June 28, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 28, 2011

Yesterday was a warm one, resulting in slow and sporadic bug activity throughout the day. When the bugs are sparse, it is always a good idea to use a large Iso as a searching pattern and drum the banks, foam lines, current seams, as well as swift riffles. Using this technique seemed to be the ticket on the Main yesterday when the fish were not consistently rising. It was difficult to find a bug on the East Branch, until right before dark when the sky was filled with Stenocron spinners resulting in mass feeding throughout the river. Even though the water is high on the East and the Main, they are remaining clear and fishable.

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Light Blue Wing Olive #14

Ephemerella deficiens – Dark Blue Wing Olive #16

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Ephemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Stenonema stenocron – Light Cahill – #14

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

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June 27, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 27, 2011

Confusion. That pretty much explains yesterday here – starting around 11AM, we saw an epic hatch of pretty much everything mayfly, and it ran until 3PM – the only problem was that there were very few fish taking advantage of the situation. In the evening, we saw almost NO activity from either the bugs or the fish. Our current theory is a change in pressure  that put the fish down (high pressure moved in). Now that it has stabilized, we should hopefully be back into our ‘normal’ pattern! The good news out of yesterday is how many species of Mayfly we still have kicking around – dorthea, invaria, cornuta, deficiens, pseudocloeon, stenocron, ithaca, isos, etc., etc.

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Light Blue Wing Olive #14

Ephemerella deficiens – Dark Blue Wing Olive #16

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Ephemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Stenonema stenocron – Light Cahill – #14

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 26, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 26, 2011

Apologies on the lack of post yesterday – the intern will be dealt with for shirking his duties. I don’t think the gutters have been cleaned in awhile…..

Yesterday we had cloud cover and rain from morning until evening, without great effect on the West Branch – clear and cool from Deposit all the way to Junction Pool. The East Branch was another story, pumping in chocolate milk at the confluence, bringing the Main Stem up dramatically. This has subsided somewhat, and the Upper Main may be fishable this evening, so far as clarity is concerned.

Wiley Paul with a fish that is threatening to eat Kevan (the photographer). Photo by: Kevan Smaracko

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Ephemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 24, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions – June 24, 2011

Heavy storms late last night and early this morning brought the East Branch and Main Stem up significantly, but did not affect the West Branch in terms of flows. While off-color, the river should clear quickly and be fishable by tomorrow, depending on whether or not we receive more thunderstorms this afternoon. Despite the weather not fully cooperating, the dorotheas were coming of in great numbers on the upper West Branch near Deposit early yesterday afternoon. If you are going to get out on the river today, your best bet is to focus on this stretch of the West as the water clarity and bug activity should be better than further downstream.

June 23, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions – June 23, 2011

A bit of an odd day on the water yesterday – we had rain, and lots of bugs but the fish seemed to be hesitant to sticking their heads out into the fog. This is some of the best late season hatch activity we have seen in a long time; hopefully today is a different story and the fish will show themselves. With the aid of the new water release schedule,we have seen early hatch activity on the  upper West Branch progressing down stream to the Main Stem, where the temperatures have remained consistent in the mid-sixties. The forecast for the next couple of days remains to be the same, thunderstorms and overcast skies, which in turn could result in some spectacular mid-day bug activity.

Kevin Smaracko with a nice WB brown on his day off. Photo By: Stephen Shen

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 22, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions – June 22, 2011

Wow did we get hit with a large thunderstorm early this morning! Shook the lodge, and pelted us with rain, and the fog is currently so dense that we can’t even see the river! This is supposed to burn off within the next few hours, and we are expecting a cool, yet humid day, with more thunderstorms dropping significant rainfall today, so check the graphs (links below) for up-to-the-minute flows. The low pressure and cooler temps should help with the bug activity, and keep the upper main stem fishing as well!



Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 20, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 20, 2011

The bright skies and warmer temperatures we received yesterday delayed much of the bug activity until the last hour of daylight. Thunderstorms are predicted in the near future, which should cool the temperatures down on the main stem and east branch allowing for better conditions for hatch activity. The west branch is your best bet right now for the best water temperatures and bug activity. Your best bet midday is to focus on nymphing the riffles for rainbows and then shift your attention as the sun begins to set to looking for heads rising. The major bugs that we continue to see are dorotheas, isonychias, cornutas, and sporactic numbers of stenos.

David Burgher with a nice WB brown right before dark. Photo by: Jeff White



Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 19, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 19, 2011

Yesterday sure was a ‘weird’ one here on the river – hot during the day, but clouds and cooler in the evening, but few bugs decided to pop. The West was a bit too cold up top, and the East and Main were a bit warm. We are looking at more cloud cover today, which will hopefully get us to that Goldilocks zone: just right! The bugs that were hatching remain the same – Isos, Sulphurs, and Pseudos, with the occasional Steno thrown in for good measure!

Steve Shen with a real "German" Brown Trout. Photo by: Kevan Smaracko

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 18, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 18, 2011

What a day yesterday! Bugs and fish all day on the West Branch in between the rain and thunder – it was like a little piece of April in June. Today we are looking at clouds and sun, with temps in the high 70’s, which shouldn’t heat up the water too much today, and we expect the sulphurs and isos to continue in big numbers. Traffic on the river is down just a little, so the fish are feeling less pressure during the week, which will hopefully make for a great weekend!

Delaware Vet Tom Noble with a great WB Fish. Photo by: Wiley Paul

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 17, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 17, 2011

The patchy cloud cover yesterday kept the water cool, and the bugs hatching. Both the West and the Main saw fairly consistent action throughout the day, as well as a great rush of activity in the evening. Fish on the East Branch were eager to rise, so long as the bugs were popping (which was  a bit more sporadic than we cared for). Clouds, rain, and possible t-storms in the forecast today, which means low pressure, good hatching, and hopefully fish all day!

Norm Price with a FOOTBALL! Photo by: Jeff White

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 16, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 16, 2010

Despite the bright sun throughout the day yesterday, the West Branch and Upper Main fished VERY well, with hatches throughout the day. Today, we’ve got overcast skies this morning, which we expect to break in a few hours, and then more cloud cover coming in – everyone say, “olives!” Should be another fantastic day with Dortheas, Cornutas and Isos galore!

Ted Smith with a beautifully-colored Main Stem Brown. Photo by: Kevan Smaracko

Hatches:

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26

June 15, 2011

Delaware River Report / Conditions June 15, 2011

It felt like fall yesterday, and the river responded appropriately. Hatches of dortheas, stenos, pseudos and isonychias occurred almost all day, with the fish keying in on isos and the sulphurs. We are expecting more ‘normal’ weather today – warm temps, bright sun and clouds, which should warm the water a bit, but not too drastically, and put us back in our normal June program of strong morning and evening hatches with mid-day hatching when the sun hides itself. Flows are great for both the boater and the wader!

Isonychia bicolor – Iso/Slate Drake #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella cornuta – Blue Wing Olive #14

Hydropsyche sp. – Tan Caddis – #16-#18

Emphemerella invaria – Light Cahill – #12

Brachycentrus sp. (Dark Grannom – Charcoal) #16- #18

Ephemerella dorothea – Sulphur- #16/18/20

Pseudocloeon – Little BWO’s- #22-#26