April 4, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 4, 2017

The rain came down hard around 2:30 this morning and the rivers are starting to rise.  The feeder creeks are pumping in a lot of water and half of them seem to be clear while the other half are muddy.  The Beaverkill is climbing quickly so the East Branch should rise significantly by mid day.  There is another 1/4″ of rain in the forecast for today.  Wading is not a good idea on the system but floating is still an option.  People have had some success throwing streamers over the last couple of days.  The rivers have warmed up a few degrees and are in decent shape for early April.  The reservoir inflows are climbing too and we may actually see a spill soon if we continue to get heavy rains every day or two.

If the rains keep coming we may see these in the river. It’s been a while

Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 3, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 3, 2017

The water temperatures have come up a little over the last couple of days with most of the system peaking in the low 40’s.  We are in for some warmer air temperatures for the rest of the week and luckily the nights will stay above freezing.  If we get a little sunshine thrown into the mix the water temps should keep peaking a little higher each day.  We do have some rain the forecast.  Overall it looks like quite a bit between tonight and Friday but we’ll see how accurate Accuweather is this season.  Thursday looks like the wettest day for the near future.  Wading is still an issue but floating is fine and the streamer fishing is picking up as the water temps climb.  Mid afternoon is your best bet when water temps are the highest.  I think we’re still a little cold for any kind of consistent stonefly surface activity but keep a dry fly rod handy just in case you find a riser in the slow pools.

The water temperature at Hale Eddy made quite a jump yesterday

Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 2, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 2, 2017

The sun is shining this morning which makes it feel a whole lot better than yesterday.  Wunderground has the air temperature peaking around 51 degrees today so it’s going to feel like Summer out there after the last few weeks.  The rivers are still high and cold with runoff and we still have a bit of snow left in the woods.  Most of the water temperatures peaked in the high 30’s or low 40’s yesterday.  It’s still a bit cold for the fish to look for the stoneflies but people are catching a couple fish on streamers in the slower water and edges.  Nymphing will improve if the water drops.  Finding a safe place to wade is still an issue but boating is perfectly safe.  The forecast looks  dry for the next couple of days with some decent rains coming towards the end of the week.

Getting some Hendrickson nymphs ready

Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

April 1, 2017

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 1, 2017

The entire Delaware System is cold and high this morning with a mix of runoff and releases.  The reservoirs filled quickly in March and NYC now feels comfortable keeping the releases higher and making room for additional runoff.  That’s quite a change from the late Fall when we were watching the level in Cannonsville Reservoir drop to 18%.  We have plenty of water in the Reservoirs and should be set up for a more “normal” Spring.  We wouldn’t suggest wading until the river levels drop.  It’s possible to throw streamers from a boat or shore right now and that fishing should improve over the next week as the water temperatures rise along with the air temperatures.  It won’t take long to get going.
We are getting a little snow this morning on top of yesterday’s rain.  The plows were out sanding the roads early this morning but be careful if you are out traveling.  Air temperatures should be in the 50’s a couple of days this week and will make fishing much more comfortable.  We are seeing a few Stoneflies around but dry fly action is a distant long shot over the next couple of days until the flow drops a bit and the water temperatures rise.  If you fish your best bet will be to slow strip, swing, or jig streamers in quieter, deep eddys.

It’s a little chilly and wet at 7 :30 on the West Branch this morning

Hatching:
Tiny Black Stonefly – #18 – Capniidae sp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 – 16 – Taeniopteryx spp.

March 30, 2017

3/30/2017 DEP update on Cannonsville & Pepacton releases

Received this afternoon:

February 28, 2017

Upper Delaware System Water Update February 28, 2017

Things have been looking up for the water supply over the last few weeks and Cannonsville now sits at 79.97% with Walton flowing in at 2070 cfs and even little Trout Brook coming in at 136 cfs.  We have more rain on the way with over half in inch in the forecast tomorrow.  There have been a few early stoneflies around but the water temperatures are still a little low for great fishing.

The West Branch above Cannonsville has had good water for quite a while now

January 23, 2017

2017 Fly Fishing Show Somerset, NJ

Join us January 27th, 28th, and 29th in Somerset, NJ at The Flyfishing Show.  Like normal, we will be discussing the upcoming season’s prospects and booking rooms and guides for 2017.  We will also have a limited supply of our Spectrumized Dubbing for sale. Our booth location is C22 & C23 in the Main Hall.

Delaware River Club Guides Bob Lewis and Steve Shen will be presenting:

Mastering The Upper Delaware

Friday, January 27th – 2:00 PM, Hillsborough Room
Saturday, January 29th – 12:00 PM, Techniques Theater
Sunday, January 31st – 10:00 AM, Hillsborough Room

November 4, 2016

Tying the East Branch Caddis

Watch more Delaware River Club tying videos here.

October 30, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 30, 2016

Yesterday felt like early September and we are coming off a really warm night.  The water temperatures are up from yesterday morning and that should help the hatching.  There were some olives and a few isonychias out yesterday but streamers and nymphs were definitely more productive.  The Cannonsville release is 574 this morning.  The West Branch, lower East Branch, and Mainstem are all in decent shape for floating and wading.  We may get a light shower or two today with wind gusts staying under 10 mph.  Not a bad looking fishing day for the end of October.

Hatching:
Slate Drake – #12 – 14- Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 – 20– Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Blue Winged Olive – #22 – 26 – Psuedocloeon spp.

October 29, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 29, 2016

The release from Cannonsville is increasing this morning.   The East Branch flow at Downsville is also up this morning at 478 cfs.  The West Branch flow should be settled down by this afternoon.  Air temperatures will approach 60 degrees which will feel like summer after the past few days.  We may get some olives in the afternoon but streamers and nymphs will be your best bet.

Hatching:
Slate Drake – #12 – 14- Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 – 20– Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Blue Winged Olive – #22 – 26 – Psuedocloeon spp.

October 28, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 28, 2016

The release from Cannonsville is 308 cfs this morning.  We went from 100 cfs yesterday to over 1,000 cfs overnight, back to 300 cfs this morning.  The lower West Branch flow should fall throughout the day and settle in by late afternoon.  The temperatures are higher on the WB than the EB so hatching should be a bit better.  There were olives hatching yesterday afternoon on the West during the rain.  We should have overcast today with little precipitation.  We are on a bit of a warming trend and should see good temperatures by Saturday.

Hatching:
Slate Drake – #12 – 14- Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 – 20– Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Blue Winged Olive – #22 – 26 – Psuedocloeon spp.

October 27, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 27, 2016

The release from Cannonsville is 90 cfs.  The flow at Downsville is 77 cfs.  We woke up to some light snow coming down in the higher elevations.  That should switch to rain mid morning when air temperatures climb to the low 40’s.  We shouldn’t see much accumulation and it should melt fairly quick.  This is just a brief cold spell and air temperatures will climb back into the 50’s on Saturday.  Nymphing should be good today but definitely keep an eye out for olives in the lower water

Hatching:
Slate Drake – #12 – 14- Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 – 20– Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Blue Winged Olive – #22 – 26 – Psuedocloeon spp.
Blue Winged Olive – #18 – 20 – E. lata