Author: Jeff White
Delaware River Report: April 3, 2023
If anyone finds a chest pack on the lower West Branch or Upper Main please send us an email at flyfish@thedelawareriverclub.com.
The rivers have dropped slightly but remain to high to wade. Both Cannonsville and Pepacton are still spilling and the Beaverkill is high with runoff. Boating is fine. If you’re wading stick to the small headwater streams. There are some small black caddis mixed with the stoneflies. Your best bet for rising fish is the tailouts of the long slow pools. Nymphs and streamers are still a much better bet.
The wind was rough yesterday and the cooler air temp didn’t help. We had some breaks in the afternoon that were pleasant. Today will be much warmer hitting 60 degrees with some sunshine. We can’t escape the wind and we should see 0 – 20 mph from the South. It should drop in the late afternoon – hopefully before dark.
What’s Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp..
Little Black and Brown Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp..
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,620 cfs | 37° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,290 cfs | 37° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 2,030 cfs | 37° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 4,310 cfs | 34° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 6,890 cfs | 39° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,510 cfs | 37° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 36° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 2,340 cfs | 46° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 283 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 101.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 99.9% |
Delaware River Report: April 2, 2023
The West Branch flow dropped slightly and the East Branch flow increased. Both Cannonsville and Pepacton Reservoirs are spilling. The Beaverkill flow increased quite a bit. There is a lot of water in the system. If you’re wading today stick to the small headwater streams. And be careful on those with the runoff. We’ll be colder today hitting 42 degrees with some sunshine poking through. The wind will stay with us again today at 10 – 20 mph from the North.
Yesterday ended up being a pleasant one. We had some breaks in the wind and the sun felt great. Nymphing was the most effective technique but we did find some fish willing to eat streamers. There were actually some fish rising in the late afternoon in the big long pools that had water slow enough the fish could set up. The wind made keeping the boat on anchor tough. But it was nice to see on April 1st.
What’s Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp..
Little Black and Brown Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp..
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,960 cfs | 37° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,760 cfs | 38° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,690 cfs | 40° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 5,290 cfs | 41° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 8,270 cfs | 42° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 2,650 cfs | 40° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 39° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 2,240 cfs | 44° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 160 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 101.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 99.9% |
Delaware River Report: April 1, 2023
We’re starting off 2023 with high flows. It looks like both Cannonsville and Pepacton Reservoirs are spilling. Floating is fine. If you’re wading look to the smaller rivers and creeks today. We were seeing some stonefly dry fly action before the spill. That should pick up again once the water levels return to normal. Streamers and nymphs will be your best bet. There are a few alewives on the banks of the West Branch. We’re not seeing the numbers of them that we did last year because the spill is less, but there are definitely some in the river.
Today is going to be much warmer than we’ve seen lately with the air temp hitting 68 degrees. There are potential thunderstorms in the afternoon and wind will be 15 – 20 mph from the South.
What’s Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp..
Little black and Brown Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx sp..
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 2,220 cfs | 37° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,910 cfs | 38° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,120 cfs | 39° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,250 cfs | 39° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 5,720 cfs | 38° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 985 cfs | 38° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 38° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 1,500 cfs | 40° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 160 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 101.9% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 99.9% |
November 2022 Limited Run Flies: Week Four
The fourth and final 2022 limited run fly is a #12 black Comparadun. Black flies work well in certain situations. A better silhouette in low light? Cheating the glare? Sometimes black flies show up better on the water for both the angler and the fish. For those situations we use a black #12 Comparadun tied on a Tiemco 100 hook.. See it in the online store here.
November 2022 Limited Run Flies: Week Three
The third 2022 limited run fly is a tiny blue wing olive emerger. Tied on a TMC 2487 #18 hook that is 2X short but has a decent gap for hooking and holding fish. We use a trailing shuck and a thread body with a small dubbed thorax to keep the fly thin. The wing is light dun Hi Vis for visibility. See it in the online store here.
November 2022 Limited Run Flies: Week Two
The second 2022 limited run fly is a Tan #18 East Branch Caddis. The East Branch Caddis has a tan cdc body, a tan cdc under wing, and medium deer hair overwing making this a high floating fly. It’s tied on an Umpqua Stubby T #18. The Stubby T is a heavier wire hook with a wide gap. See it in the online store here.
November 2022 Limited Run Flies: Week One
The first 2022 limited run fly is a low floating CDC loop Wing Hendrickson emerger tied on TMC 100 #14 hook. We used our Extra Red / Red Brown Spectrumized Dubbing and and a thin trailing shuck. This is a good fly for picky fish in thin water. See it in the online store here.
Delaware River Report: October 31, 2022
This is our last daily river report until April 1st. Click on the river gauge links below for the latest flow and water temp information over the Winter. The small olives will continue to hatch as long as the weather stays relatively warm. Right now there are still some caddis but they’re hard to predict – but worth carrying a few patterns. The 10 day forecast is actually looking pretty good. Today will be a mix of clouds and sun with the air temp hitting 65 degrees. Wind will be from the south again 5 – 10 mph. Tonight will be warm only dropping to 52 degrees with light showers.
What’s Hatching:
Dark Blue Wing Olive – #18 – 20 – deficiens, lata
Tiny Blue Wing Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Spotted Sedge #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 151 cfs | 50° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 252 cfs | 47° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 112 cfs | 44° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 461 cfs | 46° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 910 cfs | 46° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 267 cfs | 44° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 45° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 162 cfs | 44° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 160 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 42.4% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 72.5% |
Delaware River Report: October 30, 2022
It’s another cold morning with frost on the ground. It should end up much like yesterday with sun and clouds hitting 62 degrees. We’ll see a little more wind hitting 5 – 10 mph from the South. Overall it looks like another good day to be on the water for late October. It should fish the same with nymphing being the best bet early in the day, The olives have been showing up mid afternoon when the water warms. Some stretches have been better than others so move around if you’re not finding them.
What’s Hatching:
Dark Blue Wing Olive – #18 – 20 – deficiens, lata
Tiny Blue Wing Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Spotted Sedge #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 151 cfs | 50° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 255 cfs | 46° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 112 cfs | 43° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 480 cfs | 44° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 937 cfs | 46° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 279 cfs | 43° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 44° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 169 cfs | 44° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 160 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 42.4% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 72.5% |
Delaware River Report: October 29, 2022
It’s another morning with heavy frost on the ground. Much like yesterday we’ll heat up to the 60’s with bright sunshine. That pushed the olives a little later in the day but there was still some dry fly action. Small flies have been much better than larger flies lately. Nymphing is your best bet early but people are moving fish on streamers even in the low water. Wind will not be an issue today.
What’s Hatching:
Dark Blue Wing Olive – #18 – 20 – deficiens, lata
Tiny Blue Wing Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Spotted Sedge #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 151 cfs | 50° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 258 cfs | 47° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 115 cfs | 45° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 499 cfs | 46° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 975 cfs | 48° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 295 cfs | 45° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 45° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 181 cfs | 47° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 160 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 42.4% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 72.5% |
Delaware River Report: October 28, 2022
We had some computer issues yesterday. It was cold overnight with a good frost this morning. The water temps dropped down a bit and will take a while to climb back up today. So nymphing or streamers will be your best bets early. We should see small olives hatching in the afternoon. They’ve been fairly consistent for late October. There are still some caddis but they have been less consistent. We’ll hit 58 degrees today with a mix of clouds and sun. Wind should not be a factor.
What’s Hatching:
Slate Drake – #14- Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 – 20 – Heptagenia hebe
Dark Blue Wing Olive – #18 – 20 – deficiens, lata
Tiny Blue Wing Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Spotted Sedge #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 151 cfs | 50° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 271 cfs | 48° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 117 cfs | 47° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 540 cfs | 48° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,070 cfs | 51° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 319 cfs | 47° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 47° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 198 cfs | 49° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 160 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 42.5% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 72.5% |
Delaware River Report: October 26, 2022
Some light rain is falling this morning but it shouldn’t do anything to the river flows. The clouds will be another bonus today. There were some olives yesterday afternoon and some fish were rising. Nymphing is your best bet early with streamers working for some people in low light. Today will be another warm day hitting 66 degrees. Wind will be 5 – 10 mph from the South. Today should fish a lot like yesterday.
What’s Hatching:
Slate Drake – #14- Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 – 20 – Heptagenia hebe
Dark Blue Wing Olive – #18 – 20 – deficiens, lata
Tiny Blue Wing Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Spotted Sedge #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
View the current local weather conditions.
| Click on any gauge for the most recent data: | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 151 cfs | 54° |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 268 cfs | 58° |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 182 cfs | 52° |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 648 cfs | 55° |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,060 cfs | 56° |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 365 cfs | 55° |
| West Branch at 191 Bridge | 57° | |
| West Branch at Walton (Cannonsville inflow) | 214 cfs | 57° |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Release | 160 cfs | |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Capacity | 42.8% | |
| Pepacton Reservoir Capacity | 72.4% |