Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

It's August and the flow on the East Branch has been lowered from five hundred cfs to one hundred thirty nine cfs.  What does this mean? The big East Branch below the Beaverkill junction is no longer receiving an infusion of cold water and is too warm to fish.  The trout have either left the river or are hunkered down in thermal refuges and should not be disturbed.  Cool fall rains (or releases) will drop the water temps, fish will repopulate the stream and it will again be fishable. The upper East Branch above the Beaverkill junction remains cool and fishable. The low clear water, however, requires both skill and patience.  It also requires each angler to be considerate of fellow anglers.  There are about fifteen miles of water in the upper East Branch.  More than enough room for everyone.  If you want to fish with other anglers the Power Line Pool and Long Flat are the places to go. Both have public access and are long deep pools where anglers can stand and wait fo

After a great trip to the Owyhee River in Oregon and fifteen days of nonstop bugs and rising fish in the Delaware, it was bound to happen. Today it did. I should have seen it coming. Yesterday I lucked into a morning olive hatch which provided me with great fishing, the rest of the day was filled with an ever increasing number of refusals and lost fish. Thinking the month was over I sat down last night and totaled up my catch for the month (perhaps an omen), only to later realize that there was another day to go. From  Tuesday  to today the increase in the number of fishermen was amazing. For the first time in over two weeks you had to share a pool. Pools that I had to myself now had anglers everywhere. The sum was bright, clouds scarce and bugs in their usual numbers. Fish were rising but were "missing the fly". I heard three different anglers say that. From the outset it was clear the I was star crossed. My first cast was eaten by a large rainbow that promp

Went out early this morning looking for Tricos on the upper EB.  There weren't any but what I did find was a nice hatch of size sixteen olives. The hatch increased as the morning went along and the fish did their best not to let any get off the water. In their eagerness they sometimes even ate ones with hooks in them. Went back to the camp, tied flies, did the breakfast dishes, solved a Tuesday crossword, ate a sandwich and set out for the WB.  Found seven cars at Stockport, six at the upper gamelands and none at the lower gamelands. The "where to fish" problem was solved (I don't believe that the upper gamelands is six times as good as the lower gamelands, the walk is just shorter). Found more than enough fish but it was like they knew the game.  Got ignored and refused numerous times. Did manage to get a hook in the mouth of half a dozen and half of which I lost in the heavy water. When the action slowed I hiked back to the car and drove down the worst

Got to fish with Rick from the Troutfitter today. The bright sun in a cloudless sky on what might well have been the hottest day of the year didn't slow down the sulfurs.  They came in good numbers.  The stenos also hatched but there didn't seem to be as many of them as usual. The fish?  They are not fond of bright sun.  If there was a cloud in the sky at any time all day, I missed it. Did they rise? Yes, but they didn't "go good".  There were periods where you really had to look to find a rising fish.  Those that did rise, did so carefully and often times just once. Both Rick and I had more refusals than takes. Was it a good day? We hooked a couple dozen fish between us and landed about fifteen. For the most part we had fish to throw at and weren't bothered by the heat at all. In fact the first thing Rick did when he got back to his car was to turn the heater on. It's hard not to have a good day when you're out on the Delaware catching f

In May fishermen line the stream like a picket fence and boats in a seemingly unending parade weave in and out of the wade fishermen trying to get to a place where they too can fish.  The Hendricksons are hatching!!!  From three 'til five most afternoons Hendricks hatch, fish rise and anglers cast.  Because of the number of anglers and the constant disturbance created by the boat traffic, nobody catches very many fish. It is an event.  Winter is over.  Spring has sprung.  I get all that. BUT during the last two weeks, bugs, LOTS and LOTS of them in all shapes and sizes have been hatching on the river system from two thirty until seven thirty, every day without fail. The fish?  They are eating them.  Better on cloudy days than bright sunny days but even on the sunny days they are up and eating and anglers would have fish to cast to from  two-thirty until seven-thirty. Had the river to myself again today.  Saw two boats and one angler half a mile away. The fish, undisturbed as they w

Weather Underground says it was 94 in Hancock today.  I don't believe it.  I had two shirts on and when I got in the car at  8:30  I had to turn the heater on. When I got to the camp the thermostat said 80 degrees. It felt good. Why? Because I spent five hours wading the ice cold WB casting to rising trout. Was it worth it? Um, yes. Delaware River fish are not stupid. I tell anyone who will listen that if you can catch them on a dry fly, you can catch fish anywhere. I've been saying how good the fishing's been ever since DEP started to drain Cannonsville.The fish were gulping sulfurs and they ate mine with no hesitation, the last two days I've fished, however, I haven't caught a fish on a sulfur.  Last week, you cast a steno, they ate. Today not so much. The sun was bright,( even if it was a little chilly), bugs got off the water quickly and the fish were very careful about what they ate. I got refusals on everything I threw.  It meant changing flies on almost every

Wife on the way home from our daughters, fridge empty and laundry bag full.  Time to head home and get the rest of my life in order. With the bug bonanza produced by the big releases in both branches, this was one of the best ten day runs of dry fly fishing in recent years. I'm not going to fret over the consequences of the Cannonsville  draw down 'til later. Maybe I'll work on a rain dance for this fall.