June 21, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 21, 2013

Bright sun yesterday – lots of it. This definitely slowed the hatching down a bit until evening, but the sulphurs and isos were definitely out and about towards evening, and the fish decided it was time to eat just as soon as they started to come out! Today it looks like the spill over the top of the reservoir has stopped, so our flow right now is completely  release water, meaning it is cold and clear, all the way down the West Branch. We have some clouds predicted today, so it looks like we’ll have a pretty similar day today. On another positive note, looking out over Home Pool this morning Jeff and I just saw our first cloud of Tricos for the season. Always a good sight – we’ll keep you posted!

Hello Iso! Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 20, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 20, 2013

Wednesday sure felt like summer up here in the Catskills! Bright sun, perfect humidity and temp. Well, once again not the “perfect” that we trout folk love. That being said, the water was cool and clear, and on the West we had some pretty decent hatching once the sun started to drop behind the hills, mostly Dortheas and Isos, with the occasional larger light Cahill thrown in for good measure. We did have some steno spinners on the shop wall this morning, so there is still good chance for a fall tonight. We are looking at a carbon-copy or yesterday for today, so I would expect the river to fish the same – decent in the morning, followed by an OK streamer bite, and then good hatching again in the evening. If we do see a bit more cloud cover (which there is a chance of), then we’ll be in good shape.

Jim Swift Jr. with a West Branch brown taken on a streamer. Photo: Jim Swift III

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 19, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 19, 2013

The cloud cover yesterday did wonders for the dry fly fishing! Up river on the West Branch (Deposit down) had great hatches of both Isos and Dorthea throughout the day, with some really nice fish taken. There was hatching down below Hale Eddy, but it was definitely more sporadic until we got closer to dark, which then saw a little bit of bug soup with Cahills and BWOs thrown in the mix. If you could find the fish, they were looking for them! Otherwise, the streamer bite was definitely still in effect as well, up and down the river with Alewives still coming in from Cannonsville. Today we’re looking at a beautiful (for the non-fishing world) day, with temps in the low 70s and mostly sunny skies. This will likely depress our dry fly action until later in the day, and may slow the streamer activity down a little, but once the sun starts to head down, it is going to be great out there!

David Bender with a GREAT West Branch Brown taken yesterday. Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 18, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 18, 2013

The streamer bite was definitely in full-swing yesterday, so long as the clouds were passing overhead. During the sunny part of the day, the fish were a little less eager, but could still be had. There were also good flushes of Isos during the day, and if you were lucky enough to find them, good fish were feeding with reckless abandon! While there were good flushes of sulphurs in the evening, the fish did not seem to key in on them, preferring to keep munching on nice, big Alewives floating down the river! The release from Cannonsville is also up to 1,500 cfs, so our water will definitely be cool for the foreseeable future, and spillage should last for several more days.

Chris Fielding with her big boy from the weekend! Photo: Steve Shen

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 17, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 17, 2013

Despite the great cloud cover yesterday, the bugs just did not materialize as we expected them to. There was a flurry around 6PM, but otherwise the fish were content to EAT ALEWIVES ON TOP. Yes, you read that right, we had dead alewives on the surface, and you would see fish exploding on them almost all day. A quick retrieve with a white or grey streamer was the ticket, as evidenced by George’s photo below. So from that end, it was amazing out there. Today we are looking at a warmer version of yesterday, possibly with some more sunshine and a t-storm thrown in for good measure. We’ll see what actually materializes.

George Fielding landed this 24″ beauty yesterday! Photo: Christine Fielding

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 16, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 16, 2013

Steady, high flows. Who can believe that we are actually in mid-June? And yesterday, it produced some absolutely epic streamer fishing, even in the bright sun! With a big flush of Alewives flowing through the system, the fish definitely took advantage. The good news is that we had dry fly activity as well, but only right towards dark – not exactly surprising with the bright sunshine we had throughout the day. Today, we’ve got scattered clouds and the occasional thunderstorm on the horizon, so we could see bugs during those breaks from the sun. The fish are there, and even though we remain high, they are eager to feed!

Pete Farrell with a beauty of Brown! Photo: Bruce Miller

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 15, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 15, 2013

As we thought yesterday, the water definitely cleared up, but certainly did not drop significantly. The West Branch at Hale has been holding steady around 3,000 cfs since yesterday morning, and looks to be doing the same for the day today. The amount of water coming over the dam is gradually increasing as the big push from Walton makes its way down. This will settle as the weekend progresses, and we will start to see the flow decrease in a more normal manner. That being said, if you have a boat, now is a GREAT time to head out with streamers. It was a pretty decent day out on the West yesterday, and with the clarity improving, it can only get better today.

Let ’em go to catch them again! Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl – sporadic

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 14, 2013

Father’s Day Special Extended!

For those who missed the email blast last week (first, shame on you if you aren’t on our list – sign up at the bottom of this page!), we were offering a 15% discount on rooms and float trips this weekend for any father / child or grandfather / grandchild pairing. Since we will be pretty much blown out for the weekend, we are extending the promotion through next weekend. We love seeing family fish, so give us a call to take advantage!

Paul and Samantha Chain show off a nice MS Brown. Photo: Jeff White

June 13, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 13, 2013

Hello wind! It has (fortunately) been awhile! With the fronts moving in from the West yesterday, we saw some pretty constant breezes throughout the day, making casting tough at times. When the wind did calm down, there were flurries of bugs upstream (Hale Eddy up) starting mid-afternoon, and decent evening time hatches pretty much as expected on the lower river once the sun started to set. The news of the day is rain. The forecast is constantly changing, so give us a call in the shop for up-to-the-minute reports. As of this morning, the East and Main are still very high, and the West is in great shape. Obviously, this could change at a moment’s notice, so be ready!

Kristin White with an awesome Main Stem Rainbow! Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl – sporadic

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 12, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 12, 2013

June is certainly turning out to be an amazing fishing month, that much is for sure. The cloud cover yesterday provided constant hatching from about 2PM well into the evening. As the water cooled towards dark, some areas of the West lost the bug activity while others continued right until the end. Definitely a fun day. That being said, the additional rain definitely bumped the Beaverkill, East Branch, and Main Stem way up, and they are looking like they will be holding on to their current levels for the foreseeable future. The good news? The same is true for the West Branch (at least the holding level part!). We are clear, just over 1,000 cfs – perfect for both waders and floaters! We are expecting a bit more sun today, so there is a likelihood that activity will be sporadic during those periods of brightness, but our evening fishing should take off for sure.

Cam Dawson landed an oddball on the West Branch this week – a Small Mouth Bass! Photo: Scott Dawson

What’s Hatching:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl – sporadic

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 11, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 11, 2013

Despite all the rain throughout the day and night yesterday, the West Branch is still flowing nice and clear. We did bump up about 100 cfs,  but we are still below the 1,000 cfs mark, which is great news for all those waders out there. The East and Beaverkill are another story, however. It seems the storm hit that basin a bunch harder than it hit here, pushing the Beaverkill up over 2,000 cfs, and it is still rising. That will likely peak today, and drop quickly. As for the fishing, the “middle” West Branch (between Barking dog and Hale Eddy) was the place to be for the majority of the day, with thick sulphur hatching starting at 4 PM (once the water warmed up a bit). The lower experienced another good evening hatch with both sulphurs, Isos, and even a small spinner fall towards dark. As for today, the weather is in a bit of limbo with thunderstorms in the future, along with some mixed clouds and sun throughout the afternoon. Temps will be in the low 70s, and if the cloud cover holds, it could be another great day for the little yellow bugs!

Matt Fedrizzi with his first Delaware Rainbow! Photo: Billy Rivellini

What’s Hatching:

Ephemera guttulata – Green Drakes – #8-2XL

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

June 10, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 10, 2013

For a change, yesterday pretty much went according to plan! The upper West fished well early on in the day, even in the bright sunshine, then quited down towards evening, when the lower west really started to shine. HUGE flurries of Dortheas were making their way down river, but the fish keyed in on the big (12-2XL) Isos that were hatching as well. Towards dark the fish switched over to the little yellow guys, but proved pretty picky overall. Right at dark there was a big sulphur spinner fall, with tons of fish up and feeding well into the pitch black. Today, we’re already getting the rain that has been predicted, which may get heavy at times. There is a chance it will really bring us up – so we will play the ‘wait and see’ game!

Nate Eckhaus showing you the business end of a big brown! Photo: Jeff White

What’s Hatching:

Ephemera guttulata – Green Drakes – #8-2XL

Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18

Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18

Epeorus vitreus – PED, Pink Lady – #14

Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic

Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions: