July 18, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 18, 2013

Good news everyone! It looks like PA Fish & Boat has come through for us, and Ball’s Eddy will be back open either late today or tomorrow! Along with that, it was pretty good news on the river yesterday (at least in the PM) as well, with some great hatches down river, and fish up and actively feeding much earlier than they have been as of late. Upstream the fishing was tough, as there were tons of dorthea coming off, but almost no fish up and taking them – most likely a result of the sudden influx of water. I would expect the fish to be settled by today, and a bit more eager to feed. The fog did roll in a bit earlier as well, due to the high temperatures, but was definitely more patchy than usual, allowing anglers to have some shots during the clear periods that we had been missing lately. We have some thunderstorms in the forecast today, but we will see if they materialize or not. Otherwise, it looks be to be another great summer day out on the West Branch!

Chris Fielding holds a nice Brown she took this past Monday! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

July 17, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 17, 2013

After a bunch of clamoring, NYC has finally put a bit more water down the West Branch in order to help cool the lower river and the Main Stem (where Lordville had reached near 76 degrees the last two days), bumping it up to 900 CFS as of midnight last night. We should expect that to remain in place for about 48 hours or so. Yesterday was another bright, hot day here on the river, but again we had some fantastic action towards dark, and sporadic action throughout the day (when the clouds rolled through). Today we are looking at even warmer temperatures (92+), but the cool water should help produce some more daytime bug activity further down the river. The fog may decide to show up as well later on in the day – let’s hope it doesn’t!

Jerry Hustak with a Brown that looks like it swallowed a Nerf football! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

July 16, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 16, 2013

Yesterday certainly did work out a bit as we expected, with the bugs coming up river in the afternoon, but the fish were a bit sluggish in taking them with the bright sun overhead. That being said, those that (shudder) nypmhed yesterday did very well, finding the fish quite active in the heavier riffs up and down the river, and there was an incredible flurry of activity late in the afternoon as the fish realized they were hungry once the sun started to go down. Good sulphur and steno hatches were the predominant bugs, and a small hatch of pseudo spinners added to the late-night mix as well. The weather today would make the devil feel quite at home, so we are likely looking at a cookie-cutter day here again, but hopefully the additional cloud cover entices a bit more mid-day action!

There are also a few of these kicking around as well – Hexagenia limbata! The Hex. Sorry for the lack of focus, but you get an idea of the size of this bug. The are not really a fishable hatch, but are dang cool to see on the water! Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

July 15, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 15, 2013

Another tough one out there yesterday. While the bugs cooperated, the fish kept a very low profile until later in the evening, at least down here on the Lower West. The streamer bite was also decent early on, but as the day heated up and the sun came out, the fish hunkered down and waited that big fiery ball out. Today looks to be the first real scorcher of the year as well, with bright sun, and highs in the 90s. While there will likely be some decent fishing early up in Deposit / Stilesville, it will undoubtedly be an evening game down here again tonight. The good news is when that does happen, the fish don’t tend to be quite as picky. Let’s hope that’s true today as well!

A Stenonema stenocron male – love the colors, especially the eye! These guys have been coming off sporadically, and you will find fish on them – a Light Cahill Comparadun is the trick. Photo: Bart Larmouth

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

July 14, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 14, 2013

The cloud cover definitely produced some good hatching throughout the day yesterday, but the fish decided they weren’t that interested in cooperation, with sporadic, inconsisttend rising. Towards evening they did get a little bit happier, but never to the level they “should” have with that many bugs out. Mother Nature always has to remind us that she is the boss! The streamer bite was definitely on however, with the browns actively chasing both white and yellow with a bit of vigor. Today we are starting to slide into the warm (ok HOT) stretch of weather predicted, with luckily similar cloud cover as yesterday. It could be a repeat, but let’s hope the fish decide they feel more like eating today!

Say it with me fish: “I like the bugs. I like the bugs. I like the bugs.” Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

July 13, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 13, 2013

Well Friday was interesting. Lots of clouds, but sporadic bugs. Mother nature decided to show us that we don’t know everything! That being said, the evening was fantastic, so long as you avoided the areas with fog kicking around. We had areas that saw a torrential downpour for about 2 minutes, and not 100 yards up the road – nothing! But, the extra humidity was enough to make the fog show up, much to our chagrin. Today, we are looking at cooler temps, and mostly cloudy skies – let’s hope Mother Nature behaves more “normally” today!

Fred Gardner did well this week! Photo: Bruce Miller

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

July 12, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 12, 2013

Another nice summer day out on the river yesterday, and things pretty much went according to “plan” – the bugs came early upstream (as well as some early morning activity on small olives down here), and then were spotty throughout the day as the clouds came and went. Amazingly, the streamer bite was pretty decent, regardless of the amount of sun hitting the water. The fish must really like their new holding lanes, and are definitely fighting to keep usurpers out. Today we’re looking at mostly cloudy (hooray!) skies, with little wind and just a few random storms rolling through. This could mean some great sulfur action all up and down the river, as well as our big friend Mr. Isonychia making an appearance as well!

We see fish with crazy war wounds sometimes, and this guy’s tail is no exception! Photo: Bob Lewis

What’s Hatching:

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting

Current Flow Conditions:

July 11, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 11, 2013

More summertime fun on the river yesterday. We had good hatches earlier in the day with some thick clouds threatening showers (that never really came), but they petered out a bit as the sun began to pop out. The fish did get active again towards evening both upriver and down our way,  but the further downstream you were, the earlier the activity ended due to our old friend, fog. Today it looks like we’re seeing a bit of a break from the heat, as well as some excellent cloud cover – if it holds, expect the bugs to be out in force!

Jim Swift with a piggie! Photo: Billy Rivellini

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:

July 10, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 10, 2013

Definitely a weird one out there Tuesday out there – we’ve had reports all over the board, from areas with good bugs, and happy fish, to folks who didn’t see a thing. We do know the streamer bite was on during the day for sure, telling us the fish have at least acclimated to their new holding lanes. We also had some of the craziest, location-centric downpours throughout the day as well, which could account for the strange activity (or lack thereof at times) up and down the river. For instance we were poured on here at the shop for about 10 minutes, while the guys fishing down stream in Methodist didn’t even get wet. It was definitely interesting. Today we’ve got some rain in the forecast for later this morning / early afternoon, so be prepared for that, as we’re not sure how much rain it is bringing. Otherwise, I would still plan on starting way upstream for the morning, and working your way downstream towards evening if you want to chase the bugs around!

Fred Gardner with a great West Branch Brown from yesterday evening. 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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18 – starting

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

July 9, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 9, 2013

Mother Nature decided to bless us with some extra cloud cover yesterday, and it certainly helped produce bugs and fish on the upper West yesterday. Good sulphur and Iso hatches took place throughout the day, and waned towards evening, which is when they picked up a bit further downstream. We had sporadic action here at Home Pool last night, but from the reports I am hearing, up in the Game Lands fished very very well. Today, we are going to see a slight drop in air temperature to the low 80s, with some storms kicking around for good measure. The clouds are going to come and go, so there will likely be windows of activity versus the steadier flow of bugs we saw yesterday. But, with the flows steadying out up by Deposit, our typical sulphurs at noon program is already begun, which is great so long as you bring your thermals – that water is cold!

Even the interns get in on the action! Matthew Fedrizzi with a nice big 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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18 – starting

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Current Flow Conditions:

July 8, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 8, 2013

Apologies on the delay this morning, it seems our server was being attacked by a botnet, so we were locked out until just now. You have to love technology…..

That being addressed, we had a pretty good day out on the river yesterday. We had some wicked, scary looking thunderheads roll into the area in the late afternoon, but nary a drop of rain fell on us, and there was little to no thunder/lightning. This made for some great evening hatches as that air pressure decreased, up and down the system. Fish were eating sulphurs mostly, but switched over to Isos and Light Cahills towards dark. The upper river fished ‘as normal’ in the early afternoon, and did shut down as water temps dropped. I would expect similar activity today, but we are looking at bit more cloud cover – great for those looking to fish from Hale Eddy down early. There are supposed to be a few storms rolling about throughout the day, so be careful out there!

Some of my favorite Stenos are kicking about as well – Heterotarsale! Photo by: 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:

July 7, 2013

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 7, 2013

Boy it was a sauna here yesterday. Hot and humid, all the way until dark. The clouds were out, giving us a respite here and there, and the bugs/fish took notice as well, getting active throughout the day, both upriver by Deposit and down by us. Our friend the fog was not as thick as we anticipated either, so the sulphurs were coming off strong, and the fish were definitely eating them! Definitely a good day overall. Today we’re scheduled to be a bit warmer, with some storms rolling through as the day progresses, so taht should make cor some interesting aquatic activity. The flow from Cannonsville has also been stepped down to 701 CFS, and will likely be stepped down to 600 by the end of the day. Not a huge shift in holding lanes for fish, but they might be a little flustered as we first get rolling today.

Peter Glynn holds an awesome WB Brown! Photo: Nate Eckhaus

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: