April 29, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 29, 2019

The rain was light but pretty steady for most of yesterday.  And the bugs hatched again in the afternoon.  Overall the people who braved the weather were rewarded. Streamers worked but a lot of fish were caught on top in the afternoon.   Hendricksons, blue Quills, and a few Quill Gordons were hatching.  You will see some little black caddis and stoneflies but most of the fish seem to be looking for the mayflies.  Many others of us were waiting for the much, much nicer weather today will bring.  Today will reach the mid 50’s, sunshine, with winds around 5 mph.  Hopefully we’ve seen the last of the frost and snow.  The long range shows pretty nice temperatures coming our way.  The main rivers are still too high to wade but some up the upper reaches of the Beaverkill and Willowemoc should be fine.  The flows are dropping slowly due to yesterdays rain but are headed in the right direction.

Mark

Theo

Hatching:
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Dark Hendrickson  – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Light Hendrickson – #12 -14 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

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April 28, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 28, 2019

We had some decent rain, snow, and wind yesterday.  We also had bugs.   Most people who stuck it out went with streamer fishing but the dry fly fishing was a really nice surprise.  You needed the right combination of wind protection, bugs, and water slow enough for the fish to set up.  Overall we all would have bet on streamers.  It was cold overnight so the river temps are starting off a little colder this morning.  We have some rain in the forecast but should see less than 1/4″ total for the day.  Today will be a lot like yesterday with a cooler air temp and a cold night.  So, like yesterday, layer up with every fleece you have in your bag.  We start to warm back up tomorrow.

Clementine looks surprised this one ate a dry yesterday.  Theo May photo

Hatching:
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Dark Hendrickson  – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Light Hendrickson – #12 -14 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 27, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 27, 2019

Yesterday was windy with rain.  Fish were caught even on dry flies but overall it was a tough day to be on the water.  The real heavy bands of rain moved in after 6 pm and then river flows started climbing.  The West Branch flow has peaked and has started to fall but we’ll likely see another bump up as the spill increases today.  The West is off color but not totally blown out.  It is fishable from a boat.  It looks like a streamer day.  The inflow at Walton is 2,430 cfs and climbing this morning.

The air temperature will be lower for the next two days peaking in the mid 40’s.  We’ll have some showers and maybe even a little snow between this morning and Monday.  Crazy April weather in the Catskills.  Wading is not an option on any of the main rivers but you may find some wadeable water on the feeder streams or up in the headwaters.  It is safe to float.

Hatching:
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Dark Hendrickson  – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Light Hendrickson – #12 -14 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 26, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 26, 2019

Yesterday was a good combination of bugs, weather, and reasonable water levels for the fish.  The fish seemed to be happy eating off the surface with the dropping flows and light winds.  People caught fish on streamers, nymphs, and dry flies.  It was nice to hear the success stories all around last night.  Blue Quills, little black caddis, and some hendricksons made up most of the food.  Change up your streamer colors if you’re not moving fish.  The fish seem to change their mind on what they want every day.  We had some rain overnight but so far the rivers are still dropping.  The Beaverkill has dropped down to 882 cfs this morning- great news for the waders.  We have more rain in the forecast today and tonight.  The exact amount keeps changing but right now they have decreased the forecasted amount to .75″ which is way better than they were calling for yesterday.  If any flows change drastically we’ll do a mid day update.

Mike with a good one yesterday. Steve Shen photo

Vito and Mike with a double yesterday. Steve Shen photo

Hatching:
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Dark Hendrickson  – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Light Hendrickson – #12 -14 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 25, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 25, 2019

There were some fish rising yesterday but the wind didn’t do us any favors.   Streamers were the best bet along with nymphing slow edges.  Wading is still not an option on the big rivers but the Beaverkill is getting low enough that it’s a possibility in spots.  We’d like to see it drop a couple hundred cfs more to come into it’s own.  Today looks like a great fay to be on the water.  We already have some sunshine and the air temp will be 10 degrees warmer than yesterday peaking around 65.  The real treat is the wind should only be 5 – 10 mph.  We’re going to get 1/4″ of rain overnight but that shouldn’t start until after dark.  There is some rain coming tomorrow but the precipitation totals change every time we look.  Hopefully they are scattered storms that hit a few miles away from us.

Vito with a nice fish yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
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Dark Hendrickson  – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Light Hendrickson – #12 -14 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 24, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 24, 2019

It felt like summer on the river yesterday.  Sunshine and warm temps were followed by a couple of unexpected brief showers in the evening.  The showers did not drop enough rain to bump the river flows and all the rivers are still dropping slowly this morning.  There are a lot of bugs out the and fish are rising. Things will definitely improve as the water levels drop.  Most people are fishing streamers early and then looking for risers in the long, slow pools in the afternoons.  It’s going to be cooler today with some wind.  Tomorrow the air temp jumps back up to the high 60’s.

Still falling slowly

Hatching:
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Dark Hendrickson  – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Light Hendrickson – #12 -14 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 23, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 23, 2019

The rivers are still dropping slowly.  There is some wading on the small feeder streams now but not on the big rivers.  The West Branch above Cannonsville has dropped to 1,640 cfs.  We should see the streams and spillage flows to slowly subside over the next few days.  We may see some rain towards the weekend but like normal every time we check the forecast it has changed.  Today is going to be beautiful.  We already have some sunshine and the air temp should hit 75 degrees.  There were enough bugs on the West Branch yesterday to get some fish looking up despite the high water.  Mostly blue quills and olives but there are definitely some hendricksons out there.  We’re still starting off with streamers but there are definite dry fly possibilities out there.  It will really get good when the rivers drop a bit more.

The Cannonsville spill is beginning to drop

Hatching:
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Dark Hendrickson  – #14 – E. subvaria (male)
Light Hendrickson – #12 -14 – E. subvaria (female)
Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 22, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 22, 2019

The Beaverkill flow is falling the fastest.  The East and West Branches are falling slowly due to the reservoirs spilling.  We had some rain yesterday that seemed to come out of no where.  It was brief but heavy but didn’t seem to affect the West Branch.  It is clear enough to fish and people are out there.  Wading is not an option but floating is fine.  Streamers are still our best bet to start off but there are enough bugs to get the fish looking up if you find slow enough water.  We’re start off with a cloudy sky this morning but we should see some sunshine in the afternoon.  The next three days look dry so we should see the rivers flows continue to drop.

Hatching:
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Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 21, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 21, 2019

We had a few brief showers yesterday but it cleared and we actually saw some sunshine in the late afternoon.  The West Branch was clearing for most of the day and didn’t look bad after lunch.  There were people floating and throwing streamers.  We did see a bump in flow as the spill increased but we seem leveled off this morning.  Today looks really nice with an air temp hitting 68 degrees and wind around 4 mph.  We should see sunshine an pretty much zero precipitation.  The river flows should slowly drop throughout the day.

The inflow to Cannonsville is dropping quickly.

Hatching:
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Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 20, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 20, 2019

We got lucky and received less rain than originally forecasted.  We did get some rain though and the rivers are up and off color this morning.  The flows have peaked and are already dropping.  We may see another bump later in the day as the reservoir spills increase but it shouldn’t be much.  There’s not much rain left in the forecast over the next few days.  Just a few light showers here and there so we should be fishing the West Branch again tomorrow.  The water temps are great for April so we should see some great fishing once the flows drop to a comfortable level for the fish to rise.  Lucky.  There are a few thunderstorms moving around the area but so far it looks like the storms are staying East of us.

In honor of today’s weather Simms Forget the Forecast hats $20 in the online store

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Peaked and dropping

Hatching:
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Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 19, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 19, 2019

We have the bugs.  Now we just need the flows to drop to a reasonable level opening up more water fish will rise in.  The flows are dropping back slowly but we will see some additional rain today.  We’ll see some showers this afternoon with possible heavier rain overnight.  Some of the thunderstorms are predicted to be “scattered” so if we’re lucky the heaviest precipitation will miss us or at least fall below the reservoirs.  If any flows change drastically during the day we’ll do a blog update.  If we get the rain most will be overnight so the river should fish today.  Streamers will still be your best bet but people are seeing fish eating on top in the slower pools and edges.  Tht’s mostly a late afternoon thing.  Wading is still not an option but floating is perfectly fine.

People are seeing a few hendricksons but don’t get too excited yet.  The hatches usually progress like a bell curve so we’re still saying another week – ish.  In the meantime there is nothign wrong with blue quills and olives.

Hatching:
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Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

April 18, 2019

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 18, 2019

There were quite a number of people fishing the West Branch yesterday.  We had a lot of stoneflies and blue quills flying around by mid afternoon.  There were a few fish rising but the high flows kept them sporadic and hard to set up on.  It was a beautiful day to be out though.  All of the reservoirs are still spilling but the flows on the East Branch and Beaverkill have dropped significantly.  Everything is still too high to wade but moving in the right direction.

Today looks okay.  It’s going to be cooler at 56 degrees and we’ll have some wind gusts to 15 from the South.  It’ll mostly be streamer fishing again so the wind won’t be too much of a problem.  The flows and wind will make dry fly fishing tough but someone will get lucky.  We’re watching the rain in Friday night’s forecast.  Same problem as always- everytime we look it changes.  Tomorrow looks okay during the day with most of the rain coming in Thunderstorms overnight.  Hopefully they miss us completely or hit below the reservoirs.

Hatching:
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Blue Quills – #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Quill Gordon – #14 – Epeorus pluralis
Tiny Stonefly–  #18- Capniidae spp.
Early Brown and Black Stoneflies – #14 -16  – Taeniopteryx spp.
Blue Wing Olives  – #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans
Little Black Caddis – #18 – 20 – Chimarra

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update: