Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

Went home Thursday and enjoyed a night out with old friends.  Probably would have stayed home through the weekend except that the camp grass was too wet to mow all week and after nine days looked like a hay field.  Arrived at camp at ten thirty to a lawn still wet from an overnight rain. The weather forecast said showers starting at 12:30 so things didn't look good.  But the sun came out and dried the lawn and the rain held off until the mower was back in the garage at 1:30. With the sky full of dark clouds and a steady rain coming down, I headed for the big river downstream from Camp. It rained steadily while I suited up and walked down to the river.  But as soon as I got in the water the rain stopped and the sun came out again.  The sun glinted off the wings of isos and olives of all sizes.  I fished for two hours with hatching bugs in the air at all times.  The fish?  Never made an appearance. Sometimes you have to pull the plug even in the...

As I often do after a really good day, I set out to fish places I haven't fished all year.  I do it for a number of reasons.  First of all I just don't like fishing the same places over and over (the sulfur zone for example).  By checking out places you haven't fished this year you get a chance to evaluate the success of  the 2016 year class that is now about a year and a half old (10 inches).  If you find lots of youngsters it's going to be a go to place next year.  It's also interesting to see what changes ice and high water have made in the river since  the last time you fished it. It keeps me up to date on the status of this years "C and D places" which often times become "A" places next year or the year after. Today I concentrated on the Big East which is too warm to fish most of the summer and which has been in a downward cycle for the past two or three years. I fished three places one downstream and the other two in the "upper middl...

Every year about mid August my ant box goes in my vest.  As every fly fisherman knows, the ants fly in late August and throughout the month of September.  Apparently they aren't very good at picking landing spots because every year untold numbers of them land on the water.  It doesn't seem to matter what water, lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, they all get their fair share. I've even had one land in my perfect manhattan (he didn't seem to drink much). The problem with the ant flight is that it's not like the Hendrickson hatch that starts at 3:00.  It's not like the trico spinner fall that occurs when the air temp hits 69.  It happens when the ants want it to happen.  Worse yet it only happens in certain places at certain times.  Your friend may be on the WB surrounded by fish gulping ants while you are on the big river watching a flock of Mergansers devour the remainder of this years crop of yearlings. To be on the river, with your ant box in your vest...

With the bright sun, warm temp and "delightful"  breeze, it was a day best spent perhaps taking advantage of dollar day at the fair.  It sure was not a great day to be on the river. There was no place to hide on the big river and after a bugless, riseless hour I called it quits and headed for more sheltered water.  My ill chosen stop on the Beaverkill was more of the same, the only good thing was it only took me about ten minutes to figure it out. The UEB had a modest number of fishermen seeking shelter from the wind and a large number of kayakers out enjoying the last day of the holiday weekend.  I usually don't fish the UEB on the weekends but have not had a problem with kayakers who almost always go out of their way not to disturb your fishing. Today there was no getting away from the wind or the kayaks.  The wind came around corners like a  Nascar driver at Darlington.  The kayakers were courteous as usual but their sheer numbers made fishing...