Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

When I left for Florida the iso's were hatching everywhere.  The WB was at 450 CFS and the big river was below 900.  Temps were good in the entire river system and fishing was great. While I was gone a heat wave raised the water temps above 70.  Lack of rain required increased flows of silt laden water in the WB to meet downstream minimum flow requirements. The iso's said enough was enough and quit hatching.  Then the cold front hit dropping air temps forty degrees. There has been no significant rain.  Releases have increased in the WB while flows elsewhere have continued to drop to levels so low even a good cast sends fish for cover. Today with a high temp of 52 degrees there were pseudos!  Lots and lots of 'em.  So many of them that you couldn't even find your fly among them. There was a pesky upstream breeze that created instant drag. There were three and even four cars parked by nearly every pool on the Beaverkill and UEB. With all the  fishermen and "wade

With the temp struggling to hit 60 mid afternoon, I threw a third shirt in the car.  Put it on when the sun went behind the hills and was glad I did.  The car's thermometer reported the temp at 53 when I called it a day. Weather wise today was a big upgrade from yesterday.  There was very  little wind which made casting a pleasure.  Another big plus was the water was free of all the wind blown leaves and seed pods that a dry fly is magnetically attracted to.  There was enough  warmth from the sun to get bugs hatching and spinners flying. In short, it was fun to be on the water. The fishing?  Funny thing, I saw far more bugs and rising fish yesterday than today.  The big difference today was that the fish were looking up and were far more willing to eat a fly with a hook in it.  Started out on the BR.  Never saw a bug hatch.  One fish rose but paid my fly no mind.  What I did see, however were countless shad fingerlings many of which tried to eat my fly.  They are migrating out to

Back from the Florida Keys where three days of work in the hot and humid weather got things mostly cleaned up.  The damage is incredible to see.  We were very fortunate in only losing two appliances and a hot tub.  Our neighbors, one house away, lost their roof and the house ended up totaled.  Hard to believe that the mountains of debris and appliances will ever disappear from the sides of the road. Returned to New York only to find temps higher than in the Keys (humidity was much lower here thank you).  Woke up this morning to much more seasonable temps and headed to the Delaware.  Found the lawn burned up by the hot dry weather, the WB high and brown, and the BD with white caps on the pools. Drove up the UEB which is the best refuge on windy days but found little relief even there. What I did find was olives (perhaps reinvigorated by the cold air) and rising fish.  There were two cars parked between East Branch and Downsville.  I found an empty pool with olives, no cars and risin