October 20, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 20, 2020

Yesterday was a beautiful overcast fishing day and the wind wasn’t howling for a change.  Today looks the same at 63 degrees, 5 mph wind from the South, and less than 1/4″ of rain in the forecast.  This should be another good olive and isonychia day.  The release from Cannonsville was dropped slightly and the flow at Stilesville is 860 cfs.  The Mainstem will offer better wade opportunities but the West is doable.  Look for fish eating olives in the slower pools and tailouts.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The higher the release the more color will be in the river.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 19, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 19, 2020

A small adjustment down on the release from Cannonsville and we are running 915 cfs at Stilesville.  The water temps are up a couple of degrees throughout the system due to the warmer night.  Accuweather is showing us at 58 degrees today with 1/4″ of rain.  Wind will be 5 mph from the South.  If Accuweather has the wind right this should be a decent olive and isonychia day.  Yesterday the wind was higher than in the forecast but there were some opportunities when it dropped in the afternoon.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The higher the release the more color will be in the river.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 18, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 18, 2020

There is another good frost on the ground this morning so it will take a while to warm up.  We’ll eventually hit 59 degrees with some cloud cover and wind 8 – 14 mph from the South.  The release from Cannonsville was increased about 40 cfs.  The flow at Stilesville is 940 cfs this morning.  There is color in the West due to the release but it hasn’t bothered the fish or the bugs.  There were decent olives and isonychias on some stretches yesterday and the fish were happy.  There are even a few heptagenias still around.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The higher the release the more color will be in the river.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 17, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 17, 2020

The release from Cannonsville was increased yesterday and the flow at Stilesville is 900 cfs.  The release has been all over the place this week so click on the links below for the latest flow information.  It would be great if NYC DEP would split the 900 cfs release between Cannonsville and Pepaction and help both rivers.  That’s come up in the past but is obviously not a priority for them.  It’s cold this morning with a good frost on the ground.  We’ll warm up to 55 degrees with some sunshine and 8 mph wind from the North.  A nice October day.  The West will be off color so streamers and nymphs will be a good bet.  If you’re looking for fish eating olives and caddis watch the slow tailouts or check out the Mainstem.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The higher the release the more color will be in the river.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 16, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 16, 2020

The release from Cannonsville has been dropped slightly and the flow at Stilesville is 325 cfs.  The flow at Hale Eddy is dropping slowly but should settle by mid morning.  We’re in for quite a change in weather today with the air temp reaching 51 degrees.  We’ll have some light rain with wind 6  – 9 mph from the North.  That’s still pretty good for mid October.  The rain should only amount to .04″ so no issues there.  It looks like a good olive day.  Some people are seeing some of the caddis hit the water too so definitely have those ready.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The higher the release the more color will be in the river.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 15, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 15, 2020

The release from Cannonsville has been cut again and the flow at Stilesville is 365 cfs early this morning.  The release recording lists the release at 500 cfs.  Obviously that is incorrect again or they did a horrible job fixing the Stilesville gauge when the release was zero last week.  Hale Eddy is still over 600 cfs at 6:30 am but will drop throughout the morning.  We may see a little rain tomorrow but they are probably counting on releases from down river to meet flow targets.  We’ll be 71 degrees today with mostly sun.  There should be decent olives as the water drops.  Caddis are still all over the bushes and hitting the water occasionally giving us some shots.  Isonychias have been hit or miss but seem to be picking up.  Tomorrow we’ll see some clouds and a little rain as a front pushes through. We’ll cool down a bit to 51 degrees too.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The higher the release the more color will be in the river.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the fly to see the patterns in our online store

Slate Drake – #14 – Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 -20 – Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Olive – #22 – 26 – Pseudocloeon sp.
Tan Caddis – #18 – 20 – Hydropsyche sp.
Ginger Caddis – #14 – 16 Limnephilis sp.
Dark Blue Wing Olives – #18 – 20 – E. deficiens, lata

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 14, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 14, 2020

The flow at Stilesville is back up to 860 cfs this morning after being dropped a bit yesterday.  The air temp will hit 64 degrees today with sunshine but we are starting off 38 degrees and foggy this morning.  Wind should not be a factor at 5 – 9 mph from the West.  The West Branch flow is up so if you’re looking for dry fly fishing keep and eye on the slower tailouts of the big pools.  Otherwise streamers and nymphs should work well.  The East Branch is low with a 228 cfs flow at Fishs Eddy so the Mainstem is also relatively low.  Both of those would be good options for wading.  Small olives, some isonychias, and caddis are out there.  Some river sections may still have a few heptagenias hatching so keep those in your box for now.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The higher the release the more color will be in the river.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 13, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 13, 2020

The rain they were counting on to meet the downstream flow requirements missed us so the release from Cannonsville has been increased.  The flow at Stilesville is 860 cfs but dropping this morning. It may level out there.  The recording says the release is 927 cfs.  All we can do is watch the gauge and see where it levels out.  Check the gauge links below for the latest flow information.  There has been a push in the past to actually wait for the rain to hit to change the release rather than rely on inaccurate weather forecasts.  Apparently that idea was not a priority for NYC DEP.  A second slap in the face to downstream users in the last 10 days.  Yesterday the olives hatched in the afternoon and the fish were happy.  Nymphing worked well in the morning.  If the water stays up today could be a good streamer day.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 12, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 12, 2020

They are counting on the rain and downstream releases to meet the flow targets so the release from Cannonsville has been dropped again.  The flow at Stilesville is 165 cfs this morning.  We had some rain overnight and should receive more throughout the day.  So far nothing heavy and the river flows haven’t bumped at all as of 6:30 am.  We’ll have wind again today as the front pushes through.  16 mph from the South.  We’ve had some days where the wind comes and goes and gives us enough calm weather to get the fish eating on top.  Hopefully it’s like that today.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 11, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 11, 2020

The release from Cannonsville has been dropped.  The recording says the release is 300 cfs but the gauge at Stilesville shows 232 cfs.  NYC DEP is counting on releases from other dams and runoff from the rain coming to meet downstream flow targets.  The flow at Hale Eddy will drop over the next few hours.  We’ll hit 63 degrees today with wind 5 mph from the North.  A single digit wind forecast.  We should get some rain overnight with more coming tomorrow.  Tomorrow’s total should be around 1/2″.  Everything is pretty dry right now so a lot of it should soak right into the ground.  Falling water is usually good for dry fly action so the olives should come this afternoon.  Caddis are still all over the bushes and a few isonychias are around.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 10, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 10, 2020

Yesterday was a decent day to be on the water since we had little wind for a change.  Olives, caddis, a few isonychias, and some heptagenia are making up most of the bugs.  We are seeing quite a few isonychia spinners in the air so have some #14 rusty spinners in your box.  The West Branch flow is 722 cfs at Stilesville this morning.  The turbidity increases along with the release so there is some color to the water. It doesn’t seem to bother the fish or the bugs.  Today will be warmer with the air temp hitting the high 70’s with some sunshine.  The wind won’t be awesome at 15 mph from the South.  Overall it’s been a windy week.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update:

October 9, 2020

Delaware River Report / Conditions October 9, 2020

The release from Cannonsville is up and the flow at Stilesville has settled in at 680 cfs.  We’ll be a bit warmer today hitting 65 degrees and only dropping to 49 degrees tonight.  Wind will be 5 mph from the South with gusts to 9 mph.  That will feel like a slight breeze after the last few days.  Olives and caddis will make up the bulk of the bugs with some isonychias and heptagenia mixed in on some river sections.  Nymphing and swinging wets will be the best bets early until the afternoon.  Some river sections had good olives yesterday afternoon and the fish were on them.  Keep an eye on the bigger pools for risers at this flow level.

There is some color in the West Branch from the release.  The cloudiness will increase if they raise the release.  It happens every Fall when the reservoir begins to turn over.

Click on the gauge below for the most recent update: