May 23, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 23, 2015

We are coming off another cold night that dropped into the 30’s.  It’s been great news for the river system with all the rivers starting off cool this morning.  Yesterday was another mix of green drakes, sulphurs, march browns, and gray fox.  The hatching did seem to be concentrated in certain areas so it wasn’t river wide.  The fish were a little shy when the sun was bright but they adjusted and a lot of people were able to find some nice fish eating.  The wind was the biggest issue but protected areas fished well.

Today’s forecast looks good with light winds, temps in the 60’s, with a little more sun.  Mid afternoon is seeing the best activity as the water warms up a bit but keep an eye out earlier for morning spinner falls, left over flies, and caddis.  We have another cool night ahead of us before we come into a heat wave.  The march brown and green drake spinners should be coming soon.

George with a nice brown from yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Sulphur #16-18 – E. dorothea
Green Drake #8-2xl – E. guttulata
PED / Pink Lady #14 – E. vitreus
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Flows and Temps as of 8:00 AM:
Click on the gauge below to view the latest update

May 22, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 22, 2015

Yesterday was bug soup with the stars being sulphurs and green drakes.  Aside from those two we had decent hatches of march brown, gray fox, and even a few of the #16 hendricksons.  Some people found fish rising from 8 am until 6 pm.  Overall most people were calling it the best dry fly day of the season so far.  It was a great combination of overcast skies, no wind, and cool water.  It’s great to see two days in a row of daytime green drakes too.
Today should be decent with a little more sun, some clouds, and manageable winds around 8 mph.  The release from Cannonsville has been increased to 200 cfs under the FFMP Plan table 4A.  The cold nights have helped the water temperatures.  Lordville is 56 degrees this morning and the West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 51 degrees.  Cannonsville Reservoir is 96.8% capacity.

Dave with a pretty brown yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Sulphur #16-18 – E. dorothea
Green Drake #8-2xl – E. guttulata
PED / Pink Lady #14 – E. vitreus
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 21, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 21, 2015

You know you’re in for an interesting day on the Delaware when you see green drakes, march browns, small hendricksons, and blue quill spinners all in the same afternoon.  We had a slow start yesterday with strong winds and little action early.  Even nymphing was tough early on in the day.  Late afternoon gave us a decent daytime green drake hatch that made the fish happy.  At times the drakes were hard to see because they were blown flush in the film by the wind gusts but the fish were able to find them.  Compara emergers worked well as blown over cripples.
We are coming off another cold night so the water temperatures are in great shape this morning.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 52 degrees and the Mainstem at Lordville is 58 this morning.  Today is shaping up well with a forecast of 61 degrees, little wind, and cloud cover.

Ray working in yesterdays wind. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Green Drake #8-2xl – E. guttulata
PED / Pink Lady #14 – E. vitreus
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 20, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 20, 2015

We are back in a cold snap.  Air temps at night are back in the 40’s with daytime temps in the 50’s and 60’s.  The system should cool down over the next few days and if we’re lucky by the weekend we’ll get some directed releases from Cannonsville for the Montague flow target.  Lordville was 65 degrees at 6:30 this morning but was still dropping.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock was 59 degrees this morning and also dropping.  Lordville hit 70 degrees yesterday afternoon.  Keep an eye on the temps if you fish but with the cooler air temps and morning cloud cover it shouldn’t climb as fast today.
We are still seeing a lot for different bus on the water so we’re sticking with the term bug soup.  There are even some blue quills still hanging around.  The key to this season seems to be patience.  The water and air temps have the hatches coming off at odd times and we’ve seen a lot of morning and mid-day spinner falls.  If all else fails throw a rusty spinner.  Nymphing is still productive in the riffles with smaller flies.  The winds are going to up today so you’ll find more risers in protected areas.
Cannonsville is 96.3% capacity.  Most of the rain over the last few days seemed to hit west of us so the inflow at Walton is 176 cfs.

Richard Franklin sent us this shot from the weekend

Hatching:
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 19, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 19, 2015

The release from Cannonsville has dropped to 150 cfs this morning.  It seems that the rain and some down river power generation has added enough water to meet the Montague flow requirements so we have been cut back.  We had more rain overnight so the flows are increasing at Hale Eddy, Fishs Eddy, and Lordville due to natural runoff.  So far the clarity is good and if we do get a little color it may make the fish a little friendlier.  The water at Lordville is 65 degrees this morning and the West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 60 degrees.  Check the river temps with a thermometer before fishing this afternoon.
Nymphing proved effective once again during the afternoon and there was some sporadic hatching.  A lot of fish seem to be eating the tan caddis in #16 – 18 plus the hendrickson spinners.  We are seeing decent numbers of march browns but they are coming off sporadically throughout the day rather than coming in concentrated hatch.
The forecast for today is air temps close to 80 degrees with some clouds and a couple of brief showers spread out during the day.  Winds should only be 6 mph.  Overall it looks like a decent day for fishing.

Mitchell with a nice fish on the West Branch. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 18, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 18, 2015

Yesterday’s warmer water temperatures and bright sun slowed the daytime hatches down.  It seems that most of the mayflies hatched very early in the day or after dark.  We did run into enough tan caddis and tiny blue winged olives on the water to get some fish looking up. A #18 tan caddis pupa turned out to be the dry fly of the day. The fishing was definitely better during periods of cloud cover and in shaded areas.  Nymphing was the most productive method yesterday.  The rivers colored up a bit from the rain and the fish seemed to less shy than they have been lately.  A few people had success throwing streamers in the off color water.
Today is another day to check the water with your thermometer before you fish.  Lordville is 66 degrees already this morning so I would stick to the East and West Branches.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 59 degrees.  The East Branch at Fishs Eddy is 63.  Air temps will be in the high 70’s or the next two days but we should have some cloud cover with a chance of showers.  Wednesday the forecast is calling for cooler temps which will be a great help.

Dave holding a nice brown caught by Dave

Hatching:
Tiny Blue Wing Olives #22-26 – Pseudo sp. (now classified as Acentrella sp.)
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Tan Caddis #16-18 – Hydrosyche sp.
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 17, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 17, 2015

Good cloud cover and a brief afternoon thunderstorm kept the river temperatures down throughout most of the system yesterday.  We had a decent mix of march browns and olives on the water during the afternoon.  Most of the fish eating on top were focused on the olives and spinners.  Just about everyone we spoke with saw decent mid-day spinner falls and very little at dark. The fishing was decent overall with enough risers to keep it interesting for most of the day.   Hopefully the fish recognize the bigger bugs as food soon.
The thunderstorm and overnight rain has added some water to the system.  We are looking at an air temperature of 80 degrees today with a mix of clouds and sun.  There is a chance of another thunderstorm so bring your rain gear.
The Mainstem at Callicoon peaked around 67 degrees yesterday.  The higher flows should provide some protection from today’s heat but definitely fish with your thermometer.

Marc with a nice fish from yesterday. Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 16, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 16, 2015

The water temperatures are okay throughout the system this morning.  Lordville is starting off at 63 degrees so definitely check the water with your thermometer before fishing this afternoon.  The release was increased to 325 last night to help meet the flow target at Montague, NJ.  This is still not enough cold water to protect the Mainstem from thermal stress on hot sunny days so keep pressuring the politicians.  We have some warm air temps coming today and tomorrow but luckily today we will have some cloud cover with the potential for brief showers.  Hopefully it will be enough to protect the exposed rocks from heating up.
The hatching is still bug soup.  Bring everything and definitely do not forget the March Browns.  We still have some blue quills and plenty of #16 hendricksons on the water.  Sulphurs can’t be too far behind.

Please check the water temps often over the next two days and if you see temps approaching 67 just move up river closer to the dams.

Dane with a nice brown yesterday. Photo by Stephen Shen

Hatching:
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 15, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 15, 2015

It looks like we have a very small directed release to help meet the minimum flow target of an average of 1750 cfs at Montague, NJ.  The release from Cannonsville is 176 cfs this morning.  Hopefully they will increase the directed release this afternoon or tonight and not release any water from Lake Wallenpaupack or Rio Reservoir.  The cooler temperatures have left the system in good shape this morning with a water temp at Lordville of 60 degrees.  Our daytime air temperatures are going to climb over the weekend but the overnight temps look okay.  The water is still low exposing a lot of the gravel and boulders.  Sun can heat the rivers up quickly in this situation so double check the water temperatures with your thermometer before you fish, especially on the Mainstem and lower East Branch.
The system fished well yesterday with the smaller #16 hendricksons seeming to be the hatch of the day.  It’s still bug soup with everything from blue quills to march browns hatching.  We are still finding blue quill nymphs on the West Branch so carry everything.  Nymphing has been very productive in between hatches but most people are finding enough rising fish to keep it interesting.  Do not forget to bring hendrickson spinners!
Bottom line- we need releases for the weekend to protect the Main.

Richard with a healthy rainbow in the sun yesterday.

Hatching:
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 14, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 14, 2015

Well it’s been an interesting couple of weeks.  We went from winter right to summer, and yesterday felt like early spring.  The water temperatures have dropped throughout the system but the flows still remain low.  Last night’s air temps in the 30’s did wonders for the river.  We should hit mid 60’s today with another cold night tonight.  We are on a warming trend so without additional releases keep an eye on the water temps towards the weekend.  Accuweather isn’t calling for extreme heat like we had but it’s good to be vigilant just in case, especially on the lower sections of the Main Stem. Hopefully we get some directed releases for the Montague flow target soon.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 49 degrees this morning.
Wind made fishing tough yesterday but there were rising fish plus plenty of nymphing.  The hatching can best be described as bug soup.  Bring all your flies.  We still have blue quills and hendrickson, plus march browns and gray foxes are starting.  It should make for some interesting fishing over the next week or so.

Cam with a West Branch brown on top yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
March Brown #10-2xl – S. vicarium (now classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl – S. fuscum (now also classified as Maccaffertioum vicarium)
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 13, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 13, 2015

Last night’s cool weather has provided us some thermal relief.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is starting off at 58 degrees this morning.  The cool weather today and frost warnings tonight should help immensely.  We do need to keep an eye on the forecast for the rest of the week.  The air temps will creep up into the 60’s by Friday with some sun.  Additional releases from the reservoirs are still needed to protect the system from thermal stress.  The low water exposes too many rocks that are heated up by the sun.  Bright sun can heat the rivers up faster than hot air temperatures.

The West Branch has fishable temperatures this morning but the Mainstem is still on the edge.  The Lordville gage is registering 65 degrees this morning.  We feel this gage registers a few degrees cooler than the actual temperatures so please check the water with your thermometer before fishing.  That should apply to fishing anywhere on the system still as the water temps can climb quickly during sunny periods.

Right now the entire system is a wade game.  The flow at Lordville is only 731 which is too low to take a boat down.

Hatching:
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

May 12, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 12, 2015

It looks like everyone including the fish get another day off due to the high water temperatures.  We are not fishing or guiding today.  The lower West Branch, lower East Branch, and the Mainstem all peaked over 70 degrees again by mid day yesterday.  The Lordville gage on the Mainstem is already measuring 71 degrees this morning.  That gage seems to read on the cool side so add a few degrees to that number.  We are going to see air temps in the high 70’s today so the rivers will heat up even more by late afternoon.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 67 degrees as of 5:30 this morning.  Unbelievable.

There is a potential for T Storms and .15″ of rain this afternoon.  That likely won’t be enough to bring the rivers up.  Hopefully the storms sit on us for a while and dump some real water.  Luckily the overnight air temps will drop to the 30’s with highs tomorrow in the 50’s.  This should give us some thermal relief.  If you insist on fishing the West Branch above Hale Eddy managed to stay below 70 degrees again so what little water there is up there is okay.  The closer you get to the dam the better off you will be with water temperatures.  Anything fish caught below that will likely die from stress.  No matter where you fish check the water with a thermometer first.

Hopefully Accuweather is correct and we can report on some thermal relief in tomorrow’s post.

I’m tired of posting depressing temperature graphs. Here’s a Green Drake nymph

Hatching:
Hendrickson #16 – E. X species
Apple Caddis #16-18 – Light Brachycentrus sp.
Hendrickson – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Hendrickson – #12 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quill – #16 – Paralep. adoptiva
Quill Gordon #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.