May 15, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 15, 2014

The wind.   We had decent hatches of hendricksons, olives, and lots of caddis yesterday.  I’m tired of the upstream winds that are double what the weatherman predicts.  Despite the wind or at least in between gusts the fish were up and happy.  The steady risers weren’t picky but the intermittent fish were tough.  A few March Browns floated by so hopefully by the weekend the fish recognize them as food. Cannonsville is 100.6% capacity with rain in the tonight’s forecast.

Jim with a nice fish in the sunshine. Photo by Steve Shen

Mike with a followup brown. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Apple Caddis #16 – Lt Brachycentrus sp.

Charcoal Caddis #16-18 – Dk Brachycentrus sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

May 14, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 14, 2014

Yesterday fished well in between wind gusts with a mixture of Hendricksons, olives, and caddis.  When the wind was blowing there were white caps out there.  When the weather calmed down in the evening and the caddis in the air looked like snow the fish were a lot more friendly.  Hendrickson spinners also helped bring them up.  Today looks like a mix of clouds, light intermittent rain, and maybe a thunder shower.  If the weatherman is correct today I would call the winds “medium”

Joe getting it done on the WB Photo by Steve Shen

Brent following up with a WB Brown. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Apple Caddis #16 – Lt Brachycentrus sp.

Charcoal Caddis #16-18 – Dk Brachycentrus sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

May 13, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 13, 2014

We saw decent hatching throughout yesterday afternoon with plenty of fish rising.  Sections of the system had most fish feeding subsurface on caddis pupa and hendrickson emergers with an occasional eat off the top.  Other sections had fish eating off the top most of the day.  Luck of the draw.  Wet flies worked okay on the subsurface fish.  Today looks great with a little rain, possible thunder shower, and cloud cover all day.

Ty with a nice brown Photo by Steve Shen

Steve Shen holding Dave’s brown.  Photo by Ty

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Apple Caddis #16 – Lt Brachycentrus sp.

Charcoal Caddis #16-18 – Dk Brachycentrus sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

May 12, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 12, 2014

Yesterday the bright sun made fishing a little tougher than it has been but there were still fish rising throughout the day in sections.  A good mix of Hendricksons, some Blue Quills, and lots of caddis in the evening seemed to make the fish happy.  Some people reported fish rising all day while others found only occasional risers until the sun dropped.  Today is going to be very warm with a possible thunder shower in the afternoon.  Some cloud cover would definitely help but the bugs will come and the fish will rise.

Nick with a great WB Brown. Photo by Steve Shen

Nick with another great fish yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Apple Caddis #16 – Lt Brachycentrus sp.

Charcoal Caddis #16-18 – Dk Brachycentrus sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 11, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 11, 2014

Despite a few downpours yesterday fished very well throughout the system.  Hatches Hendricksons, Blue Quills, Blue Winged Olives, and both light and dark Brachycentrus caddis had the fish very happy.  The Hendrickson spinners throughout the day were the icing on the cake.  Lots of fish were eating and lots of fish were landed on dry flies.  It looks like the rain has increased the spill from Cannonsville overnight.  The flow at Hale Eddy is dropping and should level off this morning.  We have slight color but it’s still clear enough for dryfly fishing.  Today looks good with warm air temps and sun.

Life is good for Mark on the West Branch. Photo by Steve Shen

Life is better. mark with another fish. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Apple Caddis #16 – Lt Brachycentrus sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 10, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 10, 2014

Despite the weatherman being incorrect on his wind gust estimates the river fished very well yesterday.  Hendricksons, Blue Quills, Apple Caddis and Dark Brachys all brought fish to the net.  The hatching started mid afternoon and we still had fish picking junk up until dark. m It was a great classic Delaware day.  The rain early Friday morning did bring the rivers up and muddied the East.  The flows throughout the system are dropping and the WB looks great this morning.   The weather today looks the same with a little more wind, and sun.

Jim holding a fat brown yesterday – they love the rusty spinner. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Apple Caddis #16 – Lt Brachycentrus sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 9, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 9, 2014

Yesterday fished very well with a great mix of Hendricksons, Blue Quills, and Apple Caddis.  The fish were up and happy when the sun was blocked by clouds in the afternoon.  There were a lot of fish playing nice and a lot of fish landed.  The lower water levels, warm air temps and sun have finally warmed the rivers enough to get some good afternoon dry fly action.  The air temps stayed surprisingly warm last night so we are starting off with great water temps this morning.

Steve Shen with a WB brown.  Photo by Jordan Davenport

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Apple Caddis #16 – Lt Brachycentrus sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 8, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 8, 2014

Yesterday was a good day all around.  The hatches were a healthy mix of Blue Quills, Hendricksons, Little Black Caddis, and lots of Apple Caddis starting to show on the lower river.  The best part was no wind!  Today looks even better with light rain, light wind,  and warm air temps.

Justin in the dark on the Main. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 7, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 7, 2014

The wind was with us again yesterday.  We had hatches of Blue Quills and Hendricksons on most of the system but the risers were tough to find during the wind gusts.  Fish were eating in the protected areas through the afternoon.  Nymphing drop offs was very productive.  Most of the activity shut down as the sun set and the temperatures dropped.  Today looks like a beautiful day with temps in the 60s, sun, and winds actually under 6 mph.  Cannonsville is now 100% capacity.

Release photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 6, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 6, 2014

The Cannonsville release has been cut back.  The recording says the release is 541 cfs but the USGS gage shows Stilesville at 407 cfs.  They did not do a stellar job of ramping down the water either.  Cannonsville is currently at 99.8% capacity.  Most of the system had a decent hatch of Hendricksons mixed with Blue Quills yesterday.  The fish were eating when the wind wasn’t gusting.  Today looks great with a high of 60, sun, and moderate winds with some decent gusts.

Jim Swift II with a brown

Kevan holding a WB brown

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 5, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 5, 2014

Well that was a strong wind yesterday.  There were decent hatch es of blue quills and hendricksons on most of the system yesterday but the wind made fishing tough.  Fish were caught but a lot of time was spent watching bugs float by uneaten.  The hatching should continue today with less wind relatively speaking.  winds in the low teens and gusts to 20 which should be manageable.  The fish should be eating in wind protected areas.  The river temps are hitting the magic number of 50 degrees.

Bernie with a WB Brown photo by Steve Shen

Tom with a WB Brown Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.

May 4, 2014

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 4, 2014

Blue Quills and Hendricksons were the flies of choice yesterday.  We also had some black caddis and a few stoneflies in the mix.  The insects and rising activity has been increasing over the last few days and it finally feels like spring.  We are still dealing with cold nights so it’s taking longer for the water temps to rise during the day making the hatching a little later than “normal”.  According to the weatherman we have some serious winds coming in today- lets hope he’s wrong.

Another West Branch brown. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:

Light Hendrickson #12 – E. subvaria

Dark Hendrickson #14 – E. Subvaria

Blue Quill #16 – Paralep sp.

Quill Gordon #14 -Epeorus pluralis

Little Black Caddis #18-20 – Chimarra sp.

Tiny Black Stoneflies #18 – Capniadae sp.

Early Black and Brown Stoneflies #14 – 16 Taeniopteryx sp.