Delaware River Report / Conditions April 24, 2013
What a day yesterday! For real, that’s not just fly-shop sunshine and rainbows talk. We had four boats out yesterday, and everyone had good, consistent rising fish (big ones at times!) taking Hendricksons, Blue Quills, and Baetis, right up until dark. The wind did add some difficultly at times, and there were sections of the river that were pretty devoid of activity, but overall it was a spectacular day for most out there. Today, we have thunderstorms in the forecast which keep changing in both duration, precipitation amount, as well as timing. So I guess it is just a good day to pack your rain coat and be ready. Air temperatures are going to hover in the high 60s with some humidity, which bodes very very well for insect activity throughout the day.
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 394 cfs @ 41º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 721 cfs @ 43º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 378 cfs @ 46º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,430 cfs @ 46º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,920 cfs @ 48º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 894 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.0% – 401 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 23, 2013
Our old friend the wind was back yesterday, despite the witch doctor’s promises to the contrary. As such, there were definitely bugs (Hendos included!) but the fish had a tough time seeing them at times. When the wind did quiet down, the fish were pretty consistent, taking Dark Hendrickson duns as well as Paralep emergers (CDC and deer hair). Now today, we’re looking at bright sun (good for water temps), and supposedly calm winds. The release from Cannonsville has also FINALLY been raised, it appears the powers that be at the DEP realized the reservoir is filling up after all. This should not affect the fishing much, but will give us a much needed buffer on the West Branch, allowing us to continue to float! Good luck out there today!
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 388 cfs @ 40º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 761 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 412 cfs @ 44º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,620 cfs @ 45º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,170 cfs @ 46º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,020 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 98.5% – 401 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 22, 2013
They’re Heeee-rreee! Hendricksons are out on the West Branch, and the fish were definitely chomping down on them yesterday. The wind was stiffer than expected, so the activity was patchy up and downstream, but those who ran into in had fantastic days. Things can only get better as the hatch progresses and increases to over on the East and Main as well, now they that are both dropping and clearing. This is where I would normally talk about today’s weather/wind situation, but one customer has informed me that anytime I mention a calmer, milder day ahead, the opposite seems to happen, making me the jinx in the situation. So, I will be indirect and more general and just say the weather just keeps looking better!
Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 221 cfs @ 40º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 632 cfs @ 43º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 429 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,880 cfs @ 44º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,480 cfs @ 45º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,220 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 95.9% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 21, 2013
It felt like winter had crept back at us yesterday, that much is for sure. By “crept,” I mean blowing with seemingly gale-force wind at times. With the East Branch and the Main pretty much blown out yesterday, the West Branch was the only real game in town, with plenty of waders and boats taking advantage. Successs was a bit tough to find for some, as certain areas of the river had active fish, while others were quiet. The big news of the day? HENDRICKSONS!!! Good hatches were seen on the West, and there were even a few fish feeding on them as well. The Parleps were still going strong, as well as Baetis, but for the most part the wind kept the dry fly fishing to a minimum. Today on the other hand, we are looking at a partly sunny day with temps in the low 50s, but the winds are supposed to lay down for the first time this season. The bugs are ready to pop, and today could be the day the fish really start looking up and seeing them!
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 221 cfs @ 39º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 721 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 447 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,440 cfs @ 43º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,400 cfs @ 45º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,610 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 95.9% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 20, 2013
Well the storms definitely rolled through last night – the news claimed they were moving at over 50MPH and it sure seemed like it! Over here on the West Branch, we were spared a good chunk of the rain, so we only came up about 500 CFS. The water is slightly off-color, but definitely fish-able – brown enough for streamer fishing, but light enough to possibly see some dry flies kicking around as well, assuming the wind will lay down a bit this afternoon. The rain was also warm, bringing more good news for the West Branch – we won’t need to wait a few more days for another warm-up. Otherwise, the Main Stem and East Branch are definitely going to be blown out for the foreseeable future – most likely as a result of the Willow and Beaverkill – they took the brunt of the rain it seems. Things will likely be changing throughout the day, feel free to give the shop a call for a more up-to-the-minute report!
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 221 cfs @ 41º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,030 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 561 cfs @ 46º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 4,080 cfs @ 49º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,790 cfs @ 49º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 3,090 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 95.9% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 19, 2013
If you see anyone who was on the river yesterday, and they look a bit red-faced please understand it’s not from embarrassment but the windburn they are likely recovering from. Even though the wind was whipping, the water temps got above 50 pretty much system-wide, and we saw some pretty active fish out there, albeit almost completely subsurface. Those fishing streamers and nymphs found hungry trout almost anywhere they looked. In the lee of the wind you could find some risers sporadically up and down the river, but it was not anything to really write home about. Today we’re looking for a bit more precipitation, but it is coupled with warmer weather, which equates to yet warmer water – exactly what we need to get these bugs moving! The wind is still going to be a factor, but it looks like it will come and go throughout the day (thus far – we’ll see how right the witchdoctors are!) giving us a bit of a break to put on some Chap-stick.
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 221 cfs @ 43º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 529 cfs @ 47º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 299 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,180 cfs @ 49º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,500 cfs @ 48º – ESTIMATE |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 720 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 95.5% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 18, 2013
UPDATE: Lordville guage is down as of 9:28 AM – so take the flow and temps there with a grain of salt.
It finally started yesterday! Well, at least on the Upper West Branch. Lots of Paraleps and Baetis flying around, and fish up and actively eating them (albeit sporadically at times) – our first real good dry fly day of the season. The only downer to that was the Upper West was the only portion of the river really fishing, despite huge numbers of hatching Chimarra caddis system-wide. The good news is, the Main Stem is already above 50 degrees at Lordville, meaning that if we maintain these consistent temps, the dry fly seasons should start in earnest in the very near future. Maybe even today! As far as weather is concerned, we have highs in the 60s today, with some passing showers rolling through as well. Let’s hope they get the rivers back up a little bit!
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 221 cfs @ 41º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 575 cfs @ 44º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 314 cfs @ 44º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,260 cfs @ 47º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,990 cfs @ 52º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 771 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 94.9% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 17, 2013
While the thunderstorms went around us, we still picked up some decent rain upstream, which was enough to keep our flows up – definitely good news. The fishing was a bit slow, likely due to the major pressure changes, but there were a handful of times when the fish were very active, and even feeding on top. Several nice fish were taken on the lower West and upper Main on Parleps (Blue Quill) as there was a nice little flush of them after the rain in the early afternoon. Today, we’ve got “partly cloudy” skies predicted, which will mean a nice warm-up of the water. The warmer it gets, the closer we are to Hendrickson time!
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 224 cfs @ 40º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 726 cfs @ 44º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 361 cfs @ 44º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,520 cfs @ 45º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,010 cfs @ 46º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 954 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 94.3% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 16, 2013
There were plenty of wind-burned faces coming off the water yesterday, that is for sure. On the West Branch, there was no real need to back row in a boat – you could just let the wind take you upstream. That being said, we had some decent fish caught on streamers, nymphs, and even a few isolated dry flies. The dries that were around comprised mostly of the chimarra caddis (little charcoal/brown) in about a size 18. There were some (reliable) reports of some strange “Baby March Browns” on the lower West – I’m hoping to capture one today. Could be some that had their growth stunted or the like. Bug-nerd-wise, this is important. Fisherman-wise, not so much as the fish weren’t on them. Today we’re starting with warmer water and air temps – this could bode well for a more dry-oriented day, but there are some thunderstorms predicted, and a little bit of wind (not like yesterday) coming out of the South again.
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 221 cfs @ 41º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 566 cfs @ 45º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 333 cfs @ 45º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,390 cfs @ 46º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,650 cfs @ 47º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 814 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 91.0% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 14, 2013
The weathermen did it again. Or is lying just their thing? Regardless, instead of the mid-50s sunny day we were so hoping for yesterday, we had cold weather and some serious breezes, and even SNOW flying around at times. That being said, it sure didn’t hurt the streamer bite at all, with some really nice fish moved throughout the day. There were some decent mayflies spotted on the lower West as well, but no fish were up and chasing, most likely due to the wind masking their presence. Today, we are supposed to get into the 60s with a good amount of sun. Obviously, I will believe it when I see it, but if it does occur the bugs should be happy, and the fish should be active. Let’s see if they get this one right!
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 196 cfs @ 39º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 621 cfs @ 41º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 416 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,560 cfs @ 41º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,050 cfs @ 42º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 947 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 89.7% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 14, 2013
Yesterday was certainly interesting out on the river. While there wasn’t a ton of insect activity, there were periods of pretty intense action on streamers, then followed by real lulls in the fish activity. There were some nice fish boated, including a few random Smallmouth Bass thrown in for good measure. If the forecast holds for today, we’re looking at some banner fishing most likely – the sun will heat up the water early, and if the winds stay down as predicted, the bugs should be out as well. The water levels are falling, but not precipitously, meaning we will still have some decent floating conditions for the next few days, but keep praying for more rain!
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 196 cfs @ 39º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 726 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 416 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,830 cfs @ 42º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,660 cfs @ 43º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,150 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 89.7% – 200 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions April 13, 2013
It was a little less than pleasant yesterday morning after my post – rain came down in HUGE sheets, then nothing, then HUGE sheets, then nothing then……you get the picture. The good news is that the West Branch was spared much of the run-off, but not so much that it dropped significantly. We had some color in the water, but just the right amount – perfect for tossing streamers and nymphs. If we had had some warmer weather, I think we would have seen some great dry fly action. Instead, there was a little flush of bugs in the “heat” of the day (when it got to 45 or so), but nothing the fish were able to key in on. Today however, we are looking at temps up in the 50s, with little to no rain. This bodes very well for a productive day, assuming the wind stays down. It also shows promise for an awesome Sunday/Monday – those look like the two days when it could just go ‘off’ here with dry flies…..
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 196 cfs @ 39º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 898 cfs @ 41º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 474 cfs @ 42º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,340 cfs @ 42º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,710 cfs @ 42º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,550 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 89.7% – 200 CFS release |