Delaware River Report / Conditions May 31, 2012
Sorry for the delay, early morning shuttles!
Not too bad out there yesterday. Although sunny and hot at times, the clouds came in and out, giving time for good hatches of dortheas, cornutas, and isos, depending on where you were fishing. A mid-day storm shut everything down for a little bit, but broke the heat, and cooled everything down substantially. This created that low-level fog that all those who fish the Delaware are familiar with. This time, the sulphurs continued to hatch, and the fish were up and feeding until just into dark, when everything went quiet. Many of our guides found good pods of rising fish, and were happily ‘stuck’ for good portions of the day, as the fish were more than a bit persnickety (G-rated term in place of the more common one everyone else used). Today, we have cooler temps and more clouds in the forecast, so a repeat of last evening should play out, hopefully extended to the daytime hours as well. * UPDATE* – Forecast now calling for mostly sunny. I hate these guys……
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 | 529 cfs @ 44º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 627 cfs @ 47º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 252 cfs @ 56º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,100 cfs @ 61º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,210 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 666 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 99.0% – 525 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions May 30, 2012
And now for something completely different….. (kudos to those who got that reference)…… Cool! Overcast! The sun nowhere (so far) to be seen! Our big heat wave broke yesterday with a band of pretty hellacious thunderstorms rolling through in the late afternoon.While there was plenty of flash and bang, we didn’t get overwhelmed with water on the West Branch. The Willow and the Beaverkill took the brunt of the rain, as well as the Poconos to our south. As such, the Beaverkill and Lower East are off color today, and muddying up the upper Main as well to some degree. With the water already peaked, I expect this to clear quite quickly throughout the day. Yesterday evening saw a good number of bugs hatching, culminating with a (literal) blanket hatch of Dortheas after dark. Wiley said the only thing he’s ever seen close to it was the famed ‘white fly’ hatch on the Susquehanna, for those who are familiar. While this was a very cool thing to behold, it unfortunately doesn’t make for a very fish-able hatch – especially when you can’t see! Today we’ve got more cloud cover in store, so I would think we’d be seeing a bit more day time hatching activity, as well as the water temperatures remaining fairly steady. No big changes to report on the bug front, except that we are not seeing too many of the Green Drakes, which makes us believe they may have hatched out at night on us. It remains to be seen!
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 | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 676 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 277 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,840 cfs @ 66º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,020 cfs @ 68º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 1,280 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 99.1% – 525 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions May 29, 2012
Anybody have some aloe for me? Holy Moses was it a scorcher out there yesterday. Blazing sun with no wind, and temps near 90 made it feel more like a sauna than a river. The worst part was the Upper Main hitting close to 72 degrees at Lordville in the afternoon. Although there was sporadic hatching throughout the day, the fish kept their heads low until the evening, which saw a pretty decent bump in activity and spinner fall. Yesterday morning also fished well out in Home Pool, with some left over spinners from the night before hitting the water, and a brief spurt of caddis activity as well. Today is looking to be a tad bit cooler, but very similar in conditions, so bring your sunscreen, and plan on fishing the West Branch!
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 | 529 cfs @ 46º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 601 cfs @ 49º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 222 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 767 cfs @ 66º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,740 cfs @ 68º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 444 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 100.5% – 525 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions May 28, 2012
Happy Memorial Day! If you haven’t already, please take a moment to reflect on and thank all of those who have served and are currently serving our country, allowing us to be able to enjoy our freedom.
Apologies on the tardiness this morning, have some guides heading out super early to beat the heat. As for the fishing yesterday, well let’s just say this holiday weekend never looked more like the “official” start of summer. Bright sun and hot temperatures quickly warmed the waters of the lower Main into the 70s, which quashed basically any (read: responsible) trout fishing. Catching a trout in those water temps can stress them to the point of exhaustion and death, so it’s too be avoided. Although there were bugs, few fish were seen, as they were likely opting to stay low and stay cool. The Upper Main stayed fairly cool, but only decided to fish well right at dark, when there were good hatches of dortheas, smaller BWOs (Ephemerella deficiens, specifically), and random stenos (light cahills) of various sizes and species. There was also a good flush of rusty spinners in several different sizes as well. Today we’re hoping for more cloud cover (in the forecast), but it does appear that it will be much warmer, approaching 90 in some areas, with passing thunderstorms. Very little breeze means that it will be sweltering by the end of the day today. The West and Upper Main should fish during the day if these clouds do materialize, and we should see a pretty productive, “typical” summer evening as well!
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 | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 611 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 310 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 956 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,960 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 492 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 100% – 525 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions May 27, 2012
Man, can these fish be B*TCHY! System-wide there were bugs and fish at various points throughout the day, with a good flush of bugs once the sun started to drop. The problem was you would see a fish rise three or four times, and just stop for no discernible reason. I personally saw fish mowing down dortheas, then stop like a shift-ending whistle (think The Flintstones) sent them scurrying home even with good numbers of bugs still floating downstream. The other favorite fish behavior of the Delaware Fishermen(and women!) reared its ugly head as well – multiple fish in a smaller pool / area all eating different insects. As a shop manager, I love this, as people burn through tippet like crazy trying to figure out what the next guy in line is eating (and thereby need to purchase more!), but as a fisherman, it drives me insane as much as the next guy. Today looks to be a bit warmer, with mild winds, and the possible occasional thunderstorm rolling through the area. The bugs should continue to hatch en masse, and hopefully the fish will be a bit more cooperative. It is also going to be pandemonium out there with recreational boaters / canoeists / kayakers – try to be understanding and patient with everyone!
NOTE – I’ve added a link on the right to the Main Line Fly Tyers from Philadelphia – they are great supporters of the River, the DRC, and a great bunch of folks to meet if you have the chance! Click Away!
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 | 529 cfs @ 46º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 627 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 412 cfs @ 58º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,160 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,260 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 560 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 100% – 525 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions May 26, 2012
Yesterday was a little bit more of what we expected. Now if the stinkin’ forecast could be a little more accurate……. Heavy clouds hung around the river pretty much until mid to late afternoon yesterday (when they were “predicted” to remain all day), which yielded some decent hatching in the warm humid air. Again we had a bit of bug soup out there on the water, with just about every bug I have listed below showing up at one point or another. When the sun came out in the afternoon it got HOT – at least the tempearture. The fishing slowed down until right before dark, when a mixed-bag of spinners decided to fall on the West Branch. With a warm day yesterday and another on par for today, I would expect that we start seeing the ‘real’ Green Drake hatch begin to make its way up river. Other hatches to be aware of this weekend: Fiberglass boatis (Drift Boat Hatch), Canoeist aluminiumius (The drunken Canoe hatch), Pontoonius multius (Mini float boats en masse), and everyone’s favorite – Female en Bikinius. No common name needed.
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 | 548 cfs @ 48º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 664 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 531 cfs @ 61º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,400 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,270 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 648 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | Over 100% – 525 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions May 25, 2012
Well that was a big bunch of bulls*it. I was able to get out and fish the lower east for a bit yesterday, but Mother Nature decided that a normal, calm, bug-filled evening wasn’t in her plan for the day. We had bugs, but every time the fish would get started, the wind would pick up and put them back down again. Move spots, fish start rising, same thing, rinse and repeat until dark. Right at dark, the fish started rising as normal, with a good hatch of dortheas coming off BUT of course they decided to get snotty and not take ANYTHING we had (kitchen sink included) until 5 minutes past dark thirty when some iso spinners hit the water. Unfortunately, the Force was not with me as it usually is that late, and picking up rises and getting the hookset right was not happening. As infuriating as that was, it’s the reason we all keep coming back to this river system like moths to a flame. Otherwise, there was decent activity throughout the day on the Main and West – but the fish were definitely super-selective, making it a bit of a toughie out there for all. Today looks to be a mirror of yesterday weather-wise, with possibly a bit more rain in the forecast. Let’s hope for a decent amount to keep the dam spilling and the water cool!
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 @ 52º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 676 cfs @ 54º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 853 cfs @ 62º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,600 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,920 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 745 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | Over 100% – 401 CFS release |
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.
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
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 577 cfs @ 53º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 726 cfs @ 54º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 939 cfs @ 62º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,810 cfs @ 62º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 3,220 cfs @ 63º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 848 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | Over 100% – 401 CFS release |
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.)
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
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 557 cfs @ 52º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 756 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 877 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,910 cfs @ 58º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 3,370 cfs @ 60º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 1,020 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | Over 100% – 401 CFS release |
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.
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
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 598 cfs @ 52º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 834 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 551 cfs @ 54º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,650 cfs @ 57º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,870 cfs @ 59º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 917 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 100% – 401 CFS release |
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!
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
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 676 cfs @ 53º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 885 cfs @ 52º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 370 cfs @ 55º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,430 cfs @ 58º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,920 cfs @ 62º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 745 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 100% – 401 CFS release |
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!
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
FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 584 cfs @ 50º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 834 cfs @ 50º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 399 cfs @ 53º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,650 cfs @ 56º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 3,240 cfs @ 59º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 899 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 100% – 401 CFS release |