September 9, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 9, 2012

The big storm moving through yesterday was definitely full of style, but not a whole lot of substance (i.e. rain). The flows went up slightly, but the ground soaked up the hard rain and kept us from rising too dramatically. The bugs and fish anticipated the storm, as the morning hours prior saw NO activity from either one of them – they just laid down on the bottom and waited it seemed. Even the little ‘bows in the riffs wouldn’t come out and play. It was a sad state of affaris. Evening (post-storm) saw a big flurry of activity – caddis in particular, and the fish decided their lockjaw had lasted long enough. With a very cool overnight, water temps in the river are looking great for today, and with more cloud cover predicted, it has the potential to be a great day out on the water!

Chimarra caddis. Photo by: Jeff White

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 8, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 8, 2012

This is where I attempt to NOT sound like a broken record. However, screw whomever is in charge of the releases on this river. We’ve just been cut back to 325 CFS (which at least is according to “plan”) from 476. This will definitely make things a bit sluggish to start, but there are clouds predicted all day, which can do nothing but help us. The forecasted Tornado Watch is not my favorite, but I will definitely believe that when I see it. Honestly, rain in any form is a good thing. Last night was definitely slow, but the Stenos made an appearance, which definitely makes me happy on the inside – let’s hope that continues, and everyone busts loose prior to the “severe” weather heading our way.

Although they are still around, the flying ants have been a hard hatch to catch so far this year. Photo by: Jeff White

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 7, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 7, 2012

They’re mucking with the flows again. The release has dropped to 446 CFS, for no dicernable reason. I’m attempting to get to the bottom of it, but all I have to show is a bunch of folks who really are in the know shrugging the shoulders at me. The good news is this smaller drop should not adversely affect the river, as there isn’t a huge difference in level between 500 and 446. Our good friend Mr. Fog made a reappearance last night though – as it was warm and VERY humid in the late evening. This shut things down a little bit prematurely, but not before some good action was had by folks out in Home Pool. Similar weather today – mostly cloudy with some T-storms likely popping up later in the day. Barring any dramatic pressure changes, it looks like it’s going to be pretty good out there.

Have to say I love this one – East Branch Brown with a custom Abel Super 6. Photo & Fish: Bart Larmouth

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 6, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 6, 2012

Here we go again. We now have a 520 CFS release out of Cannonsville. Why you ask? I have absolutely no idea. The number does not correspond to any release rates in the FFMP. I’m open to any suggestions, other than meeting the Montague flow, as that is right where it needs to be. Regardless, yesterday was a pretty decent day overall. Bugs were happy and hatching sporadically throughout, and the evening saw some spinners descend on the water as well. Today, with this increased flow, it’s a bit unclear as to what will take place. We could see a bump in activity due to the cold water, or everything could shut down a little bit while as everything acclimates to the new level / temperature. We’ll see how it goes.

Also – FOUND – a customer brought me the upper 2 sections to what appears to be a 5-pc rod. Please give me a call here at the shop, let me know where you lost it, and I will gladly return it.

Our Iso from yesterday molted overnight, and I thought I would give some size perspective. with his forearms extended, this guy is near 3-inches long. Dang. Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 5, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 5, 2012

Overcast day? Check. Warm, humid conditions? Check. Slight rain and drizzle throughout said day? Check. Bugs hatching profusely to take advantage of ‘perfect’ conditions? ……..not so much. Yesterday seemed like it was going to be absolutely amazing, and aside from a few flurries of activity during the afternoon upriver, downstream was dead yesterday evening, with just the occasional fish rising to chase a sporadic Iso or caddis. Pressure changes maybe? This becomes one of those ‘smile and nod’ moments for me. We did experience some rain last night, and it has bumped the lower west up slightly to 400 cfs. Better for boats, but it should not affect the fishing too dramatically. We have more overcast skies today, and we are hoping they carry on throughout, and that the bugs decided to behave for a change.

Although there is no scale reference, this Iso was pushing a size #6! He hung out all day on the picture window for us. Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 4, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 4, 2012

The side of the shop was olive central this morning! Pseudos, Baetis, deficiens – they all showed up to the party it seems, the only issue being they likely hatched after dark, given the reports I received about yesterday’s fishing. There was some great trico action early, with sporadic hatching during the cloudy day, but the fish never truly turned on as they should have, given the conditions. Today, the cloud cover continues, and there are scattered thunderstorms rolling around the area, so that will make the day interesting for all those out on the water. Let’s hope the olives keep it up, and the fish actually decide to LOOK UP a little bit more!

A Baetis vagans dun with a bit of a crippled wing. Photo by: Jeff White

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 3, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 3, 2012

Happy Labor Day! I hope all of you not laboring are enjoying a much needed day off. As for here, we will be open and looking for you! The good news today is that there has been no change in the flow overnight, the bad news is that it means we’re still at a 325 release. Cooler temps yesterday helped keep the lower West cool, but not really cool enough, as the  majority of the hatching occurred right before dark. There were flurries of activity prior to that, and we had several folks staying with us down in Home Pool happily report ‘cooperative’ fish. They’re our favorite kind! It appears that Isaac will not come and pound us here in the NE as many had hoped, so we’re hoping the rain and t-storms predicted for the rest of the week materialize and drench us a little bit. Today we’re looking at mostly cloudy skies, so it’s a safe bet that olives are in order!

Not a whole lot going on here.

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 2, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 2, 2012

Well, they did it tow us again. Take a look at the graph below. After bumping us to 750 for about 10 hours, they shut off the valves (so to speak),and we’re back to a 325 release. The increased flow had definitely affected the river, and honestly shut it down quite a bit last night. Couple that with this precipitous drop in flow, and unfortunately, we may not have the best day today. If the predicted cloud cover makes it, that will definitely help, but the warm temps and sun will definitely heat the water up quickly on the lower West Branch, which will likely push some of our afternoon hatches later on into the evening.

Stilesville live graph

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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 1, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 1, 2012

Alright, will someone please explain to me what is going on with the flows here? Not that I am complaining – I LOVE the additional water, but it doesn’t quite jive with the flow plan, and Montague looked pretty good to me. Ah well, this must be one of those gift horse / mouth scenarios. Regardless, last night was a bit of hit-and-miss. Certain areas / pools fished well, while others were definitely slower, likely because of the colder slug of water moving through. That shock should stabilize, and will do nothing but help us as long as it keeps up! Bright sun again predicted for today, so look for slower daytime fishing (Deposit excepted) and hopefully some fantastic late afternoon hatches.

Still a few of these hatching as well. Baetis vagans male dun. Photo by: Bart Larmouth

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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)

August 31, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 31, 2012

Sometimes your the windshield, sometimes your the bug. Last night was one of those latter kinda nights. Despite calm winds, good temps in both the water and the air,”it” just never happened. Or as one guide put it, “well. That sucked.” Seems it was one of those nights where all the stars lined up and it just flat out didn’t matter. Ah well. New day today! And the biggest news? More water! The release from Cannonsville has been bumped to 509 CFS – this is great news for all of you looking to fish the Main down to Stockport. Couple this release with our cold nights, we might just get the upper Main back sooner than we had hoped! These cool over night temps are still helping us out in general, and I’ve already seen some Trikes kicking about Home Pool. It is also supposed to be a bit warmer today, and that could bring our ants back into play as well. Fingers crossed!

Booyeah! Water!

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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)

August 30, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 30, 2012

Not too shabby out there last night! There was a good mix of bugs once the sun started to drop in the sky, and the fish poked their noses up as well. Hebes, stenos, and Isos made their presence known.We had a very cool over night temperature, so I would suspect everything to start a little bit late this morning, but it bodes well for afternoon hatching. The bright sun will not help the cause, of that I am sure, but as it goes down, we should be looking at some nice evening activity!

Isonychia shucks in the shallows. Photo by: Jeff White

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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)

August 29, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions August 29, 2012

Well that was a nice little bump! Take a look at the graph below, and you’ll see what I mean. The rain may have shot us up a whole bunch yesterday, but the clear weather following it yesterday allowed the river to drop right back down. Currently, we’re near 500 CFS, and I’d bet that we’re back down in the 450 range by later today. The sudden jump in flows slowed the bite down a little bit yesterday, but as evening came along and the wind died down, we saw some decent hatching down here at the club, and good numbers of fish up and rising. The cool night means that the tricos will get pushed back slightly this morning (if it stays calm as it is), but should also mean some extended morning activity from our other winged friends, so long as the sun stays off the water. Otherwise, we’re looking at a pleasant and cooler day that should bring some early hatching activity in the evening.

A chunky monkey!

Tricorythodes species – #22 male and female

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 (sporadic), #18 & #20

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

Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphur – #16 & #18

Pseudocloeon– Tiny BWO- #22-26

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

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)