Don't let the bugs bug you.

In over thirty years of fishing the Delaware I've never seen bugs behave the way they have this year. Hendricksons wouldn't end and the drakes wouldn't start and when they finally did get going the went almost into July. The Tricos should be on both branches by now but the only fishable hatch I've seen was on the big river. The summer sulfurs are something you can usually depend on. Be in Deposit by 2:00 and fish until 5:00. This year I've seen them at 11:00 and at 7:00 and everywhere in between.

How have the bugs affected the fishing? Well, if you are where the bugs are hatching you are into feeding fish. If you are standing on the Town bridge in Deposit at 2:00 and see no bugs you have two choices, either fish where there are no rising fish and hope the bugs come or go and find where they are hatching. The first two weeks of July I tried the first option and struggled. There just weren't bugs where they were "supposed to be". In week three I started burning gas and my fortunes changed. Found bugs and feeding fish almost every day. Where you ask? It's not so much where but when. If you sat on the bank for 24 hours anywhere in the system you would see bugs hatching sometime during the 24 hours. Last week I went out on the porch one morning and the screens were covered with at least a hundred yellow drakes and isos that hatched during the night.

This time of year sulfurs and olives are the big hatches. I've fished good olive hatches with feeding trout at eight in the morning and at eight at night and all hours in between. Sulfurs have been hatching anytime from 11:00 'til dark. Go look for bugs and rising fish, when you find them oftentimes there won't be anyone else around!

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