Delaware River Report / Conditions May 28, 2012

Happy Memorial Day! If you haven’t already, please take a moment to reflect on and thank all of those who have served and are currently serving our country, allowing us to be able to enjoy our freedom.

Apologies on the tardiness this morning, have some guides heading out super early to beat the heat. As for the fishing yesterday, well let’s just say this holiday weekend never looked more like the “official” start of summer. Bright sun and hot temperatures quickly warmed the waters of the lower Main into the 70s, which quashed basically any (read: responsible) trout fishing. Catching a trout in those water temps can stress them to the point of exhaustion and death, so it’s too be avoided. Although there were bugs, few fish were seen, as they were likely opting to stay low and stay cool. The Upper Main stayed fairly cool, but only decided to fish well right at dark, when there were good hatches of dortheas, smaller BWOs (Ephemerella deficiens, specifically), and random stenos (light cahills) of various sizes and species. There was also a good flush of rusty spinners in several different sizes as well. Today we’re hoping for more cloud cover (in the forecast), but it does appear that it will be much warmer, approaching 90 in some areas, with passing thunderstorms. Very little breeze means that it will be sweltering by the end of the day today. The West and Upper Main should fish during the day if these clouds do materialize, and we should see a pretty productive, “typical” summer evening as well!

Young Lee and his fishing partner with a chunky brown. Photo by: Steve Shen

Hatches:

Stenonema vicarium – March Browns – #10-2xl

Stenonema fuscum – Grey Fox – #12-2xl

Isonychia bicolor – Isos – #12-2XL and BIGGER!

Ephemerella dorthea – Sulphurs – #16

Ephemerella invaria – Large Sulphurs / Light Cahills – #14

Ephemerella cornuta – Light BWO – #14 (sporadic)

Ephemera guttulata – Green Drake – #8-2xl

Baetis species – #18 & #20