July 17, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 17, 2012

I’m just going to lead with the picture today, as this is what happened on the Lower West Branch yesterday:

Yes. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Despite early morning clouds, and cooler periods of the day, we didn’t have squat happen out on the river. You know it’s tough when guides nymph three of the best riffles on the river and come up with bupkiss. Upriver saw SOME sulphurs, but definitely not in the quantities we have typically seen on a daily basis. We definitely get days like this on occasion, and I hope that’s all it was! Today is supposed to be even hotter, but with some reprieve from the sun in the form of afternoon clouds – let’s see what it does for us!

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 16, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 16, 2012

How about that! We actually got some rain around here! Good thunderstorms (as opposed to the one at 5AM that I’m sure some of you in NYC heard which didn’t have the decency to drop any precipiation)rolled through the area throughout the afternoon yesterday, bringing some heavy rain with it at times, as is evidenced by the spike in flow on the West Branch yesterday. We were bumped up to about 800 CFS, but the river did not get overly off-colored, and we have already dropped back down to under 600 cfs. The water temps are warmer this morning as well, resulting from the rain, which should start fishing off early today. Mostly cloudy, warm and humid will make for some good daytime fishing, but likely shut down the late evening with some serious fog – that remains to be seen!

These are what we WISH the rain had given us an opportunity to use! – the SLG courtesy of Jeff White. Photo by: who else? Jeff

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 15, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 15, 2012

It was definitely a mixed bag yesterday! We had some early morning cloud cover, which melted away towards the afternoon, then reappeared towards dark. The upper river had bugs VERY early and throughout the periods of clouds, and shut down a little bit when that bright yellow nuclear furnace came out to scorch us. The entire river had some wonderful evening hatches of smaller sulphurs (#20) and olives (#18), and the fish decided to be extra special picky just to make things interesting. ON the side of the house this morning, we definitely had a good mix of bugs that likely hatched overnight. A BIG T-storm rolled through at about 5 AM, but unfortunately did not dump much water on us – all show, and no go! Today, we’re starting off cloudy, and they are predicting scattered thunderstorms throughout the day. Hopefully this cloud cover will continue and give us good bug activity all day as it did yesterday!

The humidity and cold water gave us a little bit of fog this morning, but I saw more than a few rings in the film…..anyone want to watch the shop for a bit? Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 14, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 14, 2012

What a difference a few clouds can make! With hazy / overcast skies yesterday, we saw some great insect activity pretty much throughout the day, and especially into the evening. Reports from Hale Eddy down were more positive than they have been in several days, with tons of Dortheas coming off, as well as some sporadic spinner falls of both Isos and Sulphurs, depending on the stretch of river you were on. This morning, the upper river has already seen some hatching bugs, likely a result of the warmer overnight temperatures. The weather is calling for a mix of sun and clouds today, with possible scattered rain showers. Let’s hope they materialize!

An angry Crayfish in its black phase, which is fairly unusual to find. He’s so ticked he’s frothing at the mouth! Photo by: Jeff White

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 13, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 13, 2012

Happy Friday the 13th! Let’s hope it’s a lucky one out on the river! We had pretty decent hatches out there last night, and even more overnight judging by all the bugs on the side of the shop this morning. Fishing was slow during the day (Aside from way up by Stilesville), but definitley picked up in the evening. Today, we’re looking at a carbon-copy of yesterday, with the”possibility” of thunderstorms in the afternoon. We’ll see what materializes!

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 12, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 12, 2012

Tough going out there yesterday during the day time. That bright sun was NOT a fun companion out on the water. Some clouds did roll in for a bit, and there was activity up river when that did occur, as brief as it was. The evening did fish as usual up river, but down here by the club we did not see a huge number of bugs hatching, but did find a good number of fish feeding on spent spinners floating down, especially towards dark, which gave one last rush of action at the end of the day. We are looking at even warmer temperatures today, so the middle of the day will be a great time to find a pool or comfortable place to take a nap. The evening should fish well, as the barometric pressure hasn’t shifted much, and our flows on the West have remained steady overnight. Remember – sunscreen people!

A cool night made for a pretty morning on Home Pool today. The bugs did stay away from the cool fog, unfortunately. Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 11, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 11, 2012

Finally a little bit of precipitation! I can’t remember the last time we actually had a decent rain hit the ground here in Starlight. Albeit the duration was not much to brag about, it was still a welcome respite from the constant heat and sun. The change in pressure did affect the hatching slightly, but only shut it down for the duration of the rain, and then the bugs quickly shot back to the surface, making for a pretty good evening of fishing river-wide. As the temps cooled, the action slowed, so we didn’t get the typical “half-past dark thirty” hatching we normally see. The flow from the reservoir was dropped back down to 510 CFS overnight, so the fish will take a little while to reacclimate this morning, and the with no real storms or clouds in the forecast for today (as of yet), the lower west will be a bit warmer today, as will the very upper stretches of the Main Stem.

An angry Crawfish in its black phase. So ticked he’s frothing at the mouth! Fairly unusual to see. Photo by: Jeff White

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 10, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 10, 2012

IT was a little bit different out there yesterday. Despite the slightly cooler weather (realize that is a relative phrase), not much happened on the West Branch in the evening until right at dark, when there was a small flush of BWOs (likely deficiens) just as you could no longer see. Down in Home Pool, there was nary a bug to be found. Very odd to be sure, so there must have been a pressure change or something of the like to keep them down. The powers that be have also started to ramp down the flow out of Cannonsville, so we now have only 737 coming out of the dam. If this remains stable, there should not be a great change in the fishing / fish holding spots. Today, we’ve got thunderstorms in the area this afternoon, and even lower temps again. Let’s hope for some good rain to get the East back up and cool the Main Stem down a bit!

Intern Jim Swift III with a FOOTBALL! Photo by: Jim Swift II

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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 deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 9, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 9, 2012

It was another pretty decent day out there Sunday, albeit mostly in the late evening downriver, and later in the afternoon up river. The sun was pretty hot through the middle of the day, but we did see some clouds show up and cool things down a tad. Below Ball’s Eddy fished well in the evening, but the bugs shut right off around 7:30 / 8:00 and the fish followed suit. Today, the temps are supposed to be significantly lower, and substantially more clouds are predicted which should yield a pretty good day river-wide. Assuming the knuckleheads who make these forecasts get it right, of course!

A nice brown in the sun – photo by: George Fielding

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 8, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 8, 2012

I don’t get to say this too often, and I do try to avoid it, but today I can’t resist – you should’ve been here yesterday! The weathermen could not have been more wrong in their forecast, and it worked out to the benefit of everyone on the river yesterday. Rain early, coupled with overcast skies to keep the nuclear hot (ha-ha) sun off the water led to fantastic hatches from just after 12PM on, well until 8:30 or so in the evening. The fish seemed a bit less picky than they have been as of late, and the only real issue was the thick, THICK fog resultant from the super-humid air and super-cold water doing the lambada. As for today, the release from Cannonsville is still around 790, but will likely drop in anticipation of the power generation picking up downstream again for the week. Until then, we should have some great hatching still, and today is considered “mostly cloudy” which as you all know, it nothing but a good thing!

Phil Towzell holds a HUGE West Branch Rainbow caught last night in the fog. Realize that Phil is about 6’5″, and has no problem palming a basketball. That fish was THICK! Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

July 6, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 7, 2012

What a scorcher out there today! The humidity definitely helped to add to the sweat factor, and not in a good way! The good news is that the temps did not drop dramatically once the sun went down, preventing a seriously thick fog from descending and shutting down the fishing. Clouds did roll in a bit and the late afternoon, and boy did that help! Sulphurs yet again up above, coupled with some larger cahills down river. Today is supposed to make yesterday seem cool, so we are anticipating a similar level of daytime activity, with hopefully a good afternoon. The cold water should continue thru the day, helping us in a big way. The gates will likely turn off late into the night, so we will likely be at 500cfs again on Sunday morning.

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Homepool with the water up in the grass!

July 6, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions July 6, 2012

That was a nice change of pace yesterday, and now we’ve got our weekend water starting (thanks to Montague)! Even in the heat, we had some clouds roll in for the afternoon, and the entire river decided to cooperate much to our happiness and surprise, considering the predicted weather. The only trouble spot was the higher winds early on in the day, which were not originally in the forecast – go figure! The good news is that they were downstream (out of the N / NW), and cooled the day down dramatically. Good sulphur hatches throughout the afternoon above Hale Eddy and into Deposit also showed up in the lower stretches into the evening. Today, we are expecting more sunshine and warmer temps, and with the pressure settled down, as well as this influx of cold water for the weekend,  we should see continued hatching as we saw on Thursday, as well as good fishing all along the West Branch.

Just as an idea for those tying / using crayfish imitations, which can be great this time of  year.  This guy was 2.5″ long, and you can see the interesting color scheme! Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Hatches:

Epeorus vitreus – Pale Evening Dun – (Female) -#14

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

Potomanthus distinctus – Golden Drake – #12-2xl

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)

Ephemerella Deficiens–  Dark. BWO -#12-20

Ephemerella Attenuata- Light BWO- #16-20

Ephemerella Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

Hydropsyche- Tan Caddis- #18

Ryacophilia- Olive Caddis- #16

Baetis species – #18 & #20