Delaware River Report / Conditions August 5, 2011
The river / weather decided to aggravate us last night, with the clouds burning off late, the bright sun put most of the bugs we had been seeing throughout the day down, making for a tough evening of fishing. Today calls for ‘partly cloudy,’ which can mean anything, as we have discovered as of late – but during periods of clouds (and in the morning, you can expect to see olives hatching, and towards the middle of the afternoon upriver, the “standard” sulphur hatch should be in full swing.
Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 47º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 585 cfs @ 54º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 194 cfs @ 62º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 501 cfs @ 68º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,470 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 211 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 88.1% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions August 4, 2011
Although I promised I wouldn’t say this, I am afraid I have to – You should have been here yesterday! The river was on fire – bugs throughout the system, and fish (particularly rainbows) coming up and chasing olives like crazy! The good news: today appears to be a carbon-copy of yesterday – cloudy with sporadic showers. The only bummer yesterday was if you were out, you got SOAKED. All this rain hasn’t greatly affected the river level, so fish should still be in their ‘normal’ lies as they have for the last few weeks.
Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 538 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 601 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 209 cfs @ 57º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 528 cfs @ 65º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,420 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 215 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 88.2% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions August 3, 2011
A little bit of “opposite” day yesterday – up river didn’t see that much bug activity, but the lower river had a pretty decent run of bugs starting around 6:00 PM. We saw sulphurs, #16 olives, some MONSTER isos (#10) that the fish ignored, as well as psuedos and the occasional potomanthus distinctus. The fish took dries fairly sporadically at first, and then settled into a rhythm around *:00 or so. There is a bit more cloud cover expected today, so we are anticipating that both upper and lower should fish well throughout the day.
Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 547 cfs @ 47º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 173 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 388 cfs @ 68º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,130 cfs @ 69º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 173 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 88.4% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions August 1, 2011
The thunder is rolling overhead right now as I write this (9:00 AM), so hopefully everyone is off the water! Yesterday was back to ‘normal’ summer fishing, with morning and evening being the times with the most activity. The fish were active, and we continue to see sulphurs and olives during those times. Not too much in the way of spinner falls, very likely that they are occurring into the night. Today we expect a bit more cloud cover and a few sporadic storms rolling through, but these should not affect flows too dramatically.
Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 557 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 171 cfs @ 60º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 384 cfs @ 69º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,130 cfs @ 68º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 171 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 89.4% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 31, 2011
The low humidity and bright sun burned off much of the fog and mist that has been a problem the last few nights, giving way to an fantastic evening of fishing throughout the length of the West Branch. Sulphurs, olives, even a few isos have made a reappearance. During the late morning and into the afternoon, check the riffs for fish slashing at the emerging Hydropsyche caddis (tan #14 & #16) – they aren’t being picky!
Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 552 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 182 cfs @ 60º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 437 cfs @ 68º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,220 cfs @ 68º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 191 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 89.4% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 30, 2011
FOG. Tons of it last night resultant from the super-high humidity brought on by the storms in the late afternoon. Fishing throughout the day was very good – a typical BWO day, and all the bugs on the side of the house this AM are evidence of that. Photo to come, unfortunately any camera you take outside right now immediately fogs over, so the chances of a picture are nil. I will update this post and slap one on soon. Today we are looking at partly cloudy, hot and 84 – a bit of a difference from yesterday. Expect bugs during those periods of shade in the afternoon, caddis in the morning once the fog clears (it almost is as of 8:30), and evening olives and sulphurs!
Here is a cool video of Mergansers chasing bait around in the meantime:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 556 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 197 cfs @ 57º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 561 cfs @ 66º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,350 cfs @ 65º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 267 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 89.6% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 29, 2011
More of the same! The day-long cloud cover we have been experiencing over the last two days has been a God-send for all of those looking for good mid-afternoon fishing here on the Delaware. Bugs throughout the day, and cooler temps down towards the Main Stem have made it possible to fish and see bugs for the entire length of the West Branch and a good ways down the Main Stem (at least to Stockport). Cloudy with T-storms today, so a bit of a wild card – those wild pressure changes can both turn the bugs and fish on, or turn them off as the day progresses. Regardless, I’m heading out to try my luck!
- Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 552 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 194 cfs @ 58º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 437 cfs @ 67º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,210 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 191 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 89.6% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 28, 2011
We’re not sure what happened to these fish, but man are they hungry! Everyone out had a fantastic day on the river, catching fish on caddis early on, and sulphurs and olives into the evening. Fish were holding in SHALLOW riffles, almost as if they wanted to be in the sun! A #14 or #16 tan caddis (almost any pattern) was the trick for drumming them up in those riffles, and a good mix of rainbows and browns were there to be had! The ‘bows kept breaking a few of our guests off with their acrobatics – just what a purveyor of flies likes to hear!
- Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 556 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 206 cfs @ 58º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 517 cfs @ 66º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,340 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 226 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 90.0% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 27, 2011
Yesterday was an exciting day – at least as far as weather was concerned. Multiple heavy thunderstorms pounded us several times during the day, hence the ups and downs on the graph below. That being said, the river lit up (i.e. fish went crazy) before the rain and hail made its appearance, and folks were ripping lips left and right on tan caddis around a size #16. All the various pressure changes did mess with the hatching later in the day and into the evening, so we did have a bit slower night than we have been experiencing over the last few weeks. That has now stabilized, so we are looking for hatching throughout the day (due to the cloud cover), and another brilliant night! You have to love consistent flows!
- Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 529 cfs @ 44º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 580 cfs @ 48º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 239 cfs @ 60º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 732 cfs @ 66º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,720 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 316 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 90.4% – 500 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 26, 2011
Despite the thick fog and the heavy thunderstorm that hit us yesterday, the fishing was excellent. The sulphurs were strong on the upper West Branch with Iso’s mixed in. Small olives were abundant, in large part due to the overcast skies, which resulted in the fish keying in on them. We are back to the set 500 cfs and should continue at that rate.
- .Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor –Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea –Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. –Tan Caddis –#16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill –#12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom –Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 519 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 552 cfs @ 47º |
East Branch at Harvard,NY | 310 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,260 cfs @ 64º |
Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 2,280 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 535 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level &Release | 90.7% –500CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 25, 2011
The temperature-control release ended yesterday afternoon, bringing us back down to a 600 CFS release without much incident. Even with the steep drop, the fishing remained unaffected – the upper river lit up last night with sulphurs, olives and GIANT Isos! A great all around! Today we are expecting a good amount of cloud cover with passing showers (mayyyyyybe a thunderstorm) – in other words, perfect dry fly weather!
- Hatches:
Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 620 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 627 cfs @ 46º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 191 cfs @ 58º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 371 cfs @ 69º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,200 cfs @ 64º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 161 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 92.8% – 610 CFS |
Delaware River Report / Conditions July 24, 2011
It appears that the worst is over (if the weathermen are to believed – really, what other job can you be wrong all the time and still keep?) and the heat has broken for the most part. Temperatures should only get into the low 80s today, with variable clouds – couple this with the 1010 CFS release on the West Branch, and you have the potential for a truly great day of dry-fly fishing!
Tricorythodes – Tricos #22-26
- Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL
Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20
Stenonema sp. – Light Cahill #12-#14
Ephemerella deficiens- Blue Wing Olive #14
Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18
Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12
Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18
Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26
FLOWS: | |
West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 1,070 cfs @ 45º |
West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 1,060 cfs @ 46º |
East Branch at Harvard, NY | 191 cfs @ 59º |
East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 379 cfs @ 73º |
Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,600 cfs @ 66º |
Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 167 cfs @ N/A |
Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 92.8% – 610 CFS |