Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

Nobody enjoys fly fishing anymore than I do and not many people fish as much as I do -  most years.  This one is different -  way different.  There was too much water to wade comfortably until May 15th.  We then had good water levels and good fishing for a six week period that ended the the first week of July when the arrival of the first of four heat waves shut things down.  The last week of July the rains came and they haven't let up since. The reservoirs filled and overflowed.  NYC was forced to maximize the releases which made wading difficult even when it didn't rain.  The downpours have resulted in a Hazmat trail derailment and an unending flow of muddy water from the tributaries. With the threat of Florence having gone by NYC had begun the systematic reduction of the release from Cannonsville and this weekend offered the promise of at least a chance to fish the West Branch. (The release from Pepacton has remained unchanged at 700 CFS). ...

The rivers are coming down SLOWLY.  The Beaverkill, Upper East Branch (above Jaws), the East Branch and the Big River are all still too high to wade.  NYC has yet to begin cutting back the release from Pepacton. The West Branch looks to be the first stream that will be available for wade fishermen.  NYC has stepped down the release by about 200 CFS each of the last two days.  At it's present level the WB has very limited wading opportunities but if the flow reductions are continued at their present pace there will be wading opportunities by the weekend. The Cannonsville release is laden with silt that was suspended above the thermocline.  The farther downstream you go the clearer the water will be.  The current water temps in the 60's will reduce mid day hatching activity with the olive and iso activity more likely to occur late in the day. I currently plan to return to the river Sunday for a couple days of fishing before heading to the San Juan for a...

You don't need me to tell you, all you have to do is look at the river flows.  It's Tuesday morning at 11:00 am and they are still going straight up.  High, warm and muddy water abounds throughout the system.  With the ground saturated and the tribs gushing mud it will be a good many days before things clear and become fishable. IF (and it's a big IF) - (See what I did there?)  NYC cuts back the releases to more normal levels, it will speed up the return to fishable flows.  The warm water is not a problem for the fish but it has a negative impact on daytime bug hatches.  A good cold front  that cools the water in Cannonsville would  help.  The mud from the rains will clear as the tribs subside but the silt from Cannonsville is likely to worsen. What to do?  I'll take a closer look, probably this weekend (the camp lawn needs mowing)  but I'm not expecting to be able to fish.  Just this morning I booked a flight to the San Ju...