Delaware River Report / Conditions June 15, 2012

Aloe anyone? It was pretty brutal out there yesterday in the sun. With no morning clouds to speak of, and cool water temps to start, there wasn’t much action in the morning, and as the day heated up, both the bugs and the fish were nowhere to be seen. The evening activity was condensed to about 9PM until dark on the West Branch, with the Main Stem showing a few more bugs, but no fish to eat them until after 8:30 or so. Today looks like more of the same, with fewer clouds, and warmer air temps. The cool night will help keep the upper main fishable for the next few days, but if this warm, clear weather continues, the action will start to be concentrated solely on the West Branch.

Bob Cirocco with a nice Main Stem Rainbow. Photo by: Kevan Smaracko.

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudollocon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 510 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 585 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 206 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 839 cfs @ 62º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,830 cfs @ 65º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 507 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 96.2% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 14, 2012

What’s that? I can’t hear you over the wind! Well, that was yesterday, anyway. A mix of clouds (great!) and sun, but plenty of steady, strong breezes to create hassles out there on the water. While the clouds were out, stenos (light cahills) and smaller dortheas (sulphurs) made appearances. Our guides were able to drum up fish on Isos in the riffles pretty much throughout the day. The evening brought some decent action from 8:30 on, with the fish likely sipping steno spinners. The cool night kept the water temps down, which will make for a slower morning early, but the bright sun may warm it up enough to give us some action before it (the sun) gets too high in the sky. It will likely be a slower afternoon, but we should have a killer evening once again!

A colorful WB Brown caught by Chris Fielding. Photo by: George Fielding

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudollocon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 510 cfs @ 43º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 606 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 219 cfs @ 52º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 1,100 cfs @ 60º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 2,300 cfs @ 61º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 1,540 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 96.6% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 13, 2012

They weren’t kidding about the rain today. It came slow and steady throughout the afternoon, with real heavy bits at times in the evening. The majority of the rain did manage to spread north and south of us, so the West Branch only came up about 100cfs total, giving it a tiny bit more color – what many guides call the “perfect” amount. The Beaverkill as per usual got blown out, but is dropping quickly. I haven’t had a chance to head over to town to see if the Lower East / Main have suffered as a result of it yet, but my guess is that the East will be quite stained, with the West clearing it up once it hits the Main Stem. Otherwise, today we’re looking at partly cloudy (yuck) with temps in the low 70s (yay!). Not sure what will happen this morning (due to the sudden drops in water temp), but we’re definitely getting set up for a great evening tonight, and good hatches during the day up river, cloud cover permitting.

 

Cats and dogs. Not sure how visible, however. A view at 5PM of Home Pool. Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus (Female) – PED- #14

Epeorus vitreus (Male)- Lt. Cahill- #14

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudollocon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 681 cfs @ 49º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 288 cfs @ 55º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 1,970 cfs @ 59º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 2,170 cfs @ 62º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 1,540 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 96.6% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 12, 2012

I hate to say it, but we finally had ‘one of those days’ out there yesterday. The kind where it’s honestly better to find a nice hammock in the shade for about 90% of it. The wind decided to keep blowing all the way until the evening, both keeping the spinners in the trees, and the fish from seeing any of bugs on the surface. The big change in pressure we experienced was also a likely culprit for keeping the bug activity to a minimum. Everything changes today however, with up to 1″ of rain predicted. We’ll see what happens, but the temps are cooler, and there will be cloud cover throughout the day – it could definitely be a good one out there!

....or you could do what Bob Lewis does and read the NY Post when fishing's slow. I have just been WAITING to use this one.....Photo by: Steve Shen

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus (Female) – PED- #14

Epeorus vitreus (Male)- Lt. Cahill- #14

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudollocon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 510 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 575 cfs @ 50
East Branch at Harvard,NY 191 cfs @ 58º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 626 cfs @ 63º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,460 cfs @ 66º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 378 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 96.6% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 11, 2012

It’s getting a little warm out there……. and it showed on the river yesterday. On the West Branch we saw some action early on in the day, which quickly faded once the sun burned off the fog and proceeded to nuke everything. Fortunately, as we started at lower water temps yesterday morning, we didn’t see a big spike in the overall temperature in the East or Main. As long as we keep having cooler nights, we should be able to stay cool and fishable until the air temps start to drop for Tuesday and Wednesday. Today is looking better from a sunlight point of view, with our favorite witchdoctors….. er….weathermen calling for mostly cloudy skies with warmer temps. As you can see from the list below, there are more than a few bugs out and on the water, so be ready for anything!

 

Something that's done for the year - a female Green Drake hatching. It looks like they decided to hatch at night this year, unfortunately. Photo by: Bob Lewis

Hatches:

Epeorus Vitreus(Female) – PED- #14

Epeorus Vitreus(Male)- Lt. Cahill- #14

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudollocon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 585 cfs @ 45º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 194 cfs @ 57º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 407 cfs @ 63º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,580 cfs @ 65º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 455 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.4% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 10, 2012

It appears that summer crept its way in this weekend. Bright sun and warm temps didn’t fully shut the action down, but it certainly slowed it when it showed up late this afternoon. Beforehand, scattered showers and clouds kept our water temps low, and allowed a good hatch of coenutellas (BWOs) to make an appearance. The evening came as expected(I would be worried if it didn’t) and the typical late flush of sulphurs et al made their appearance. Today a little bit more of the same, with some passing thunder storms cruising the area just to add some flavor to the day. Let’s hope it brings additional cloud cover with it!

Bruce Miller with an uncharacteristic smile on his face whilst holding a nice Brown! Photo by: Bob Lewis

Hatches:

Epeorus Vitreus(Female) – PED- #14

Epeorus Vitreus(Male)- Lt. Cahill- #14

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudollocon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 601 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 203 cfs @ 54º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 746 cfs @ 59º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,650 cfs @ 60º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 455 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.7% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 9, 2012

Man, could I get used to these steady flows! Take a look at that graph down there – the West Branch has been hovering right around 600 cfs for almost 5 days! I think that might be some kind of record as far as consistent flows are concerned. It’s been a real boon for both the fish and the bugs, as the former doesn’t have to move around a ton to find new lies with shifting levels, and the latter have the constant temperatures they prefer. The good news is that we are looking at flows like this for the foreseeable future, and as such fishing this summer could be spectacular! Nothing overly new to report from last night, still seeing excellent numbers of cornutas early and sulphurs late. The sun did heat up the East and Main slightly, but not enough to truly adversely affect the fishing. The slight amount of rain helped with the temperature aspect as well. Same thing today – bright sun and clouds with a  T-storm lingering around just for fun!

Dick Stabile (with son lurking behind) holds a colorful Main Stem Brown. Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 46º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 595 cfs @ 48º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 200 cfs @ 56º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 767 cfs @ 61º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,680 cfs @ 63º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 470 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.7% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 8, 2012

These bugs sure are cooperating up here as of late! Early on, in between the splashes of sunlight, we had great hatches of cornutas (BWO) early on, with sulphurs following up and going late into the evening, even with the dropping temperatures. The Main turned on a bit later in the day, but definitely fished as well. Reports from the East Branch are pretty similar to the main, with a few more Isos thrown in for good measure! We’re warming up yet again today, with temps getting near 80, but mercifully, we do have some cloud cover predicted, as well as a passing thunderstorm or two. So long as it doesn’t get TOO bright out there, mid-day fishing should be as pleasant as it’s been. The prediction for the weekend has changed to cooler temps, which is also a blessing!

Norm Price is a proud "Pop-Pop" holding his grandson Brendan Cavanagh's Brown. Photo by: Pam Cavanagh

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 611 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 209 cfs @ 55º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 832 cfs @ 58º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,810 cfs @ 58º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 515 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.6% – 500 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 7, 2012

Apologies on the late post -had a bit of a Photoshop apocalypse this morning.

As for last night, the action all depended on which section of the river you happened to be standing / floating in. The system as a whole fished very well throughout the majority of the afternoon, with Stenos rolling through the riffles and flats as if they were on a mission. Towards evening there was a definite shift, as the West Branch slowed down gradually, while the Main fished all the way until dark with a definite smattering of bug soup on the water – Stenos, deficiens, and nice big isos towards the end. Today looks to be warmer, with some passing thunderstorms in the area, which with the heavy cloud cover, should make for another great day of mid-day fishing.

Long-time client (and friend) Jim McNicol with a great West Branch Rainbow. Photo by: Jeff White

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 616 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 219 cfs @ 53º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 940 cfs @ 56º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,890 cfs @ 58º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 589 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 97.7% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 6, 2012

You’ve gotta love carbon copy days! ….at least when the first is a good one! Bugs throughout the day on the West and Main (no reports from the East but I bet it was similar), with the West fishing farther into the evening than it has in the last few nights. More bug soup, with olives and plenty of different sulphurs / stenos to keep those on the water guessing. Today we are expecting some slightly warmer weather, with maybe a passing thunderstorm or two that will spice it all up a tad. Cloud cover looks good, so more hatching during the day for those heading out!

Intern Aaron Darr is starting to get his act together. Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 611 cfs @ 47º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 219 cfs @ 52º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 1010 cfs @ 54º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,250 cfs @ 56º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 648 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 98.0% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 5, 2012

I know when my guides come in after work and ‘double check’ to see if they are off the next day, it must have been good out there! Judging from the pictures, I obviously know my guides. Bug soup again, with a focus on the Cornutas early, with dortheas and other myriad stenos following thereafter. The West Branch did slow down at night again, once the water temperatures dropped, but the Main fished well into dark. The flow out of Cannonsville was also reduced to 500 CFS, our ‘normal’ flow for June with high reservoir levels. this 100 CFS drop (obviously) did not adversely affect the fishing, and today’s weather looks fairly similar to yesterday. Let’s hope the action is the same as well!

Dave Snyder with just one of his slobs from yesterday. Photo by: Wiley Paul

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemera guttulata – Green Drake – #8-2xl

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 519 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 643 cfs @ 46º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 239 cfs @ 51º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 932 cfs @ 57º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 1,250 cfs @ 54º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 831 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 98.0% – 600 CFS release

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 4, 2012

Holy Bugs! Yesterday saw some of the best hatching (specifically of Cornutas) that we have seen in literally YEARS. As the BWOs tapered off mid-afternoon, the Stenos took over. Cahills and sulphurs in every size imaginable, with the individual fish keying in on their own personal favorite (gotta love Delaware fish). Clouds and rain throughout the day kept them coming up, but the fish concentrated on the sub-surface activity for the majority of the day, but still a good number of fish were taken when they decided to pop their noses up. The evening saw great action on the Main Stem, but the West Branch shut down early (8:00 – 8:15pm) due to the water temperatures dropping off around that time of day. As for today, we are expecting MUCH cooler temps (high of 60), and rain showers throughout the day. Shoudl be another good Cornuta day, and the afternoon should reward those who don’t mind getting a little bit wet!

Wiley strikes again! Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemera guttulata – Green Drake – #8-2xl

Baetis species – #18 & #20

FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM:
West Branch at Stilesville, NY 609 cfs @ 45º
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY 732 cfs @ 46º
East Branch at Harvard,NY 219 cfs @ 54º
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY 932 cfs @ 57º
Mainstem at Lordville,NY 2,070 cfs @ 58º
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY 585 cfs @ N/A
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release 98.6% – 600 CFS release

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