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Showing posts from October 7, 2018

Tired of being teased.

Stopped by the Troutfitter yesterday and talked with one of the regulars who gets down to the Delaware more often than most.  Lately he has found fish in the UEB  rising to olives and cahills.  Said it was hard to get around in the high water and that he was the only wade fisherman on the river.  Saw four boats go by the last time he was there. With both reservoirs running at maximum release it only takes a modest amount of runoff to make the whole system unwadeable. The Beaverkill was actually getting down to a reasonably good fishing level yesterday.  Then it rained.  As of 3:30 today (Thursday) all rivers are rising and will once again be too high to wade . On a positive note, the tribs all have good flows which will allow browns easy access to their spawning grounds.  If you see redds  (areas of  lighter colored gravel in riffs) avoid them so as not to disturb the eggs and do not fish for actively spawning trout.  The upper WB and upper EB will be closed to all fishing after th

Take heart - meadow mushrooms are starting to poke up out of grassy lawns.

It's now been a month since I posted the picture of the twenty inch brown that ate a cahill on the Big River.  Haven't caught another fish in the big river since.  In fact I haven't been able to get into the big river or almost any other part of the Delaware system for the last month.  Right now you can wade some of the Bk and a few spots in the BEB. My plans for tomorrow are to drive down to camp for the sole purpose of trying  to cut my lawn (it's been 17 days).  I washed my fishing vest last night and may not put it on again this season.  I'm a dry fly guy and the thought of putting everything back in the vest to fish pseudos on the BK or UEB at current levels is not a compelling one. As you well know both the WB and EB releases are maxed out.  This coupled with tributary runoff makes both streams virtually unwadeable.  The big river at something around 4,300 CFS is also unsafe for wading by even the most adventuresome anglers.  The BK which usually offers go

Thinking of a trip to the San Juan???

Arrived back home in Syracuse at 9:45 last night from seven days of fishing on the San Juan river in Northern New Mexico.  Made the trip with another Troutfitter regular who had been to the San Juan several times.  His prior experience on the river was a huge help in the adjustment to what proved to be an entirely new and unique fishing experience. Being with a congenial companion also made the "re-hydration hour", meal times and fly-tying sessions a more enjoyable part of the trip. The San Juan is a tailwater  that flowed at between 850 CFS and 500 CFS during the time we were there.  The mile just below the dam is boat free and crowded with wade fishermen. The next three plus miles of river are floated daily by about twenty five drift boats.  They put in at 8:00 AM and take out at 4:00 PM.  I don't know if that is by agreement between the guides or is regulated by the N.M. Dept of Fish and Game.  The four and a half miles of "Quality Water" area is all catch