River Reports
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 15, 2012
Talk about a weird one yesterday. The morning and early afternoon started off like the PERFECT mid-May day: warmer, humid as all get out, and overcast. As the day progressed, the sun popped out from the clouds and brought some wind to the mix (which was not predicted. Shocking, I know.) shutting the bugs down at times. During the earlier calm periods, we had some great Iso hatches, especially in Stockport. The only issue was – nobody came up to eat them. Hence the oddity with the day. At other times when there were no bugs, you saw fish eating an Iso comparadun that was blind-casted. Definitely odd. The Chubs decided to feed voraciously, however, so anyone who would actually target those things must have had a field day. Today, we’re looking at continued warm temps with “light” wind throughout the day, and hopefully a couple of showers to bring the rivers back up a little bit. Keep your fingers crossed!
A great colored up Brown Trout from up by Deposit caught by Mark DeJong over the weekend. Photo by the angler. Be glad he’s not in the picture.
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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 49º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 223 cfs @ 52º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 153 cfs @ 50º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 767 cfs @ 51º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,010 cfs @ 52º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 400 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 57.4% – 150 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 14, 2012
Well that was a bit of a let down. After the initial glacial freeze of the morning yesterday, the temperatures warmed up into the mid-50s or so, producing some good numbers of hatching mayflies on each branch of the river. The only issue was that the fish decided to be more than a little uncooperative – rise three times, take a break, ignore the next few bugs, grab three more then go down for good, that type of scenario. Water temps likely played the biggest part in this, as they barely got out of the 40s throughout the day. We’re hoping for a turnaround today, since we’ve had a little rain overnight, and we’re starting the day off much warmer, and expecting a high in the mid-60s, with partial sun and clouds in the mix as well. The water temps are also starting off higher, so the fish will likely be a bit more frisky today as well (if they act like they should!).
Platycentropis Radiatus (say that 5 times fast) are still hatching in decent numbers. And the trout are still ignoring them. 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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 48º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 220 cfs @ 48º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 143 cfs @ 46º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 713 cfs @ 47º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 984 cfs @ 48º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 378 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 57.4% – 150 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 13, 2012
Wow. Windy does not even begin to describe what we had out there on Friday. Gusts near 30 at times, some sleet / hail at others, and bright sun rounding out the afternoon. Definitely an interesting day from a weather perspective. The fishing was tough (obviously) but there were Hebes out when there was breaks in the wind, along with some Stenos as well. Today the wind is supposed to drop, and the sun is expected out early. The only tough part is that the air temp as I sit here writing this is STILL 27 degrees. It’s going to be a slow start to the morning, that much is for sure!
Denis Faye caught this nice fat ‘Bow right out front of the club late last week. Well done! Photo by the angler.
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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 49º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 220 cfs @ 46º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 159 cfs @ 44º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 753 cfs @ 49º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,030 cfs @ 46º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 397 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 57.4% – 150 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 12, 2012
I think everyone’s still windburned from yesterday. It came up early, and stayed steady throughout the day, with some pretty substantial gusts right after lunch. Needless to say, this kept many of the smaller bugs (Hebes and Pseudos) off the water, until it laid down towards evening, when we had some limited activity. We also had one of our coldest nights of the year last night, so as you can see below, the rivers are starting off good and cold today, meaning that we’ll likely see bugs more towards the afternoon, once the sun has come out and had a chance to warm the place up a bit. Those who predict the weather (and whose name shall not be spoken) are constantly changing the forecasted wind for the day, so we will just have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us!
A beautiful, BIG rainbow caught by Pat McPartland recently on the Main Stem. Photo: Bob Lewis
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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 49º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 223 cfs @ 49º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 162 cfs @ 46º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 839 cfs @ 49º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,110 cfs @ 50º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 424 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 57.6% – 150 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 11, 2012
Interesting day, yesterday. We had some wind show up that we didn’t expect, along with cooler temperatures as well. That being said, every time I took a look out at Home Pool we had fish rising up and down it. Those fishing the East and Main reported similar experiences, and everyone saw one slightly oddball thing as well – Chubs & Trout, feeding together, mass hysteria (10pts if you get that reference). It seemed that even in the faster riffles, the Fall Fish / Chubs / Net Stinkers were feeding right along with the real fish – not exactly typical behaviour for these lazy buggers. Regardless, we did have good Psuedo hatches all day, and the Hebes and Isos were definitely popping in various places as well. Today we’ve got sun in the forecast, and actually cooler air temps. The water should heat up a little bit earlier due to that big fiery ball in the sky, so some earlier morning hatching may just add some excitement to the day.
An entry into the annual Chub derby. See? They’ll eat an Iso. 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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 49º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 232 cfs @ 49º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 173 cfs @ 48º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 965 cfs @ 50º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,150 cfs @ 51º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 503 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 57.5% – 150 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 10, 2012
A little bit warmer out there, and none of the ‘predicted’ showers made it our way. We had slow and steady action out front in Home Pool for the majority of the day, the majority from our friendly neighborhood Pseudos. The fish would still take an iso or two (of course!) but the yellow bug (Steno & Hebes) hatch wasn’t as strong as it has been. Today we’re looking at some much-needed rain to keep the flows on the East and the Main up at floatable levels. The air temps shouldn’t be too bad, so as long as we don’t have a deluge, we’re looking at another great fall day of fishing!
One of the larger “October Caddis” that are hatching and being ignored by our fishy-friends. This guy is a size #10. 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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 49º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 232 cfs @ 52º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 173 cfs @ 50º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 885 cfs @ 52º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,160 cfs @ 53º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 451 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 57.4% – 150 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 9, 2012
Boy did it start off bitter on the river yesterday – cold air temps with some biting humidity. Reminded me why I like the weather in the Rockies so much. However, it did warm up a bit throughout the day, and we had fish rising (albeit sporadically at times) into the evening. There was a fairly substantial Pseudo hatch on the Main Stem which strangely went mostly ignored, but fish were found eating the occasional Iso, and they certainly could be drummed up on them as well. A good flush of #14 Cahills (Stenos) made their way down stream mid-afternoon, and the Hebes were out here on the West Branch. The fish were there – they were just “bitchy,” according to Jeff. The temps are going to warm up a bit today, with cloud cover expected for the duration. The slightly warmer air temps will definitely help, and we’ll hopefully see rising fish until dark.
Jamie Frazier holds his FIRST Delaware Rainbow, and it’s a fat one! And what did he eat? An Iso, what else? 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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 47º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 237 cfs @ 49º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 179 cfs @ 48º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 973 cfs @ 50º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,250 cfs @ 51º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 484 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 56.8% – 150 CFS release |
Delaware River Report / Conditions October 8, 2012
It was definitely chilly out there yesterday. Temps hovered right below 60, and didn’t jump above there except for the few times when the sun peeked through the clouds. All in all, a truly “October” type of day. There were bugs hatching throughout the day however, with teh only real ‘shutdown’ occurring just after 6PM. Isos were the name of the game, as well as stenos and pseudos making their presence known. The fish were a little tougher for some reason (read: being picky bastards), but there were definitely some nice fish caught. Today we’re looking at a mix of sun and clouds, but the air temps aren’t supposed to make it above the mid-50s, so we’re goig to see another day of activity happening during the middle of the afternoon, with it turning off right before dark. Happy Columbus Day!
A cool shot of a steno spinner that didn’t make it. 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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 47º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 246 cfs @ 49º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 191 cfs @ 49º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,060 cfs @ 50º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,340 cfs @ 52º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 539 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 56.8% – 150 CFS release |
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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 150 cfs @ 47º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 252 cfs @ 50º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 200 cfs @ 50º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,150 cfs @ 52º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,410 cfs @ 55º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 572 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 56.8% – 150 CFS release |
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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 146 cfs @ 50º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 264 cfs @ 55º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 232 cfs @ 54º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,520 cfs @ 57º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,680 cfs @ 59º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 848 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 56.6% – 150 CFS release |
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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 146 cfs @ 50º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 264 cfs @ 55º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 232 cfs @ 54º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,520 cfs @ 57º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,680 cfs @ 59º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 848 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 56.6% – 150 CFS release |
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)
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 146 cfs @ 50º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy,NY | 246 cfs @ 56º |
| East Branch at Harvard,NY | 182 cfs @ 55º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy,NY | 1,160 cfs @ 58º |
| Mainstem at Lordville,NY | 1,450 cfs @ 60º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls,NY | 611 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 56.4% – 150 CFS release |
