June 9, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 9, 2017

The Beaverkill flow has dropped to 1,000 cfs this morning which should open up some wading opportunities there and on the Willowoemoc.  The rest of the system is clear and dropping but is best fished from a boat.  There has been some dry fly activity over the last few days with the normal mix of sulphurs, cahills, green drakes, and caddis.  Streamers are working but will be better during cloud covered periods or low light conditions.  We are coming into a heat wave and air temperatures will feel more like June over the next few days.  We may see a passing shower or two but the precipitation totals should be low.  This weekend should fish well as the water continues to drop.

Frank found some fish yesterday. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – 18 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 8, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 8, 2017

The rivers are slowly dropping back to normal levels and are definitely clearing.  The West Branch looks good and the East Branch and Mainstem are looking better (we would describe those two as “chalky” rather than brown).  Wading is still not an option but people are catching fish from boats.  It’s mostly a streamer program right now but there are enough bugs around that you may get lucky and see a riser in the slow pools.  If the Beaverkill continues to drop at it’s current rate there should be some wading there over the weekend.  Just choose your spots carefully.  Otherwise look to the smaller streams and feeders.  Cool temperatures have really held on this spring so everything should still hold fish.  We are in for some warmer air temperatures over the next few days so that brings a chance of thunderstorms.  Right now the weather service has the probability of being hit low and and the amount of precipitation as negligible.

Bruce found one in the sun and high water yesterday. Photo by Jared Makowski

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – 18 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 7, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 7, 2017

The flows on the West Branch and East Branch seem to have leveled out.  The rain stopped and the sun is shining this morning se we should begin to drop.  The Beaverkill flow has dropped back the most overnight and should settle down in the next couple of days if the rain holds off.  Some of the tributaries should be fishable today and tomorrow if you move up into the headwaters.  Wading is not an option on the big rivers but if you are confident behind the oars the West Branch is okay to float at this level.  It’s mostly going to be a streamer game where you have to hit them on the head.  Visibility has definitely improved on the West Branch but there is still color.  That should continue to improve today as the runoff decreases and we end up with more reservoir spill in the river.  The current release from Cannonsville Reservoir is 323 cfs and the spill is 2,477 cfs.

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – 18 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 6, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 6, 2017

We are getting more rain this morning.  We’ll check amounts and keep an eye on the graphs.

The rain did not miss us this time.  All of the rivers are up and off color but at least the West Branch flow has hooked and is beginning to drop.  Generally the West Branch will clear within 24 hours of the last rain.  The spill will be clear as most of the sediment filters out as it crosses the reservoir.  We may see a bump in flow on the West as the spill increases.  It may flatten out as the runoff decreases though.  Wading is not an option today but the West Branch is definitely safe to float at 3,000 cfs if you’re comfortable behind the oars.  Visibility is bad this morning so big, dark streamers are probably your best bet.   The color should improve throughout the day.
Yesterday fished well before the big rain and we should see that again as the flows settle down over the next couple of days.

The flow at Hale Eddy has peaked for now

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 5, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 5, 2017

We did get some rain yesterday but most of it soaked into the ground.  The rivers look clear and fishable in town and the flows only bumped a little.  Once the rain ended the afternoon settled into a beautiful, overcast, and light wind evening.  There was a decent mix of sulphurs, cahills, gray fox, caddis, and march browns on the water.  Lots of olives were out in sizes #18 -26.  Some sections saw green drakes mixed in.  There were definitely a lot of bugs on the water and the fish were happy.  The air temperature should be warmer today with a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.  Right now it looks like a great fishing day.  It’s hard to predict if the thunderstorms will hit us or not.  It seems the forecast is usually wrong and they track either north or south of us.

Dustin found one with big fins yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 4, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 4, 2017

It’s still bug soup with lots of olives, sulphurs, cahills, march browns, gray fox, green drakes, and just about every caddis you can imagine.  The wind made it tough early but did die down in the evening.  We have been finding fish eating earlier along wind protected banks and other quiet areas.  We should start seeing more march brown spinners and coffin flies over the next few days.  It looks like the wind has finally broke and we’ll have a day under 10 mph.  We should see some clouds moving in and some afternoon rain.  Right now the forecast is calling for quite a bit of precipitation late but they have been wrong on the last few storms.  A lot of it should soak in o the ground in the beginning.

Flows look great this morning

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 3, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 3, 2017

As far as we know no flow agreement was reached yesterday so we are technically under Revision 1.  New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York City are still running their contingency plan to keep water in the river while negotiations continue.  Under the contingency plan releases from Cannonsville will be 325 cfs and releases from Pepacton will be 150 cfs.

The wind was tough mid day yesterday keeping most of the caddis in the trees and the March Browns and Gray foxes were getting off the water quick.  Once the wind died in the evening most of us saw absolutely massive amounts of sulphurs covering the water until dark.  There were some fish eating them on top but a lot of the eats were on the emergers just below the surface.  Swinging sulphur nymphs or pheasant tail wet flies would have been a good option.  Green Drakes were hatching and there were fish eating them here and there.  It was a bug soup day with decent opportunities.

Paul with a nice brown yesterday. Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Green Drake – #8-2xl – Ephemera guttulata
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 2, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 2, 2017

No flow agreement was reached so we are technically under Revision 1.  New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York City developed a contingency plan to keep water in the river while negotiations continue.  This is awesome news and hopefully an agreement is reached soon.  Under the contingency plan releases from Cannonsville will be 325 cfs and releases from Pepacton will be 150 cfs.  There is some runoff and Cannonsville is spilling adding more water to the river.

The rivers look good this morning with decent flows and clarity.  We are seeing a decent mix of  caddis, sulpurs, and cahills with some march browns and gray foxes thrown in for good measure.  The sky should be clear today with an air temperature in the mid 60’s.  We may get some afternoon winds but they should drop in the evening.

Mike with a nice fish to start off June. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

June 1, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 1, 2017

Starlight is without power again this morning so we will post a regular report as soon as possible.  Penelec says 10 am.

Now for the release news.  The latest we have heard is that there was no agreement to extend FFMP.  According to the release hotline the current release this morning is still 305 cfs.  That is / was the release being used under FFMP Chart 4C for the last week or so.  That’s the best news.  There is runoff and spill adding to the release so the river is in good shape this morning.

There is definitely a lot of water in the system so hopefully DEP continues to use the FFMP until the principles can agree on a plan moving forward.  The cool weather will stick around at least for the next week or so and that has been a big help.  Hopefully the principles reach an agreement soon.

May 31, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 31, 2017

We had some rain yesterday and a brief thunderstorm this morning.  The flows have come up throughout the system but everything looks good this morning.  The levels are still good for wading and floating.  The West, East, and Mainstem around Hancock all look clear.  There is a chance of another brief storm today but the rainfall total in the forecast is only .15″ so we should be fine through the day.  The overcast sky and rain have really helped the fishing over the last couple of days.  Olives, march browns, cahills, gray fox, sulphurs, and caddis have all been on the menu.  The olives have ranged in size from #18  to #26 so definitely carry a lot of those patterns today.

Theo with a nice brown on a dry yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 30, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 30, 2017

Yesterdays rain caused a small bump in flows but the rivers look good this morning and are wadeable.  The flows are already dropping back and we are clear.  The forecast is calling for additional rain but it seems that the amount predicted each day gets downgraded.  Today looks like .15″ unless there is an oddball thunderstorm so we should come through just fine.  The cloud cover and cool temperatures have helped and we are seeing decent hatches of olives, march browns, gray fox, and sulphurs in the evenings.  Caddis are still fishing well and nymphing / swinging wets has been decent before the dry fly activity starts.

Andrew’s fish from the weekend. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Hendrickson – #16 – Ephemerella X– (a few still around the West Branch)
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

May 29, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 29, 2017

We woke up to some rain this morning.  The amount of precipitation in today’s forecast has been decreased and it looks like we should end up with around 1/4″.  If they are accurate we may see a minor bum in flows but nothing dramatic and the rivers should stay clear and easy to wade.  It definitely feels and looks like a blue wing olive day so have those patterns in #16 – 26.  People are catching fish on March Browns both by finding fish eating them and using them as searching patterns.  The sulphurs have been an evening hatch and keeping us on the water late.  Caddis have still been the mainstay on the river with a lot of different species hatching.  There’s a healthy mix of bugs out there.  Nymphing has improved in the lower flows with small flies working best.

Hatching:
Sulphur – #16 – Ephemerella dorothea
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella rotunda
Light Cahill – #14 – Ephemerella invaria
Little BWO – #22 – 26- Pseudocloeon sp.
Hendrickson – #16 – Ephemerella X– (a few still around the West Branch)
March Brown – #10 -2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium
Gray Fox – #12-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (Stenonema fuscum)
Blue Wing Olives – #18 – Baetis sp.
Dark Grannom – #14 – 18 – Brachycentrus spp.
Tan Caddis #16 – 18 – Hydropsyche spp.
Little Black Caddis – #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update: