Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

Heavy clouds, high temp of 50 degrees, rain late. To cold for the bugs to hatch. No fish rising (they don't do it just for practice) Fishermen everywhere (mostly sitting on rocks). If there is sunshine today it could be great (that double hatch thing again). A Note on upper East Branch Etiquette. At yesterdays level of about 150 cfs at Harvard, The Upper East Branch becomes very hard to fish. The slightest disturbance (sending mud downstream, pushing a wake across the pool, even walking along the bank) sends the fish fleeing into deeper water. We are approaching the peak of the fishing season everyone is entitled to fish. Long Flats and The Power line pool handle numerous anglers. The rest of the Upper East Branch demands anglers spread out to be successful. (it's not like the West branch that has 4x the water) I drove along the Upper East Branch yesterday and saw three and four cars parked at pull offs where I don't stop if even one car is parked. Anglers were standing alm

Wednesday I had three pools to myself, today three of us shared a pool. Wednesday with the sun on the water bugs were hatching between 2:00 and 7:00. Today it was a 3:00 to 5:00 hatch. Yesterday the spinners did not come until late, today with no sun and cooler temps they fell during the hatch. Yesterday over half of the fish I landed were over 17". Today over half were two year old's. The big river and lower East are for the most part in the doldrums. There are rumors of March Brown sightings on the lower main stem. I have not seen any yet.  This weekend is the FUDR "One Bug" fundraiser , 23 boats are entered (still no wade fishermen). The boats will be floating the West Branch, Big River and possibly the lower East Branch. Many of them will be on the water Friday scouting, and then again on Saturday and Sunday for the tournament.

With the hatch depressed Tuesday by cold water temp, the forecast for sunshine and warmer weather had me hoping for a double hatch (yesterday then today). The air was cold in the morning but the sun did its job. I got to the upper West Branch at 2:00 and found the water covered with Paraleps. The fish, however. were unimpressed. About 3:00 the Hendricksons joined the fray and the fish seemed to go better. I had targets until 4:30. Got back to the car at 5:00 and headed downstream. Fourteen cars at the Gamelands lot and a plethora of boats and fisherman from Balls eddy down to 191. decided to try and find a spinner fall on the upper East located risers above Harvard that had found a hatch of the small Hendricksons being blown along the windward bank the big fish know where dinner is served and were gulping the flies. Hooked four landed two before the rest of the fish retreated. I was off again moving upstream hoping to find a spinner fall. Stopped at a pull-off where I saw fish rising -

After four days off I was ready to fish.  Driving to the fishing camp the temp hit a low of 43 (too cold for Hendricksons).  Decided to try the WB in hopes that the 400 cfs release had slowed the hatch.  Left the camp at   1:45 pm  and drove up the Big River and WB  stopping at the usual places - saw no bugs and no risers. Chatted with Hornbeck in Deposit (while buying some hooks) and at   2:45 left to fish.  A burst of sunshine at Hale Eddy started the bugs and  fish, I donned my waders and walked down to the stream.  The sun went behind the clouds - the bugs stopped hatching and the fish stopped rising. Went further downstream hoping for warmer water (air temp up to 52) and found a few  Paraleps and Hendricksons.  Saw one rise and hooked and landed a sixteen inch rainbow (fish of the day).  Blind cast a paralep emerger and rose and hooked two more fish - lost them both. By 5:00  the bugs had quit and so had I. At least I got the skunk out of my waders.