October 7, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 7, 2012

Yesterday turned out to be a fantastic day, despite the winds and big pressure change / temperature shift (we went from ~65 in the morning to 55 in the afternoon). Good hatches of our three compadres – Isos, Psudos, and Hebes definitely brought the fish up. The only tough part was you needed to have the fly right on the fish after he rose – taking a million false-casts was a killer yesterday. Today we’re expecting some similar weather, with a few rain showers thrown in for good measure. The lower temps means the hatches will likely start a bit later in the morning, and end a bit earlier in the evening as well – bummer for those of us on shop duty! The wind is supposed to lay down as well, so we could be looking at another banner October day.

A nice, healthy, post-spawn West Branch Rainbow. Photo Courtesy of Bruce Miller

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL & #12 & #14

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

October 6, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 6, 2012

Well the sun reared its ugly head yesterday, and shut the hatching down whenever it made its presence known. That being said, the warm, humid air made for some great hatching when that big glowing ball of fusion hit behind the clouds. We had fish rising on the West, and reports that the Main fished well into the dark of the evening. Today, we’re expecting some showers during the day, with much cooler temperatures all around. Good for the mid-day fishing, bad for those of us who are in a shop until 6PM. We’ll see how it goes!

Although he’s not an Intern, anymore, I will reiterate that interns shouldn’t catch fish like this. David Burgher with a great WB brown. Photo by: Steve Shen

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL & #12 & #14

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

October 5, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 5, 2012

What an interesting day yesterday – clouds, sun, fog, a good amount of rain – almost felt like I was out in Yellowstone again. The air temps were warm throughout the day, making for some perfect BWO conditions when the clouds were around (majority of the day). However, since the weather was changing constantly, the bugs were there, but on-and-off due to pressure changes / sun popping out, pick your reason. The fish were definitely looking up for dinner, so when the bugs were out risers were easy to come by. The warmer temps did allow us to have some decent evening fishing, all the way until dark. As for today, we’re looking at temps in the mid-70s, and mostly cloudy conditions. Could be decent out there – the bump in flows from the rain yesterday wasn’t too dramatic, so the East and the Main should continue to fish well, even though they jumped a few hundred CFS. The West Branch remains unfloatable, but perfectly wadeable – great for everyone on foot!

Mark de Jong with a nice brown he caught on the Main Stem recently. Photo: Jeff White

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL & #12 & #14

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

October 4, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 4, 2012

Wednesday turned out to be a pretty dang good day, pretty much river-wide. The overcast skies coupled with some warmer air temps kept the hatching going well into the evening, and we saw plenty of olives on the water throughout the day. The only downer? Those olives were Pseudos – so #22 hooks and 6X tippet were the name of the game. We’re starting with warmer water temps today, so the activity should begin earlier than usual, and likely once the fog has lifted a bit from the valleys. Rain is predicted for much of the day, but it does not appear to be too heavy – more good news for you Olive enthusiasts. Otherwise, there are still plenty of Stenos and Hebes around – so be ready for them if you head out on the water.

David Lisnock holds a fat little Main Stem Rainbow. This is as close to a grin as you will ever see out of this man. Photo: Jeff White

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL & #12 & #14

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

October 3, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 3, 2012

Strangely enough, yesterday went just about as ‘expected’ – the rain came and there was ample bug activity for the majority of day, due to warmer temperatures. The fish on the West Branch are now quite a bit spookier due to the lower water levels, but were still willing to take well-presented flies. The usual suspects as well – Isos, stenos, etc. Today is looking like a much warmer day, but still with cloud cover and a possible Thunderstorm. This could be a good one all day long, judging by the current air temp, and the fact I just saw fish rising in Home Pool. I’m just going to hope they’re not on the Caddis again.

One of the smaller stenos that have been hatching as of late.  Photo by: Jeff White

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL & #12 & #14

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

October 2, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 2, 2012

Well, they pulled the rug out from under us again, and dropped the flow out of Cannonsville – most likely since we hit October. Floating the West appears to be done until Mother Nature brings us some rain. There were mixed reports on how this affected the fishing, with some folks doing quite well down river, and others having a hard time on the West (the Gamelands, specifically). There were still good numbers of bugs to be had / found, and the fish were on them until the temperature cooled off for the evening. Today we’re expecting some rain throughout the day, the quantity predicted is in a state of flux – so we’ll have to wait and see. If we have a nice calm rain as we did on Sunday, the river could really light up with bug activity.

This is how thick some of the hatching caddis have been in the evenings. And nary a fish to be found eating them. Stupid caddis. Photo: Jeff White

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

October 1, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 1, 2012

UPDATE – the release from Cannonsville has been dropped to (most likely) 150 cfs as we are now in October. This happened after I had posted the blog this morning.

REMINDER – If you have a NY State fishing license, it expired yesterday – go get a new one, or order online at: https://nyfgisales.appsolgrp.com/fgnyia/html/index.jsp

So yesterday was definitely an “interesting” day over all. The bugs and fish went crazy mid-afternoon during, and shut right down both the second the sun came back out, and the second it hid behind the hills, forcing the temperature to drop what felt like 30 degrees. We also experienced some crazy rain smack dab in the middle of the day – with the sun out. Definitely one of the stranger weather days I have seen here on the river. However, when the bugs were out, we had good numbers of heptagenias and Isos, and some staggering numbers of caddis out and about, with fish sporadically eating them. Stupid caddis. Today, we’re looking at a warmer day, with less chance of rain / weather at any point, and unfortunately at little bit of sun mixed in. Let’s hope it hides behind the clouds, and becomes a non-factor, and allows the great hatches we’ve been having to continue!

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

September 30, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 30, 2012

It was an interesting day out on the West Branch yesterday. The streamer bite was in full force until just after lunch time, with the browns being very territorial and nasty, ready to strike at anything in their immediate viciniity. As the afternoon began, they seemed to calm down which meant a big lull in the streamer action, but fortunately a big rush of Stenos made up for it, with good dry fly activity for the rest of the day. The fish were a bit spotty and sporadic, but would definitely be accommodating if you put a nice presentation over their heads. The West Branch has slowed its drop in flow, so we should steady out a bit over the next few days and see some conitnued decent hatching / feeding. With clouds and rain predicted today, we can hopefully look forward to a few more psuedos out and likely a return of the heptagenias as well.

An outside wall of the shop this morning – covered with everyone’s favorite tiny BWO – the Pseudo! Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female (waning & sporadic)

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

September 29, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 29, 2012

What a roller-coaster yesterday. The West Branch finally peaked around 1,200 yesterday, and has been immediately tapering back off. The fishing was pretty slow as a result of the big slug, and there weren’t too many mayflies kicking around. We’re at just over 600 right now, with stained, but not dirty water out front of the club. This could be a banner day out on the river, for sure! With clouds predicted for most of the day, coupled with the influx of water, expect bugs and fish to be very active today. The drop in flow has slowed down so expect the river level to fall at an even pace today – definitely another check in the ‘win’ column!

One of our smaller Isos made an appearance recently. This guy is a #14. Photo by: Jeff White

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female (waning & sporadic)

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

September 28, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 28, 2012

UPDATE! looks like we just went through the roof at Hale Eddy. The slug hasn’t hit us here at the Club, but I am sure we’ll be seeing it shortly. Give me a call at the club if you need an up-to-the-minute report!

For a change, everything pretty much went as predicted yesterday (not the weather, but the fishing at least). The middle of the day was fairly slow, with little hatching activity, but as soon as the sun hit its apex and dropped a bit, we saw good numbers of pseudos and heptagenias coming off, with the occasional Iso thrown in for good measure. Nothing spectacular, but it was pretty consistent action into the evening. The rain started around midnight last night, and has been slow and steady ever since. Hale has jumped a bit (100 cfs) and the rain is still going this morning. It looks like the system is just about all the way past us, so we shouldn’t get too much more precipitation today, and hopefully the river stays clear. The other good bit of news is the cloud cover that is predicted for today – we could be looking at another repeat performance of Wednesday, where the pseudos and deficiens were out in full force during the over cast portions of the day. Let’s also hope that the air temps stay warm until I can get out of here to take advantage of what’s shaping up to be another good day!

Curtis McElhinney with a great Main Stem Smallie – his first EVER, caught on Jeff’s Messy Craw. Photo by: Jeff White

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female (waning & sporadic)

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (sporadic when cloudy)

September 27, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 27, 2012

Talk about a banner day! It was like spring had suddenly returned to us yesterday, with clouds, mist and rain mixed with warm, humid air – exactly what the bugs loved. The West Branch did not disappoint, with rising fish and hatching bugs throughout the day. The lower stretch of the river fished the best (from Hale Eddy down), with the Upper Main following closely behind insofar as success was concerned. Isos, pseudos, heptagenias, stenos – the whole kit and caboodle were on the menu. Today we’re seeing a bit of a change in weather, with the sun already starting to peek through the clouds. Temps are supposed to stay low, but I do not think we will see the quality of hatches we did yesterday – at least not until the evening, when each river should produce another great fall night!

A nice Main Stem Rainbow. Too bad the doofus holding it couldn’t look at the camera for the picture. Photo by: Jeff White

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female (waning)

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (when cloudy)

September 26, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 26, 2012

It was a pretty beautiful fall day out there yesterday, with a much warmer evening than we’ve had over the last few days, producing some pretty decent hatches as we approached dark. The Iso spinners still decided to tease us and not fall, but at least they were there! On the water, the heptagenias were coming off strong, as were Iso duns in certain sections of the river. It seems Stockport was the most productive run of the evening, yielding some nice fish in both the pool and the riffles. Today looks to be a spring day in September. We already had some rain overnight, which did not greatly affect the flows. What we are looking forwrad to today is cloud cover, humidity, sprinkles, and maybe an t-storm in the afternoon. Sounds like a BANNER olive day to me!

Colorful Brown Trout. Photo by: George Fielding

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female (waning)

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Epeorus vitreus – Light Cahill – (Male)- #14 (sporadic)

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14 (waning)

Ephemerella deficiens– Dark. BWO -#12-20 (when cloudy)

Ephemerella attenuata– Light BWO- #16-20 (when cloudy)

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20 (when cloudy)