April 28, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 28, 2015

The flows and river temperatures haven’t changed much from yesterday morning which is a good sign for fishing today.  Despite yesterday’s wind the fish did get active on the surface in between gusts and in protected areas.  The hatches have been brief in the mid afternoon but should increase in length over the next few days.  The forecast looks fantastic with the rest of the week in the 60’s with a mix of sun and clouds.  Blue winged olives, blue quills, and a few of the first early hendricksons have been spotted.  Nymphing is still the most effective method but definitely keep your eyes open for risers.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is 44 degrees this morning and peaked at 46 yesterday.  It will climb higher today.  Cannonsville is at 100.5% capacity with an inflow at Walton of 673 cfs.

Ann with a great Delaware rainbow

Hatching:

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.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 27, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 27, 2015

It was a long cold wait but yesterday we finally had some consistent rising fish.  There was an afternoon flush of olives and blue quills with a few little black caddis thrown in for good measure.  The bugs and the fish should get more consistent towards the weekend as our warmer weather picks back up.  Nymphing was effective for most of the day and dark streamers were still producing some fish when the sun wasn’t hitting the water.  Accuweather did not live up to it’s name yesterday and we spent most of the day with clouds and chilly temps.  We have some light intermittent showers moving in today. Luckily the small spill over Cannonsville is helping the downstream flows.  We need it due to the pathetic 74 cfs release under the FFMP Chart 4A.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is 43 degrees this morning and peaked at 49 degrees yesterday afternoon.

Chris with a nice brown yesterday. Steve Shen photo

Hatching:

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.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 26, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 26, 2015

After the last few weeks a day at 53 degrees with sunshine makes it feel like July out on the river!  Yesterday’s warmup certainly made the fish more active and pushed some of the bugs to hatch.  We saw early stoneflies, little black caddis, and some blue winged olives hatching yesterday with a few fish starting to eat off the surface.  The surface activity should continue to improve with the weather this week so the blue quills can’t be too far behind.  Nymphing was still the most effective method yesterday and yesterday was definitely the best day so far this season.  Today’s air temperature should hit 55 degrees,  sun, with winds around 7 mph.  The river system is warmer this morning than yesterday so our water temperatures should peak higher today.  After starting off around 38 degrees yesterday morning the West Branch under the 191 Bridge peaked at 49 degrees by the late afternoon.  Today we are starting off at 44 degrees.  Cannonsville reservoir is spilling 36 cfs this morning which is great news to help counter the pathetic release of 74 cfs under table 4A of the FFMP.  The spill should continue with an inflow from Walton of 830 cfs this morning.

Jason with a rainbow from yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Keith with a brown yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 25, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 25, 2015

Yesterday was another cold day with some odd snow showers and wind.  Despite the weather some people did land fish nymphing.  This morning it looks like a whole new world.  The sun is shining, there is no wind, and the forecast is calling for air temperatures in the 50s.  We are on a warming trend this week so hopefully the bugs will show again over the next couple of days.  The rivers are starting off cold this morning but should warm up by the afternoon with the help of the sun.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is 39 degrees this morning.  The flow is 500 cfs at Hale so the sun will do a world of good for the WB temps today.  Cannonsville Reservoir is 99.7% capacity with an inflow from the WB at Walton of 921 cfs.

Allen pushed through the snow and wind for a rainbow yesterday. Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 24, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 24, 2015

Yesterday was an odd late April day with snow flurries and a morning frost.  The temperatures warmed up enough that the snow didn’t stick and people still fished.  Streamers seemed to be the best producer followed by nymphs.  A few fish were landed despite the weather.  Today looks a little nicer with air temps predicted to peak in the 40’s and they should continue to climb over the next few days.  Winds will be blowing in the teens today so find the protected bends or side channels for protection. The releases are still low due to the current flow plan.  One benefit of that is lower water for wading and nymphing as you move upstream and get above some of the feeder streams.  Cannonsville reservoir is at 99.2% capacity with an inflow at Walton of 1,040 cfs.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge peaked at 44 degrees yesterday and is starting off at 40 degrees this morning.

Peter found some success on the West Branch last weekend. He’s going to be a great fisherman!

Hatching:

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 23, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 23, 2015

Yesterday was the first day we saw decent numbers of upright wings on the water.  The Baetis vagans were hatching mid afternoon but only a few fish figured out there was food on top.  The fish should eat on top more over the next few days once they figure that out and the water temps rise.  The positive news is that means the nymphs are very active too so the nymphing should get really good.  We are in a cold snap this week so the water temps are starting off around 4 degrees lower this morning.  Most of the rain fell south of us yesterday so the rivers are in decent shape this morning.  The insect activity may be pushed to a little later in the afternoon since the water will take longer to warm up.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock is 41 degrees this morning and peaked at 46 degrees yesterday afternoon.  Cannonsville Reservoir is at 98.6% capacity with an inflow at Walton of 1,200 cfs.  Hopefully we spill a small amount over the next few days to make up for the pathetic release schedule for April under the current flow plan.

We’re finding a lot of blue quill nymphs getting ready to hatch.  Coming soon.

Hatching:

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 22, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 22, 2015

The flows have dropped overnight and the rivers have cleared up nicely. We woke up to a great Spring morning with some sun and clouds. There are some showers moving in that are predicted to give us a 1/2 inch of precipitation throughout the day. The rain should be spread out over the next 12 hours so the rivers should be fine today. We’re still picking up most of our fish on nymphs and streamers but the mayfly nymphs are looking good. We are finding a lot of blue quill and hendrickson nymphs in our kick seines so it shouldn’t be too long before the upright wings are on the surface. Cannonsville is at 97.7% capacity with an inflow in Walton of 1,200 cfs. The West Branch under the 191 Bridge peaked at 51 degrees yesterday and is starting off at 47 degrees this morning. The water temperatures are there so the mayflies can’t be too far behind.

Jared with a nice West Branch rainbow from a couple of days ago

Hatching:

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 21, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 21, 2015

We received the rain we were hoping for to fill the reservoirs. Hale Eddy has jumped to 1,190 this morning with a little color. The feeders are pushing in the color, but as of right now the West Branch is definitely clear enough to fish. Yesterday was another nymph day with a little streamer action. We are still relying on stoneflies and little black caddis for sporadic dry fly action but the hendrickson and blue quill nymphs are getting more active and look mature. It won’t be long before we see the upright wings on the surface. Cannonsville is at 97.3% capacity with an inflow from the WB at Walton of 1,100 cfs.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge in Hancock peaked around 55 degrees yesterday and is starting off at 48 degrees this morning.

Kevan holding Clere’s rainbow.

Hatching:

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 20, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 20, 2015

Despite the wind gusts yesterday turned out to be a decent fishing  day with most of the activity concentrated in the mid-afternoon.  Nymphs and streamers still prove to be the most effective methods for landing fish but we did see some fish rising to the little black caddis.  The guys that stuck to nymphing hard all day were rewarded well.  Most of the splashy rises turned out to be fish chasing the caddis pupa so swinging wet flies would be a good bet this week.  We should see air temps peak around 59 degrees today with 1/4″ of much needed rain today.  The wind gusts are going to be strong so find a protected area and work it over well.  The winds may also blow the little black stoneflies into the water so keep an eye out for splashy risers in the slow pools.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is starting off at 47 degrees this morning and peaked at 55 degrees yesterday afternoon.

A brown from the West Branch Yesterday

Hatching:

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 19, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 19, 2015

The wind was unkind yesterday but at least it was blowing down stream for most of us.  We are finding more fish rising each day but the majority of the fish landed are still coming on nymphs and streamers.  We are seeing stoneflies, little black caddis, and just a few upright wings on the water.  Dry fly fishing should improve over the next week with the warmer water temperatures.  Our air temps will cool off down to the low 60’s and mid 50’s over the next few days with some rain moving in- which is awesome for the reservoirs.  That should happen overnight so we should stay dry today with mid 60’s air temps, light winds, and moderate gusts.

The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is starting off at 47 degrees this morning and peaked around 54 degrees yesterday afternoon.

Art fought the wind and found a brown on the Main. Photo by Bob Lewis

Art and the girls taking a break on the Mainstem.  Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:

Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Dark Chimarra sp.

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 18, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 18, 2015

The reports from yesterday are a bit mixed but it seems most success came on nymphs.  There were a few stoneflies and very few mayflies around in the afternoon.  There were fish rising but they were inconsistent making them tough to target.  You had to be in the right place at the right time and cast quick to target them.  Hare’s ears, copper johns, and pheasant tails in #14 -16 seemed to work well.  We still have decent water temperatures this morning with air temps of 70 degrees in the forecast.  They are calling for wind gusts around 15 -156 mph in the afternoon so find a bend in the river or some other wind break.  Hopefully the wind will blow more stoneflies on the water.  The West Branch under the 191 Bridge is 46 degrees this morning.

Larry makes the blog two days in a row! Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.

April 17, 2015

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 17, 2015

The fish have reacted nicely to the warmer water and are staring to get more aggressive.  The streamer and nymph fishing has improved while the dry fly fishing has still been sporadic due to the nature of the stoneflies.  We did see some mayflies on the surface yesterday but not enough to get the fish looking.  The hatching should improve over the next few days with the warm days in the forecast.  We have light rain this morning and overcast skies.  It looks like a fishing day.  The West Branch at the 191 Bridge peaked around 52 degrees yesterday but we are starting off at 47 degrees already this morning.  That’s around 5 degrees warmer than this time yesterday morning.  Cannonsville Reservoir is at 95.4% capacity with an inflow at Walton of 1,220 cfs.

Larry with a nice East Branch brown yesterday. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:

Little Black Stoneflies #14 – 18 – Capnidae sp. and Taeniopteryx sp.