So, what part of Jersey are you from?
It was a cool morning so I didn't have to rush to check up on the Trico hatch (spinner fall at 69 degrees). Left the camp about nine with the temp at 63. Drove to the UEB and stopped at the first pool without a car. It's a good one and I could see a swarm of Tricos dancing about 30 feet above the water. Within minutes two things happened. The trout started rising and I heard a car door slam. Hooked a fish and had him ready to net when a guy hollered "Way to go." I looked over at him and the fish came unstuck. There were feeding fish and tricos but two fishermen sharing a pool on the UEB at summer levels means no one catches fish.
The fishermen in the sulfur zone today more than made up for the scanty numbers on the river yesterday. Every pool had multiple fishermen and several boats navigated their way down river through the wade anglers. The hatch is best above Oquaga but there are sulfurs down stream at least to the NY launch site. Bring your A game if you expect fish to eat your sulfer or olive.
Having already fished a double shift, I left the camp about seven and drove around looking for an easy place to fish. Hale Eddy had a row of anglers in the water and the upper gamelands had four cars in the parking lot. Got to the lower game lands lot and it was empty. Pulled in, suited up (for the third time today) and headed for the river. There was a little fog/mist on the water, no bugs to be seen and no risers. Didn't make more than a dozen blind cast when the fly disappeared in a splashy rise. A hot 16 inch rainbow ran and jumped his way into the backing before I was able to land it. In the hour and a half I was there I saw two rises (one of which ate my fly) and hooked a hand full of fish. The fish were all between 16 and 17 inches. I'd sign up for that kind of a night every time.
If you want to catch fish on the Delaware, don't go where everybody goes. Fish the "wrong" side of the river. Fish the opposite side of the river the from where the boats go. Look for little spots that are hard to get at. AND use a fly pattern the fish haven't been hooked on!
The fishermen in the sulfur zone today more than made up for the scanty numbers on the river yesterday. Every pool had multiple fishermen and several boats navigated their way down river through the wade anglers. The hatch is best above Oquaga but there are sulfurs down stream at least to the NY launch site. Bring your A game if you expect fish to eat your sulfer or olive.
Having already fished a double shift, I left the camp about seven and drove around looking for an easy place to fish. Hale Eddy had a row of anglers in the water and the upper gamelands had four cars in the parking lot. Got to the lower game lands lot and it was empty. Pulled in, suited up (for the third time today) and headed for the river. There was a little fog/mist on the water, no bugs to be seen and no risers. Didn't make more than a dozen blind cast when the fly disappeared in a splashy rise. A hot 16 inch rainbow ran and jumped his way into the backing before I was able to land it. In the hour and a half I was there I saw two rises (one of which ate my fly) and hooked a hand full of fish. The fish were all between 16 and 17 inches. I'd sign up for that kind of a night every time.
If you want to catch fish on the Delaware, don't go where everybody goes. Fish the "wrong" side of the river. Fish the opposite side of the river the from where the boats go. Look for little spots that are hard to get at. AND use a fly pattern the fish haven't been hooked on!
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