June 11, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 11, 2016

We are coming off another cool night so water temperatures look great throughout the system.  The water temperature in Callicoon peaked in the mid 60’s yesterday which is great for mid-June.  We should have some cloud cover today with an 80% chance of precipitation around 1 PM.  Rainfall totals should be around 1/4″ which will help keep the rivers in good shape.  Winds will be manageable with gusts around 10 mph.  All in all it looks like a good fishing day.
Sulphurs, Isonychias, and caddis.  You may run into flushes of cahills depending on what river section you fish.  Nymphing has been working well in the morning before the hatches begin.  Today’s forecast says Blue Winged Olives so carry that box with light and dark flies #16 -24 just in case.

Tim with a brown yesterday. Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:
Slate Drake – 12-2xl- Isonychia bicolor
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 10, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 10, 2016

Another chilly night means the water temperatures continue to stay cool even though the levels are dropping. The air temperatures are starting to rise and we will have some decent wind to contend with this afternoon. The release from Cannonsville remains at 500 cfs so the West Branch and upper Main Stem are both wade and boat friendly. We’re still seeing good numbers of Sulphurs, Isonychia, Stenos and Light Blue Winged Olives.

Geoff with a beautiful brown and a good cigar. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
Slate Drake – 12-2xl- Isonychia bicolor
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 9, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 9, 2016

We had some rain showers yesterday morning but the heaviest precipitation fell to the south. The rivers are dropping down to the levels we had before Sunday’s rain and are fine for floating or wading. The cool nights have helped to lower the water temperatures throughout the system. The East Branch and Main Stem are finally cooling down. Today looks like a sunnier version of yesterday with strong wind gusts and another cool evening. The hatching remains the same with Sulphurs, Isos, Tan Caddis and Olives.

Jared netted a good looking brown yesterday.

Hatching:
Slate Drake – 12-2xl- Isonychia bicolor
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 8, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 8, 2016

The thunderstorms yesterday mostly hit the West Branch. Luckily they were brief, the river did not get muddy and is up only a small amount. The cool night has the water temperatures starting off a little lower today. These next few days of milder air temperatures and lows in the 40’s will help the system stay fishable. Sulphurs, Isonychia, Light Blue Winged Olives and tan caddis were the most common hatches.

Bob with a nice rainbow.

Hatching:
Slate Drake – 12-2xl- Isonychia bicolor
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 7, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 7, 2016

All of the the rivers in the system have dropped back considerably overnight and all seem to be in good shape this morning.  The West Branch looks great at 726 cfs at Hale and is clear. The forecast for the week is looking great with a chance of rain almost every day and much cooler nights.  A couple of nighttime air temperatures down in the 40’s and 50’s will be great for the water temperatures on the lower East Branch and on the Mainstem.  Unless we get a good rain the rivers will continue to drop over the next few days. There is no major accumulation predicted in the forecast.
There was a decent sulphur hatch yesterday in the evening mixed with a few stenos and caddis. Streamers fished well early with a lot of chases and some eats.

Grant with a healthy fish yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
Slate Drake – 12-2xl- Isonychia bicolor
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 6, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 6, 2016

We were hit with some good rain yesterday and the river flows are up this morning.  The upper West Branch in Stilesville is still low and should be clear above Oquaga Creek.  We do have color in the lower West Branch but we are dropping and should clear over the course of the day.  The other rivers are high and off color too so be careful and choose your wading spots carefully.  It looks great for streamers this morning but we should have decent water for dry fly fishing this evening – especially in the tailouts and edges.  The best news is the inflow into Cannonsville with the West Branch at Walton flowing in at 993 cfs. The rain did help the water temperatures drop on the lower East Branch and upper Mainstem.

What a difference one storm can make above the reservoir!

Hatching:
Slate Drake – 12-2xl- Isonychia bicolor
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 5, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 5, 2016

We finally had some rain overnight and the most of the river flows have bumped up slightly.  The air temperatures will be much lower today with highs only hitting the low 70’s.  Winds will gust to around 10 mph and we should get additional showers in the early evening.  All in all this looks like a very good fishing day.  Definitely bring your blue winged olive box.
Most of the reports show good bug hatching for most of the late afternoon but the fish seemed shy- especially during the periods of bright sun.  It came down to being in the right place at the right time and finding the rising fish.  Hopefully today’s weather makes the fish feel more comfortable to rise.  Gray Fox, Sulphurs, Isonychia, and tan caddis were the most common hatches.

Hope the rain keeps the reservoirs filled!

Hatching:
Slate Drake – 12-2xl- Isonychia bicolor
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 4, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 4, 2016

The rain in yesterday’s forecast seems to have missed us.  We had a few drops but nothing during the day that required a raincoat.  The cloud cover was nice and made the fish feel comfortable rising when there were bugs on the water.  We did get a negligible amount over night that bumped the flow on the rivers by a couple cfs.  There was definitely an improvement in the amount of green slime coming down the West Branch.  It’s not totally clear yet but we are seeing less each day.  We are seeing cahills, sulphurs, and green drakes hatching out there.  The isonychias are now showing up and people are catching fish on them. We are still catching most of the early fish on caddis before the mayflies begin to hatch.   The sulphurs are coming later in the evening so don’t leave the river early.  The weather forecast looks good today with highs in the low 80’s and a mix of clouds and sun.  The predicted thunderstorms look more likely to happen tomorrow.

Pat with a nice brown yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 3, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 3, 2016

The forecast is calling for cooler air temperatures today with a high around 80.  Winds shouldn’t be an issue at all with winds around 5 mph.  We may see an early afternoon thunderstorm but that would be a welcome relief after the last few weeks.  It may end up being just under 1/2″ but most of that will soak up into the ground.
We had more cloud cover yesterday so it actually felt cooler than Wednesday.  Some sections of river saw brief daytime activity with a mix of stenos and cornutas.  Other sectios saw little during the day besides some caddis.  Luck of the drawer on where you went.  In the evening the sulphurs came mixed with a few green drakes and coffin flies.  The fish we found seemed to be eating the sulphur emergers just under the surface.  If we get hit with the thunderstorms today that may trigger decent olive hatches earlier so definitely carry those with you.
We are still dealing with the green slime on the West Branch but yesterday was definitely an improvement over the amount we saw Wednesday.  The lower East Branch and the Mainstem are both past the cutoff point for fishing this morning at 67 and 68 degrees respectively.

A nice brown from yesterday. Photo by Kevan Smaracko.

Hatching:
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 2, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 2, 2016

The release from Cannonsville Reservoir is 511 cfs this morning.  As expected the green slime floating down the river was a problem yesterday as the flow increased.  This should be less of an issue today as it filters out of the system.  The increased release has also dropped the temperature on the lower West Branch and we are starting off at 56 degrees this morning.  We had sporadic hatching of cahills, green drakes, and caddis during the day but most of the activity happened after the sun dropped behind the hills.  Once that happened the hatching increased and the fish were rising.  We are starting to see some coffin flies at dark too.
Today should be a cooler day with a partly cloudy sky.  Winds to 10 mph from the South.

Theo found some fish in the dark

Hatching:
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
Brown Drakes – 10-2xl- E. simulans
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

June 1, 2016

Update: Delaware River Report / Conditions June 1, 2016

We have a release from Cannonsville.  Things are looking up for the weekend

The increased release should help the West Branch water temperatures

June 1, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 1, 2016

The recording for Cannonsville Reservoir has the release listed as 381 cfs this morning.  Lets hope that the release is increased to 500 cfs as soon as someone gets to the office this morning.  We will update the blog as things change.  We had decent numbers of Green Drakes, Dark Caddis, some sulphurs and Cahills on the river yesterday.  The bright sun and low water had the fish feeling a little shy during the day but there were targets if you were patient.  There is still some green slime coming down the West Branch making nymphing difficult.  Hopefully an increase in release will help flush that out.
Today looks like it will be an exact copy of yesterday with mostly sun and air temperatures approaching the mid- 80’s.  The night time temperatures are finally dropping back into the 50’s which should help the water temperatures.
The lower East Branch and the Mainstem are still not fishable.  Both rivers are starting off warm in the morning and peaking in the mid-70’s by the afternoon.

The lower West Branch is in the danger zone too with water temperatures reaching 67 yesterday.  Fish with your thermometer and move up river if the temps get too high.

Hatching:
Green Drakes – 8-2xl – 10-2xl – E. Guttalata
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)