May 24, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 24, 2012

I thought summer unofficially started on Memorial Day? We’ve still got a few days left until then, but it already feels like “official” summer has started. The predicted cloud cover yesterday vaporized by lunchtime, creating some tough conditions out there, at least as far we fishermen were concerned. Those looking to get a tan were in GREAT shape. That being said, the occasional cloud or piece of shade did yield hatching bugs (still a bug soup of everything below) and rising fish, with some pretty decent catches being made both during the day and at the magic hour in the evening. Today we are looking at more “clouds and sun” according to the all-powerful weathermen, with a passing thunderstorm or two. It will be warm, in the mid-70s, but so long as the sun is broken up (so they say) the water temps should stay pretty decent, and hopefully we’ll have a bit more activity than yesterday.

Tony Mortimer with a CHUNKY Main Stem Brown. Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

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

May 23, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 23, 2012

The could cover lasted until the late afternoon/evening yesterday, which lent itself to some fairly good hatching across the board. The river did not heat up too much despite the warmer ambient air temps, as the clouds kept the dreaded sun at bay. Action wasn’t exactly fast and furious, but happened nonetheless, depending on which section of the river you happened to be fishing. Call it micro-pressure changes or Mother Nature having a sense of humor, but the fish activity varied pool to pool on the river as they continually lit up and shut down. Evening brought out some good hatches, as well as sporadic spinner falls. Today we have clouds and thunderstorms in the forecast. So glad that graphite doesn’t conduct electricity……..(that’s sarcasm people, it’s a REAL good conductor – keep those rods down when you hear thunder.)

Tom Gourlay with a very nice (extended!) Brown. Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

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

May 22, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 22, 2012

The rain did us some good yesterday, cooling the river back down, and yielding some decent mid-day hatching. It appears that the East Branch basin got the majority of the rain, as it has come up a bit over night. The west branch is starting to drop as the spillage over the top of the dam is quickly fading. Rain in the forecast today could change that, depending on where it decides to land. The good news is more overcast skies and damp conditions, which should give us another good day of dry fly fishing while also keeping the water temps down across the board.

Steve Shevlin with a beautiful bow from last week. Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

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

May 21, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 21, 2012

Yep, it seems that summer has reared its ugly head (at least as far as yesterday was concerned). Bright sun, lots of heat, and slow going throughout the day, followed by a flurry of activity at night. We had the same bug soup late, but a breeze came up around 6:00 PM which added a little bit of challenge to the late rush. Today however, we’ve woken up to cloudy skies and cooler temps, with drizzly rain predicted throughout the day. This will not just make for a great dry fly day (fingers crossed, I’m hoping to get out!), but also will aid in cooling the rivers down a bit. The lower east got up near 65 yesterday, as did the Main. The lack of sun and cool rainfall will hopefully do the trick!

Kurt Vasquez from Pittsburgh with a chunky Main Stem Rainbow. Photo by: Kevan Smaracko.

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

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

May 20, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 20, 2012

Hope everyone wore sunscreen yesterday, ’cause it was a bright one. Unfortunately, the scorching sun didn’t make for the best day on the river yesterday as the bugs and fish decided to lay low as well, instead of getting a tan themselves. Certain sections of the river lit up at night with bugs and fish, but not in the system-wide explosion that we saw the night before. Water temps are also starting a bit higher today, as a result of the bright sun and warm overnight so all those fishing in the early AM may seem some decent activity. That being said, we’re expecting the warmest day yet this month, with temps reaching near 83 degrees, and blazing sunshine again. Here’s hoping that the fish are ready this evening after taking a night off.

Also, as much as it pains me to say, Cannonsville Reservoir is now spilling a modest 180 CFS over the top. This should not adversely affect the fishing too much, so long as the water coming over remains fairly cool. The reason that it pains me as I made a bet with friend of the shop (and lower river guide) Tony Ritter a half dozen of my favorite pattern that the reservoir would NOT spill until Monday. Guess I better get that vise out!

Yep. They're HEEEEEEERE. Green Drakes have been hatching system-wide. This is just the lead troupe, we expect them to start in earnest within the next few days, and peak likely by next weekend. Photo by: Bob Lewis

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

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

May 19, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 19, 2012

Morning all – sorry for the delay, bike ride this morning took a bit longer than anticipated. As for the fishing,  yesterday was definitely interesting. Depending on where you fished, there were tons of bugs, but the fish were loathe to rise in the bright direct sunlight. In the evening there were tons of targets, the only issue being it was bug soup out there on the water. We had everything from Isos to sulphurs to March Browns, with no rhyme or reason as to river section they were active on. The East and upper Main saw a big hatch of HUGE (think #8) Isos, along with March Browns, Grey Fox, and dortheas at the end. The West had all of the above, but the fish did seem to key in on March Browns as well. We are looking at a sunny, summerish day today, with highs near 80. The flows are still keeping the river cool, so I would expect a similar day to yesterday, with the action picking up once the sun starts dropping down.

Jim Rogers with a nice night-time Brown. Photo by: Mike Rogers

Uh-oh Mike, your son Jim's brown looked much bigger! Photo by: Jim Rogers

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

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

May 18, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 18, 2012

Wow. That went strangely as expected yesterday. Maybe I’m getting the hand of this thing. Eh. Maybe not. Anyway, yesterday did work out to be very ‘summer-esq’ in nature, with the bugs holding off until later in the day. The cooler temps meant that it started earlier than the night before – right around 4:30 – 5:00, depending on which stretch of river you were on. When they did hatch, it quickly became bug soup out on the water. March Browns, Grey Foxes, Cornutas, Sulphurs, tan caddis – it all depended on which section of river you happened to be working when they did show up, as it was almost pool-to-pool as to what  was popping. For today we’re looking at  pretty similar conditions once this early morning fog blows off as we are expecting bright sun and temps in the low 70s. The East / Main are still quite high, and likely need another day before they drop to a more fishable level, making the West Branch the place to be.

From a few days ago, Capt. Pete Farrell with chunky West Branch Brown. Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Baetis species – #18 & #20

May 17, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 17, 2012

Well that wasn’t what we were expecting. Typically, after a big surge in the flow, the fish and bugs go crazy the following day, and we just can’t wait to put the boats in the water, as we know it’s going to be good, whether you’re throwing streamers or dries. Not so much yesterday. The sun was bright throughout most of the day, hampering both insect and icthyological activity (yeah, that’s my SAT word for the day). That being said as the day went on those who had patience found good fish and them caught on dries, typically near the banks or in the slower moving pools. The evening did turn on for some decent spinner falls as well. The streamer fishing was a bit unpredictable, and turned on and off throughout the day.

Also – we’ve now got a 401 CFS release coming out from Cannonsville – we’ve magically gone from the bottom table in the FFMP, 4a (drought prediction) to the top table 4f/g (tons of water coming into the reservoir). This will cool off the river a bit, and definitely help with these sunny days we have coming, but it also shows how we need a better plan, at least insofar as the prediction factor of available water in concerned. This bump will positively affect the increasing clarity, and also slow our dropping flow. Bright sun is again predicted today, but with lower temps and humidity – we may have another ‘summer’ type of day, where the bugs pop during periods of clouds, and in the evening.

Alan Rupp in the bright sun. Oh yeah, there's a fish there. Photo by: Sam Dennis

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Baetis species – #18 & #20

May 16, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 16, 2012

That was a slight bit of rain yesterday. While the West Branch stayed clear down low for a good chunk of the day, Oquaga Creek and many of the upper tributaries dirtied the river up pretty well. Even Stilesville (right below the dam) was affected, with several drainage ditches dirtying it up – a true rarity! We have dropped precipitously overnight, and now sit at about 1,560 CFS, with just a little bit of greenish tinge to the water out front in Home Pool. I would suspect the farther up you go, the clearer the river will become. As for the East / Beaverkill / Main, well, that’s a different story. The Beaverkill hit 16,000 cfs yesterday (you read that right), and that slug has finally moved its way down through the East and Main, which is still pumping over 15,000 CFS. We haven’t had a report as to the clarity over there yet this morning, but I would suspect it will take awhile to clear, likely being back to ‘normal’ clarity by the weekend. The West should be fairly clear by the end of day today, so long as there isn’t another deluge in the forecast!

The view out front as of 7:30 AM this morning. Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #16 – West Branch Only

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

May 15, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 15, 2012

Well that was disappointing. By ‘that’ I definitely mean yesterday. What a complete waste of an olive day – very few bugs coming out, and as such not many fish at all up and working, despite what many consider to be optimal conditions (myself included). You’ve gotta love this fickle river! As most of you have cheated and looked at the graph below, I’ve got no amusing lead-in for today. Cheaters. It has been steadily raining since yesterday afternoon, but on our side (West Branch) of the basin, we have avoided any torrential downpours, so we are coming up, but not as fast as the East and Beaverkill are. I would expect with the continued precipitation to see the river muddy up at some point, but currently out front as of 7:45 AM we are barely off-color. The guides will go on a drive-about to see what the rest of the system looks like after they are caffeinated, and I will update if anything unusual comes to light.

New slave... er.... INTERN Jim Swift III with a great Brown. Photo by: Bob Lewis

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #16 – West Branch Only

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

May 14, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 14, 2012

A bit of a strange day out there yesterday, as conditions were great, but there weren’t a ton of bugs out until later on into the evening. And a TON was a good description – blanket hatches of dortheas on the Main made for some rip roaring fun in the evening, making the long wait through the day well worth it.

We woke up to a little bit of rain this morning here at the club – looks like it was enough to stabilize the drop of the West Branch, keeping us up above 400 CFS. We have about an inch of rain in the forecast over the next 36 hours or so, which will hopefully bring the West Branch back up to floatable levels. We expect overcast skies all day, with low wind and high humidity – a perfect recipe for bug soup!

Bob Lewis holding Doug Kriebel's chunky Brown. Photo by: Dick Kriebel

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #16 – West Branch Only

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

May 13, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 13, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day!

What a blue-bird day we had here yesterday – bright sun, warm temps, and very little breeze. While all that sun does not typically make for good dry fly fishing, the bugs were still showing themselves sporadically throughout the day, and even hatching in great numbers in a few select locations, right in the middle of the day. The evening was one of those you always hope for here on the Delaware – good hatches of sulphurs, Cornutas, as well as spinners, caddis, and even stoneflies in the air depending on where you were fishing. If you were patient and ready, it was a banner night! Today we are expecting similar conditions, but with the addition of some clouds, as well as passing shower or two in the afternoon.  With no large swing in the barometric pressure, today should fish fairly well if the clouds do materialize as predicted!

Great self-shot of a West Branch PIG caught in the sun yesterday by good friend of the shop Dave Crescenzi. Photo by: Dave Crescenzi

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #16 – West Branch Only

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20