April 30, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 30, 2012

Our friend Donnie who currently lives in Dubai came up to fish yesterday, and felt like he was back home. That would be due to the crazy swirling winds and dust flying everywhere. The meteorologists outright blew it yesterday (not that it is an uncommon occurrence) and our “up to 24MPH” gusts were more in the 45MPH range. It made for one tough day for anyone out in a boat. Anchoring was a nightmare, and let’s not talk about trying to properly present a dry fly in such conditions. That being said, there were bugs throughout the day starting around 2PM, and the fish were up and on them whenever the wind laid down for a brief period. Home Pool fished exceptionally well, with virtually all of the fish taking Hendricksons. This was the same on the Main – as soon as we think they’re done, they come right back at it again! Today is “supposed” to be a much calmer day, but we will see how accurate they are.

Angus Smith with an East Branch Brown. Photo by: Wiley Paul

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18 (Some spinners left on the WB)

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 29, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions – April 29, 2012

We had a bit of a change out there yesterday – bright sun, sporadic winds, and warmer temps led to some very exciting dry fly fishing, especially along the West Branch. There were pockets of active fish on the Main as well, and all were munching on the same thing – HENDRICKSONS! We thought they had passed on the Main, but we were obviously mistaken. They are down to the smaller Ephemerella “x” sizes (#16), and the dark comparamerger was certainly the ticket for those fishing out front. We’re looking at a similar day today with slightly warmer temps, and unfortunately some likely heavier winds as well. I would anticipate the hatch starting a bit earlier today than yesterday (say 2 instead of 3), and being the strongest when the wind lays down.

Fred Nelson holding a SLOB of a Rainbow in this self - portrait.

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18 (Some spinners left on the WB)

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 28, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 28, 2012

BRRRRRRRR! Not a big fan of the weather yesterday, and neither were the poor souls who were out on the river. The windchill made it feel like it was in the teens, but we managed to stay above 40 for most of the day. Brutal conditions did not lead a good day, but some folks managed to have luck nymphing (shudder), and there was a brief flush of bugs in the late evening as soon as the wind died down. Today the wind is supposed to lay off, and we are looking at highs in the low 50s, which could set everything in motion for a great afternoon / evening hatch. Let’s see what happens! Also, this is the “One Bug” weekend, so if you are heading up, be aware there will be tons of boats out on the water.

Also, I’m sure many of you noticed yesterday, the Stilesville gauge went down to near 20 CFS yesterday. The DEP actually shut down the dam for several hours yesterday to make some repairs to the “release way.” We’re now back at the pathetic 85 CFS release. It’s better than 0 I guess.

An awesome fish on a tough day! Look at the size of that tail! Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18 (Some spinners left on the WB)

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 27, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 27, 2012

White fly hatch this morning. By “fly” I mean snow. We’ve had some pretty serious flurries this morning, coupled with some hellacious winds. We’re looking at winds throughout the day, with the sun peeking through this afternoon. We’ll see what it brings!

Yesterday was a bit tough, with fewer bugs than we have seen over the last few days. We’re going to blame the slightly cooler temperatures. A few nice fish were caught however, so it was definitely worth while to head out there!

Yours truly with a nice East Branch Brown. Netted and Photo taken by my guide that day, Tony May.

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 26, 2012

Delaware River Report / Condtions April 26, 2012

Many apologies on the tardiness of this post – we’ve had a BUSY morning here at the club, getting folks out on the river!

Yesterday was a great day, with significant hatching starting from about 1PM and running until 6PM or so, conisisting of Hendricksons, small Baetis, and Apple Green Caddis. The West Branch was the predominant Hot Spot, but the East and Main also fished pretty darn well. Warmer temps and lighter winds today bode well for some continued action, although the West Branch is dropping significantly. Let’s pray for even more rain in the near future!

Norm Price with a great WB Brown, netted by his lovely wife Pam! Photo also by: Pam Cavanagh

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 25, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 25, 2012

It felt like Yellowstone here at the DRC yesterday – we went from rain, to sleet, to snow, to rain to sleet to bright sun, to huge squalls and wind to dead calm. Fun all around! The crazy part was that the river fished like the Firehole as well. We had big hatches of Hendricksons and Baetis in between the squalls and blasts of precipiation, and the fish were eager to please. With the water even more clear today, and overcast conditions predicted, this could turn out to be a fantastic day as well!

Wiley caught this lunker on a Hendrickson emerger yesterday in a break from the wind. Don't worry, we're making him get back to work today!Photo by: Bruce Miller

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 24, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 24, 2012

As predicted, the river dropped quick, and cleared dramatically! We have stabilized, and will slowly lose CFS over the next week or so, especially if the weather remains overcast with small amounts of precipitation. Fishing was rough yesterday, however. We had a few people brave the conditions and head out – just as the river became even more off-color and the weather cooler. Wiley was the only real winner, as you’ll see below. Today the temps are going to remain sub-50, with a bit of wind, but we have a good chance of seeing some BWOs throughout the day.

Wiley Paul with a Fabulous Brown. Photo by: Kevan Smaracko

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #18 & #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 23, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 23, 2012

Rain! Finally! That being said, if you look at the graph below, it seems like someone fell asleep whilst drawing it, and the pen slipped from their hand and went directly up. The good news is it only went to about 1,500 cfs, and the river while off color isn’t completely blown out. Windy conditions are expected today, but the streamer fishing should be fantastic! The river is already crested and dropping, and as it clears, the dry fly fishing should pick up again, likely in the next day or two.

Kevan holding Jon Stark's SWEET Main Stem Brown. Photo by: Michael Johnson

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 22, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 22, 2012

Yesterday was overcast, humid and warm – in other words perfect mayfly weather. That being said, we had strong breezes at times, which kept the bugs and the fish down – but still made for a pretty decent day until the early evening thunderstorm forced everyone (who at least realized that graphite conducts electricity) off of the water. Similar conditions today, albeit a slight bit cooler, followed by rain later this afternoon, then heavy rain overnight. Yesterday’s precipitation did not appreciably bring up the river level, and I expect that the upcoming rain will soak in as well, leaving the river fish-able. With the forecast for Monday changing by the minute, I don’t think I’ll go out on a limb and guess what will happen. That’s what we have weathermen for.

Continuing the "Fat Fish Series" of photos -here's a hog caught by Wiley Paul recently on the Main. Photo by: Bob Lewis

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 21, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 21, 2012

Howdy folks – sorry for the late post, this is the first time I have had 30 seconds to sit down and write this. No complaints, we need to make hay while the sun shines around here, and a busy shop is a happy shop!

The release was dropped slightly today, which is far more preferable than an immediate shut-down back to 131 CFS. We anticipate going back down bit by bit over the weekend. This gradual drop shouldn’t adversely affect the fishing, and the cooler temps / rain can only be helpful factors as well. Yesterday was a bit tougher on the dry fly end, with the bright sun keeping the fish hunkered down a bit, but the heathens nymphing (yeah, I’m looking at you Steve & Kevan!) managed to have one the best, most consistent days of the year.

A beautiful West Branch Brown! Photo by: Steve Shen

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 20, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 20, 2012

Sorry for the delay in posting today – crazy morning here at the DRC!

Well, you can thank the Supreme Court – we’ve got some more water coming down from Cannonsville. Montague has dropped below the required flow rate, and NYC needs to compensate by releasing from Cannonsville, so we’re seeing a bump up to about 350 CFS for the day. This means wading is still possible pretty much system wide, and the fish will get a bit of temperature relief from the bright sun we are expecting today. Don’t expect it to last – once the power generation at Rio Reservoir kicks back in, we’ll likely lose the release. Good reports from last night, with some real big fish caught towards the evening. Risers throughout the day, sporadically in places, still mowing down hendricksons and the occasional caddis.

Kevin Delaney with a FAAAAAAAAT Main Stem Brown caught last week. Is that a Brown or a Largemouth? Photo courtesy of the angler.

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20

April 19, 2012

Delaware River Report / Conditions April 19, 2012

Well, all the rain that we had predicted for this weekend has now evaporated, so to speak. Let’s hope it decides to make a return, and in short order, judging by how much water the city is taking out of Cannonsville!

The fishing started off fairly slow yesterday, likely due to the cooler temperatures and windy conditions. Towards evening, the whole thing exploded with rising fish. Spinners of several shapes and varieties were out, as well as some hatching Baetis (BWOs) and Hendricksons as well. Bright sun today early will likley slow the action down until the afternoon – (begin shameless self promotion)a great time to visit your local fly shop and restock!

Also, a blog first today – I have an unwritten rule to not put the same person’s photo in twice. Well, last night Norm Price came up to me and said, “Hey! I’ve got your picture for the blog tomorrow!” I told him of my policy, and he said, “Tell me that after you see this……” Ok Norm. You win. Great fish!

Norm Price with a FANTASTIC West Branch Rainbow. Photo by: Pam Cavanagh

Hatches:

Ephemerella subvaria – Hendricksons – #12 & #14

Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Blue Quill) – #16 & #18

Light Brachycentrus Caddis – Apple Green – #16 & #18

Dark Brachycentrus Caddis – Charcoal – #16 & #18

Baetis species – #20

Chimmarra (little black) Caddis – #18 & #20