October 21, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 21, 2019

Yesterday ended up being great olive weather.  The air temp stayed in the 50’s and we had some light rain and the little olives were out in good numbers in the afternoon.  There were some caddis and isonychias in the faster water but the happier fish were in the slow tail outs eating pseudos in the foam lines.  Streamers and nymphs also worked well yesterday.  Today we’ll have more sunshine but the air temp will hit the mid 60’s.  Wind will be from the East 5 – 10 mph.

Tom with his first fish in his new boat. Curtis Glaab photo

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.

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October 20, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 20, 2019

It’s starting off coll this morning but it should turn into a good fishing day.  Clouds, light wind, and a few showers are in the forecast.  The air temp should be in the mid 50’s and the rain total should stay under 1/10″.  Combine that with the lower water flows and we could have a really good olive day.  The caddis are still out in good numbers.  They were hitting the water yesterday with a lot of small fish and a few good ones coming up.  Some fish were reasonably steady eaters but others you had to patient for and mark and cover. We’re still finding some isonychias and isonychia spinners in the afternoons.  Not too bad for mid October.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.

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October 19, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 19, 2019

The air temp is in the 30’s this morning but should climb close to 60 degrees by the afternoon.  We’ll have sunshine and light and variable wind.  The wind only hitting 2 – 5 mph is the best part.  The flows are still dropping slowly and the rivers look good.  It’s going to be a nice day on the water- especially after the cold, wet, and windy days we’ve just been through.  There’s still a lot of caddis around, some isonychias and isonychia spinners, and a good mix of olives in different sizes.  The feeders are still pushing some water but the West Branch is at a decent level for floating and wading.

The border water on the West Branch and Mainstem are open to fishing year round.  The Upper West that flows only in NY is closed.  That puts it roughly around the Beaver Mountain Log Homes display on Rte 17.  The lower EB stays open until November 30th.  Check here for exact regulations:  http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/delaware-county/

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.

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October 18, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 18, 2019

The runoff is subsiding and the rivers are dropping back to normal flows.  The West Branch is already at a wadeable level at 750 cfs at Hale Eddy.  We’ll be a bit chilly today at 44 degrees with wind from the North 10 – 20 mph.  The lower West Branch looks good this morning with just a slight tinge.  That all settles down tomorrow when we get an air temp back in the 50’s, sunshine, and wind under 5 mph.  It looks like a nice weekend for mid October.

The West Branch is in good shape this morning

The border water on the West Branch and Mainstem are open to fishing year round.  The Upper West that flows only in NY is closed.  That puts it roughly around the Beaver Mountain Log Homes display on Rte 17.  The lower EB stays open until November 30th.  Check here for exact regulations:  http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/delaware-county/

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.

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October 17, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 17, 2019

If you are not already here and committed to float today stay home and regroup for the weekend.  We’re looking at a bit more rain today but the real downer will be the 20 mph wind from the North with gusts 30 to 40 mph possible.  The weather will be nicer and flows should be settled by Saturday.

The rain finally started after lunch here yesterday.  It never seemed really heavy, just a slow steady rain all day.  All of the feeders are carrying a lot of water this morning and most of the rivers are blown out and dirty.  The West Branch generally drops and clears the quickest.  The flow at Hale Eddy peaked a little over 2,000 cfs and is already dropping so it is at a fishable level from a boat.  It is definitely off color but should clear up a little today as it drops.  We didn’t see any logs or junk floating out front this morning but be careful if you do float it. The best advice is to hold off.  The Mainstem flow will jump today as the Beaverkill and East Branch flows pass through.

Keep in mind the Upper West Branch above the border is closed.  Only border water on the West Branch is open right now.  Check the regs before you fish the system to be sure.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.

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October 16, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 16, 2019

Wunderground is calling for right around 1.75″ of rain today.  The forecast has changed every time we’ve checked so we’ll have to wait and see what we really end up with.  If the river flows change dramatically during the day we’ll do another update.  The release from Cannonsville has been cut back to 135 cfs so someone in an office somewhere is convinced we’re getting a lot of rain.  Most of the weather channels have the rain starting around lunchtime and lasting all day.  If that is accurate there will be opportunities to fish today before the runoff really hits.  While we’ve had some rain lately the ground is still pretty dry and should soak up the early rain.  Wind will be 7 – 12 mph from the South and the air temp will peak around 60 degrees.  Yesterday was a mix of olives and caddis.  The water was low so the bugs were concentrated in the foam lines.  It ended up being a good day on the water.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 15, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 15, 2019

The release from Cannonsville has been dropped to 300 cfs.  They are counting on tomorrow’s rain to meet the downstream flow targets.  Tomorrow’s forecast changes every time we look.  We should get somewhere between 1/2″ and 1″ of rain.  The latest updates have us closer to the 1/2″ mark.  Yesterday ended up okay once the wind died down in the evening.  Nymphing was decent early and we had good caddis and isonychia spinners in the evening.  There were some iso duns, olives, and heptagenia out there but the caddis were the most prolific.  The weeds floating down were annoying but manageable.  They’ll definitely settle today with the lower release.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Yellow Sally – #14 – Isoperla sp.

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October 14, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 14, 2019

The release from Cannonsville was increased slightly to 831 cfs.  It looks like the flow at Lordville is flat so the runoff has settled down the release has made it down that far.  Today will be warmer than yesterday hitting 65 degrees with wind 10 -15 from the South.  We’ll have sunshine most of the day.  We still have enough leaves to find spots hidden from the wind.   The increased release increased the dolor and the weeds on the WB but it is fishable.  Wading will be best on the EB and Mainstem but it is possible in spots on the West.   Nymphing and streamers will be your best bet early.  Most of the dry fly opportunities have been late afternoon and ending before dark.  Isonychias and caddis should cover most of what you see but have your olives ready just in case.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Yellow Sally – #14 – Isoperla sp.

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October 13, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 13, 2019

We were wondering when they would increase the release from Cannonsville to help meet the Montague Flow Target.  It was last night.  The release from Cannonsville is now 760 cfs.  The increased flow may push some extra weeds down during the day until things settle down.  It’s still going to be fishable but you will have to deal with the weeds. It will also increase the color in the West we get every Fall.  There is enough visibility out front this morning for fish to rise.  The Upper Mainstem should be a better option to start off.  Streamers and nymphs will be your best bets early.  There were some caddis and olives out yesterday afternoon.  The caddis generally cause some sporadic feeding since they rarely hit the water at the same time.  If you’re looking for dries pick a god foam line or tailout and be patient.  Try to find places where the bugs will get pushed together.  You may have to cover the fish multiple times to get them to come back up.  We’ll hit 63 degrees today with wind under 8 mph from the South.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Yellow Sally – #14 – Isoperla sp.

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October 12, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 12, 2019

The release from Cannonsville has been decreased to 309 cfs.  It fished well when they dropped it this low last week so we are expecting the same today.  Afternoon olives, caddis, and isonychia spinner should be concentrated in the feeding lanes.  Wind should not be a factor today hitting 3 – 4 mph.  Maybe a little sun poking through this morning with clouds and the chance of an odd shower in the afternoon.  If we get a shower or two the precipitation amount will be minimal.

The flow at Montague this morning.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Yellow Sally – #14 – Isoperla sp.

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October 11, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 11, 2019

The release from Cannonsville has been dropped to 467 cfs.  We’re not sure how long the current release will last.  There is a 4 hour whitewater release tomorrow on the Mongaup that would help meet downstream flow targets for a short time.  That release should be about 900 cfs.  There are no scheduled releases from Lake Wallenpaupack.  There is no rain in the short term forecast.  The Delaware at Barryville, NY above Lackawaxen is 1,400 cfs and dropping.  So once the Mongaup water filters through we should see a bump in our release again.  And remember they have to time it to reach Montague NJ.

The dry fly action started late yesterday afternoon.  There were some isonychia spinners and olives but the real story were the caddis.  They came out in good numbers and some were actually on the water.  The fish never got steady – just the nature of caddis fishing but if you watched carefully you could find fish to target and get to eat.  Early in the day streamers and nymphs were the best option.  Fish did hit iso dry flies as we were picking them back up so an iso wet fly would have probably done well.  We’ll hit 67 degrees today with mostly sunshine.  Wind will be 5 – 10 mph from the North.  It looks very similar to yesterday.

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Yellow Sally – #14 – Isoperla sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 10, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 10, 2019

They were pretty accurate with the forecast yesterday and we did seem to have decent cloud cover.  We had decent fish rising around mid afternoon.  Caddis, olives, and isonychias.  Definitely carry your isonychia spinners.  Nymphing and throwing streamers are bringing some fish to the net before the hatches start.  Today is going to be warmer than yesterday with the air temp hitting 67 degrees.  We’ll have sunshine and wind 5 – 10 mph from the North.  It looks like a great weather weekend with daytime temps staying in the 60’s.

Still a few bigger stoneflies around too

Hatching:
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Olive Sulphur – Hept. hebe – #18 – 20
Slate Drake – #12 – 14 – Isonychia bicolor
Tan Caddis – #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 20 – E. lata, deficiens
Tiny Blue Winged Olives – #22 – 26- Pseudo sp.
Little Tan Sedge – #16 – 18 – Glossosoma sp.
Yellow Sally – #14 – Isoperla sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update: