It was a mixed bag yesterday, with some folks having decent luck, and others having a hard go of it. There were flushes of bugs up and down the West Branch sporadically throughout the day, with the fish deciding to be quite difficult during that period. Around 6:30 or so, a good hatch started in earnest, first with Stenos (Cahills) in #14 and #16, as well as some bruiser #12s thrown in for good measure. Some fish were on these, and anglers did well with the appropriate sized comparadun for sure. As the evening progressed, the bugs shifted to dortheas in #18 and a flush of psuedos towards dark, although those out right until the end had the best luck with #12 Iso patterns. Today we’ve got warmer weather on par, with “partly sunny” skies. I would expect a more “normal” summer day, with bugs early up top, and moving on down as the day progresses. The water is definitely starting much cooler today thanks to the clear skies and overnight lows, so be ready for a little later start river-wide.
From the Great North, Norm Price rocks his DRC hat while holding an Alaska Sockeye! Photo Courtesy of the Angler
What’s Hatching:
Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16 & #18
Isonychia bicolor – Iso – Slate Drake – #12-2XL
Hydropysche species – Tan Caddis – #16 & #18
Chimarra species – Charcoal Caddis – #16 & #18
Stenonema species – Various Light Cahills – #14
Pseudocloeon species – BWO – #22 – sporadic
Heptagenia hebe – Olive Sulphurs – #16 – starting
Current Flow Conditions:
| FLOWS AS OF 8:00 AM: | |
| West Branch at Stilesville, NY | 577 cfs @ 45º |
| West Branch at Hale Eddy, NY | 681 cfs @ 46º |
| East Branch at Harvard, NY | 206 cfs @ 54º |
| East Branch at Fish’s Eddy, NY | 285 cfs @ 64º |
| Mainstem at Lordville, NY | 1,240 cfs @ 63º |
| Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, NY | 122 cfs @ N/A |
| Cannonsville Reservoir Level & Release | 93.4% – 600 CFS release |
