Delaware River Report / Conditions June 27, 2013
Yesterday definitely was interesting out on the river, and certainly different from Tuesday. With cloud cover for the majority of the day, as well as humid air, we expected to see some consistent hatching, but instead had sporadic (yet thick) hatches, varying in location. It seemed whenever the mist/fog that settles on the river this time of year came down, the bugs stopped, and as soon as it lifted – bam! They were back. What made it odd is when one pool was covered in the fog, just a half mile down or upstream it was clear and the bugs were out. Definitely an odd one! The fish were also SUPER spooky for some reason, let’s hope they drop that attitude and settle in to their new water levels. Today, we’re looking at some “big” storms. Considering we received exactly 0.00″ of rain yesterday, and storms were also predicted, I’m going to take that with a grain of salt. However we will have some great cloud cover, so the bugs should be out all day long.
Believe it or not, we STILL have these guys (Shad) swimming around and taking flies! Photo: Bob Lewis
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 478 cfs @ 44º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 590 cfs @ 47º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 252 cfs @ 56º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 569 cfs @ 64º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,560 cfs @ 65º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 324 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 98.3% – 500 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions June 26, 2013
It’s rare that we see two pretty much identical days out on the river, but yesterday and Monday were definitely twins. Ok, so maybe fraternal twins, but still twins. Amid the humidity and heat, we definitely had good cloud cover in the afternoon, with a few gentle storms mixed in just to keep it interesting. Sulphurs and Isos were the name of the game again, with a few people finding fish that were taking pseudos amid big dorthea hatches. I guess after all the alewive gorging, the fish are now on a diet! We are expecting similar conditions today weather-wise, but as always we’ll just have to head out on the water and see!
Steve Shen with a well-fed, colorful fish. Photo: Bob Lewis
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 478 cfs @ 45º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 595 cfs @ 48º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 263 cfs @ 58º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 644 cfs @ 66º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,680 cfs @ 66º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 356 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 98.4% – 500 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions June 25, 2013
The stormy weather yesterday became quite a pleasant surprise, with cloud cover throughout most of the afternoon, and just a few passing thunderstorms to wait out. The bugs certainly loved it, and were popping all over the Upper West Branch. Down here we were seeing them, but not in as large a number as they had upstream. The fish were active, and definitely less spooky than the day before. Today we’re looking at some pretty similar conditions, with some excellent clouds hanging over us as we speak. With air temps down slightly, we could see even a bigger rush of sulphurs and isos starting earlier in the day.
Guide Bruce Miller always looks so enthused when having his picture taken! Photo: Bernie Halderman
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 478 cfs @ 45º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 601 cfs @ 47º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 284 cfs @ 54º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 694 cfs @ 62º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,780 cfs @ 63º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 375 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.9% – 500 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions June 24, 2013
That was more like it! Great hatches of sulphurs and isos popping off throughout the day yesterday, and some of the happiest fish we’ve seen in the last few days, and very few people on the river to boot. Water temps are great, and it looks like the fish have acclimated to the new levels. Today appears to be similar in nature to yesterday, with the air temps more towards the high 70s, low 80s, and some possible storms rolling through in the afternoon, so it should be another good one out there!
Bernie Halderman holds a nice mid-day 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
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 676 cfs @ 45º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 791 cfs @ 46º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 493 cfs @ 56º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 883 cfs @ 63º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,110 cfs @ 66º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 381 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.9% – 999 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions June 23, 2013
Well the spill is over, and we are now down to our basic release of about 600 cfs. Great news for all of you waders who have been chomping at the bit to hit the water, but it definitely limits the amount of cold water miles we have to fish. The West Branch will shortly become the only game in town – in other words, summer is truly here! That being said, 600 is a good number, and will keep the water cold all the way into Junction Pool, and should definitely start our sulphurs popping up in Deposit during the mid-day hours. They were out yesterday, but the fish were not overly active, likely a result of the water levels dropping, giving them a bit of a shock to the system. Now that we have stabilized, I would expect that they will be up and at it again for sure!
Bob Lewis holds a MONSTER Rainbow – almost looks like a steelhead! 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
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Ephemerella invaria– Sulphurs – #14
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16
Current Flow Conditions:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 676 cfs @ 45º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 810 cfs @ 46º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 526 cfs @ 54º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 981 cfs @ 61º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 2,330 cfs @ 61º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 430 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.9% – 999 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions June 22, 2013
Welcome to the second day of summer! Yesterday we had some unexpected cloud cover show up early in the afternoon, which made for some happy bugs, and hungry fish. No complaints at all there! The hatching did slow down latre on in the afternoon, but picked back up as the day progresed. The fish were a bti skittish with the clear skies, but plenty were also taken tossing streamers. As for today, it looks like our spill has finally stopped over the top of Cannonsville, and our release is down to 1,000 cfs. This will produce cool, super clear water, and hopefully jump start our sulphurs up in the No-Kill section. We will continue to have cold water down here as well, but I would not anticipate seeing tons of bugs until later 0n, once the sun has dropped.
Frank Audino holds a nice, fat alewife-fed brown! Photo: Bob Lewis
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,020 cfs @ 45º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,140 cfs @ 45º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 675 cfs @ 50º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,220 cfs @ 57º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 3,300 cfs @ 56º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 477 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 99.9% – 999 CFS release |
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,500 cfs @ 45º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,670 cfs @ 45º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,160 cfs @ 49º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 1,750 cfs @ 55º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,090 cfs @ 56º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 543 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 100.7% – 1,500 CFS release |
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,690 cfs @ 52º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 1,930 cfs @ 46º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 1,440 cfs @ 51º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,190 cfs @ 55º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,970 cfs @ 56º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 634cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 101.2% – 1,500 CFS release |
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 2,020 cfs @ 58º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,280 cfs @ 49º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 2,240 cfs @ 56º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 3,370 cfs @ 57º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 6,590 cfs @ 57º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 777 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 101.8% – 1,500 CFS release |
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 2,470 cfs @ 62º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,700 cfs @ 52º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 2,690 cfs @ 62º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 4,050 cfs @ 60º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 7,670 cfs @ 58º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 941 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 102.4% – 1,500 CFS release |
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 2,930 cfs @ 63º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 3,130 cfs @ 54º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 3,240 cfs @ 61º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 5,130 cfs @ 59º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 9,250 cfs @ 58º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,210 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 102.3% – 600 CFS release |
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:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 2,520 cfs @ 63º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 2,880 cfs @ 58º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 4,310 cfs @ 60º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 6,680 cfs @ 59º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 11,300 cfs @ 59º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,630 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 102.3% – 600 CFS release |
