Author: Jeff White
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 17, 2020
The release from Cannonsville was increased yesterday and the flow at Stilesville is 900 cfs. The release has been all over the place this week so click on the links below for the latest flow information. It would be great if NYC DEP would split the 900 cfs release between Cannonsville and Pepaction and help both rivers. That’s come up in the past but is obviously not a priority for them. It’s cold this morning with a good frost on the ground. We’ll warm up to 55 degrees with some sunshine and 8 mph wind from the North. A nice October day. The West will be off color so streamers and nymphs will be a good bet. If you’re looking for fish eating olives and caddis watch the slow tailouts or check out the Mainstem.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The higher the release the more color will be in the river. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store
Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 902 cfs |
52° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,100 cfs |
49° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 98 cfs | 49° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 216 cfs | 51° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,330 cfs | 51° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 161 cfs | 49° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 900 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 49° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 117 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 49.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 73.7% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 16, 2020
The release from Cannonsville has been dropped slightly and the flow at Stilesville is 325 cfs. The flow at Hale Eddy is dropping slowly but should settle by mid morning. We’re in for quite a change in weather today with the air temp reaching 51 degrees. We’ll have some light rain with wind 6 – 9 mph from the North. That’s still pretty good for mid October. The rain should only amount to .04″ so no issues there. It looks like a good olive day. Some people are seeing some of the caddis hit the water too so definitely have those ready.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The higher the release the more color will be in the river. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store
Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 325 cfs |
51° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 462 cfs |
51° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 98 cfs | 54° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 219 cfs | 56° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 898 cfs | 56° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 157 cfs | 54° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 325 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 56° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 113 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 49.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 73.7% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 15, 2020
The release from Cannonsville has been cut again and the flow at Stilesville is 365 cfs early this morning. The release recording lists the release at 500 cfs. Obviously that is incorrect again or they did a horrible job fixing the Stilesville gauge when the release was zero last week. Hale Eddy is still over 600 cfs at 6:30 am but will drop throughout the morning. We may see a little rain tomorrow but they are probably counting on releases from down river to meet flow targets. We’ll be 71 degrees today with mostly sun. There should be decent olives as the water drops. Caddis are still all over the bushes and hitting the water occasionally giving us some shots. Isonychias have been hit or miss but seem to be picking up. Tomorrow we’ll see some clouds and a little rain as a front pushes through. We’ll cool down a bit to 51 degrees too.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The higher the release the more color will be in the river. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store
Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 365 cfs Dropping |
51° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 687 cfs Dropping |
49° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 96 cfs | 51° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 223 cfs | 53° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,280 cfs | 52° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 162 cfs | 51° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 51° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 111 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 53.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 14, 2020
The flow at Stilesville is back up to 860 cfs this morning after being dropped a bit yesterday. The air temp will hit 64 degrees today with sunshine but we are starting off 38 degrees and foggy this morning. Wind should not be a factor at 5 – 9 mph from the West. The West Branch flow is up so if you’re looking for dry fly fishing keep and eye on the slower tailouts of the big pools. Otherwise streamers and nymphs should work well. The East Branch is low with a 228 cfs flow at Fishs Eddy so the Mainstem is also relatively low. Both of those would be good options for wading. Small olives, some isonychias, and caddis are out there. Some river sections may still have a few heptagenias hatching so keep those in your box for now.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The higher the release the more color will be in the river. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 860 cfs |
51° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 952 cfs |
49° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 98 cfs | 51° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 228 cfs | 53° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,010 cfs | 54° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 174 cfs | 51° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 927 ??? cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 50° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 115 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 53.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 13, 2020
The rain they were counting on to meet the downstream flow requirements missed us so the release from Cannonsville has been increased. The flow at Stilesville is 860 cfs but dropping this morning. It may level out there. The recording says the release is 927 cfs. All we can do is watch the gauge and see where it levels out. Check the gauge links below for the latest flow information. There has been a push in the past to actually wait for the rain to hit to change the release rather than rely on inaccurate weather forecasts. Apparently that idea was not a priority for NYC DEP. A second slap in the face to downstream users in the last 10 days. Yesterday the olives hatched in the afternoon and the fish were happy. Nymphing worked well in the morning. If the water stays up today could be a good streamer day.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 860 cfs |
51° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,100 cfs |
51° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 98 cfs | 52° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 228 cfs | 54° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,280 cfs | 54° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 169 cfs | 52° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 927 ??? cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 51° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 119 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 53.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 12, 2020
They are counting on the rain and downstream releases to meet the flow targets so the release from Cannonsville has been dropped again. The flow at Stilesville is 165 cfs this morning. We had some rain overnight and should receive more throughout the day. So far nothing heavy and the river flows haven’t bumped at all as of 6:30 am. We’ll have wind again today as the front pushes through. 16 mph from the South. We’ve had some days where the wind comes and goes and gives us enough calm weather to get the fish eating on top. Hopefully it’s like that today.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 165 cfs |
50° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 272 cfs |
51° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 101 cfs | 54° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 238 cfs | 56° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 717 cfs | 56° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 173 cfs | 54° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 300 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 54° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 122 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 53.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 11, 2020
The release from Cannonsville has been dropped. The recording says the release is 300 cfs but the gauge at Stilesville shows 232 cfs. NYC DEP is counting on releases from other dams and runoff from the rain coming to meet downstream flow targets. The flow at Hale Eddy will drop over the next few hours. We’ll hit 63 degrees today with wind 5 mph from the North. A single digit wind forecast. We should get some rain overnight with more coming tomorrow. Tomorrow’s total should be around 1/2″. Everything is pretty dry right now so a lot of it should soak right into the ground. Falling water is usually good for dry fly action so the olives should come this afternoon. Caddis are still all over the bushes and a few isonychias are around.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 232 cfs |
50° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 360 cfs |
51° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 103 cfs | 54° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 254 cfs | 56° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 962 cfs | 56° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 182 cfs | 54° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 300 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 55° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 128 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 53.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 10, 2020
Yesterday was a decent day to be on the water since we had little wind for a change. Olives, caddis, a few isonychias, and some heptagenia are making up most of the bugs. We are seeing quite a few isonychia spinners in the air so have some #14 rusty spinners in your box. The West Branch flow is 722 cfs at Stilesville this morning. The turbidity increases along with the release so there is some color to the water. It doesn’t seem to bother the fish or the bugs. Today will be warmer with the air temp hitting the high 70’s with some sunshine. The wind won’t be awesome at 15 mph from the South. Overall it’s been a windy week.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 722 cfs |
49° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 870 cfs |
51° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 108 cfs | 50° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 368 cfs | 52° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,170 cfs | 53° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 189 cfs | 50° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 650 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 50° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 136 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 53.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 9, 2020
The release from Cannonsville is up and the flow at Stilesville has settled in at 680 cfs. We’ll be a bit warmer today hitting 65 degrees and only dropping to 49 degrees tonight. Wind will be 5 mph from the South with gusts to 9 mph. That will feel like a slight breeze after the last few days. Olives and caddis will make up the bulk of the bugs with some isonychias and heptagenia mixed in on some river sections. Nymphing and swinging wets will be the best bets early until the afternoon. Some river sections had good olives yesterday afternoon and the fish were on them. Keep an eye on the bigger pools for risers at this flow level.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 680 cfs |
50° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 813 cfs |
49° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 115 cfs | 47° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 304 cfs | 51° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,230 cfs | 51° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 203 cfs | 50° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 650 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 50° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 155 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 54.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75.4% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 8, 2020
It looks like the work on Cannonsville is complete and they are increasing the release from Cannonsville and decreasing the release from Pepaction. The release from Cannonsville should settle in at 351 cfs. Click on the gauge links below for the latest flows. Yesterday was an interesting weather day with periods of calm followed by bursts of heavy wind. There was enough time with no wind for people to find some fish rising. A few violent rain storms pushed through in the afternoon but that passed through very quickly.
It’s still been tiny olives, caddis, a few isonychias, and a few heptagenia. Today will be a bit cooler at 55 degrees. Wind will be 14 mph from the North with some heavier gusts but it should drop during the day.
There is some color in the West Branch from the release. The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release. It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 257 cfs |
49° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 206 cfs |
52° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 259 cfs | 47° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 547 cfs | 50° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 853 cfs | 53° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 228 cfs | 51° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 351 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 52° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 153 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 54.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 75.4% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 6, 2020
The flow at Stilesville hit around 90 cfs and is up a bit this morning at 133 cfs.. Not as bad as the original press release said but not spectacular either. The .02″ of rain in yesterday’s forecast missed us. We have a shot at a little rain tomorrow but today will be 65 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds. We’ll keep an eye on the West Branch today and see what happens. If you’re up here the best bets are the East Branch and Mainstem. The release on the East was increased to help protect the Main. Isos, olives, haptagenia, and caddis.
The flow at Stilesville is 133 cfs and dropping as of 7 am. We’ll keep a close eye on that today.
Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 133 cfs |
49° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 119 cfs |
51° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 403 cfs | 47° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 663 cfs | 51° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 862 cfs | 54° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 232 cfs | 52° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 300 cfs |
|
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | N/A | 53° |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 169 cfs |
|
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 55.4% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 76.1% |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 5, 2020
Below is a note from NYC Watershed. Unless the leak presents an immediate danger to lives below the dam this is totally unconscionable during the brown trout prespawn / spawn. If there is no immediate danger they should at least wait for a day with enough rain that the runoff from Oquaga Creek would cover the downstream stream bed.
Please take a few minutes to let NYC DEP Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush know your thoughts:
Paul Rush (NYC): prush@dep.nyc.gov, 845-334-7107
“Important news for folks along the West Branch Delaware River.
DEP will temporarily reduce the downstream release from Cannonsville Reservoir for three days starting tomorrow. The reduction in flow will allow DEP to fix a leaking pipe in the release chamber, and it will let the U.S. Geological Survey calibrate its gage immediately downstream of the reservoir.
The current downstream release from Cannonsville is set at 150 cubic feet per second (97 mgd). The following flow changes will happen starting tomorrow.
Monday – DEP will reduce the flow to 40 cubic feet per second for several hours in the morning while USGS takes readings to calibrate the gage in Stilesville. The release will increase to 150 cfs by noontime.
Tuesday – DEP will ramp down the release to zero flow by 5 a.m. The shutdown is necessary for DEP to safely repair a leaking pipe in release chamber. The shutdown is expected to last the majority of the day. DEP will also work with USGS to remove debris from around its gage. DEP will ramp back up to 150 cfs when the repair is complete.
Wednesday – DEP will again reduce the downstream flow to 40 cfs in the morning while USGS takes additional readings to calibrate its gage in Stilesville. DEP will then ramp back up to 150 cfs.”
