3,000 cfs this morning, wading will be dangerous pretty much anywhere aside from the bank, until we drop down under 2,000 cfs or so. That being said, those with boats are in for a treat, as we already have seen alewives in Home Pool, and the streamer bite is likely to be spectacular in the short term (provided our cloud cover holds). The dries are certainly still there, and the fish will be looking up for them, but only in the slack water on the rivers’ edges, as we saw last night. This makes for some fun drifts – like the kind where your fly lands where you want, then magically goes upstream instead! Regardless, the water is a definite boon with the hot weather we are having, and will definitely extend our day-time dry fly fishing further into June. No complaints there.

MIke Chain, Sr. with a chunky MS Brown. Photo: Bruce Miller

What’s Hatching:

Ephemera guttulata – Green Drakes – #8-2XL

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerellainvaria- Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions: