It felt like winter had crept back at us yesterday, that much is for sure. By “crept,” I mean blowing with seemingly gale-force wind at times. With the East Branch and the Main pretty much blown out yesterday, the West Branch was the only real game in town, with plenty of waders and boats taking advantage. Successs was a bit tough to find for some, as certain areas of the river had active fish, while others were quiet. The big news of the day? HENDRICKSONS!!! Good hatches were seen on the West, and there were even a few fish feeding on them as well. The Parleps were still going strong, as well as Baetis, but for the most part the wind kept the dry fly fishing to a minimum. Today on the other hand, we are looking at a partly sunny day with temps in the low 50s, but the winds are supposed to lay down for the first time this season. The bugs are ready to pop, and today could be the day the fish really start looking up and seeing them!
Theo May holds a nice West Branch Brown caught on a #14 Hendrickson Comparadun yesterday. Photo: Jeff White
What’s Hatching:
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Taeniopteryx fasciata – Early Black Stonefly- #18
Brachyteraspecies- Early Brown Stonefly – #12/#14
Baetis species – BWO – #16 & #18 – Very sporadic, getting started
Paraleptophlebia adoptiva – Blue Quill – #16 & #18 – Same as Baetis
Current Flow Conditions:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 221 cfs @ 39º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 721 cfs @ 42º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 447 cfs @ 42º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 2,440 cfs @ 43º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 4,400 cfs @ 45º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 1,610 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 95.9% – 200 CFS release |
