Time for a change

It's been three weeks since the flow was cut back to five hundred in the WB and one hundred forty in the EB.  Flows have stabilized, hatches have become predictable and fishermen have learned to be in the right place at the right time. The fish? They have taken a beating, their mouths are cut up and sore. They fight like a punch drunk fighter in the fifteenth round of a fight he doesn't want to be in. They have developed stomach ulcers from worrying about what to eat and have become very hard to catch. Refusals have become the norm, takes the exception.

On September first I believe the water releases from both reservoirs will be reduced. While this will concentrate the fish, it will also change where they hold and feed.  It will also have an effect on the timing and quantity of the hatches. Hopefully it will give the battered trout a few days to rest and heal while the anglers figure things out.

The best thing that could happen to the Delaware River system right now would be some crisp fall weather and a healthy dose of cool rain that would freshen both the lower EB and the big river. This would spread out both the fishermen and the fish, giving both bruised egos and sore mouths a chance to heal.

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