Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

It's a sad state of affairs for the wade fishermen. While the wind has made it difficult for all fishermen, the high water has kept the wade fishermen at home. The drakes are on the UE, saw isos, olives and cahills on the BR at Buckingham, sulfurs and cahills on the WB in Deposit and sulfurs at the gamelands late. Wade fishermen? I saw three, counting me. All were at the gamelands. You had to find soft spots to find rising fish and when you did, most gave you a look. About half ate, the other half said no. Landed a handful of quality fish with a 19 incher winning fish of the day. The outlook? Remains grim for wade fishermen. Until the releases are cut back we are right back to where we were in early May and for that matter, most of last summer. It will take several days with no rain for the tribs to drop enough for us to even get into the water, let alone reach rising fish. Boat fishermen? You have won the lottery a second year in a row.

For as long as I can remember I've made it a point to spend June 21st fishing. For me the day itself in one that carries with it a touch of sadness and melancholy. We are turning the corner, tomorrow will be shorter than today and we will be a few seconds closer to the eternal gloom of early winter. It's not an overpowering feeling, more a time when I give some thought to friends and relatives that are no longer with us and reflect on all the years that have gone by in my journey through life. During the soul searching I also try to catch a few fish. Today I didn't fish. It's the first "longest day" I can remember not fishing. Last evening and this morning storms came through that put the entire river system at levels I consider unsafe for wading. To be sure there are a few places I could have put a toe in the water just to keep the streak alive but I didn't. The howling wind and high pressure may also have had something to do with the decision (but ...

Having missed the big storm yesterday morning you had to feel good about the weekend. The forecast was for .04 inches of rain Friday and no rain Saturday and Sunday. Awoke this morning to the sound of rain pounding down on the porch roof. The Bk, which I fished just last night, is now over 1,600 CFS, muddy and unfishable. The two reservoirs are at maximum release which combined with the heavy flows from the tribs make them unwadeable. In short - If you've got a boat, come and float. There is no meaningful wade fishing on the river system at present.

Left camp at 5:15 this morning to take my wife to the airport. She's headed to Florida to watch one of our grandkids play in a volleyball tournament. Drove through a torrential rainstorm that passed just to the north of the river's drainage basin. At our house gutters over flowed and the window wells in the cellar filled with water which found it's way into our basement. A second storm hit Syracuse while I was trying to shop for this weeks provisions. Figured there was no way I'd be able to fish for the next two weeks. When I saw that the rivers hadn't risen, I called Dave at the Troutfitter in Deposit. He said, "It hasn't rained here". Packed the car and headed down. Arrived streamside about 7:00 and found a fog enshrouded but unoccupied pool on the UE. It was about 150 CFS higher than yesterday and wading was dicey. When you stand in one spot and it keeps getting deeper because the gravel is being washed out from under your feet - it's time...

Just so you know - both reservoirs are now spilling. The forecasts vary but there is sure to be more rain tomorrow. Fished both branches in rising water today. Neither branch should be waded at present levels unless you are familiar with the pool you are fishing and are a good wader. If we get the predicted amount of rain it will be a boats only situation again. The bugs - Today the drakes hatched on the Upper East in good numbers from about 2:00 until 5:00. Was told that they did hatch again last night. I didn't stay for the evening fishing last night or tonight. The West Branch had good sulfurs late both nights, but the high and rising water tonight somewhat stifled the fish's feeding. The fishing - The high water today made wading interesting but the fish threw caution to the wind and ate drake duns with abandon. Yes there were refusals but a good number of big fish ate flies with hooks in them. Should you go? To answer that question, given current conditions, there are...

After fishing the lower portion of the UE in what one would call a modest drake hatch yesterday, I returned today expecting the hatch would build and encompass the prime drake area around Long Flat. It didn't. I saw drakes from the Pleasant Valley campground pool all the way down to jaws. But there just weren't enough to even get the fish interested. There were a variety of bugs on the water and some rising fish, but not like yesterday. Things came to a halt about 6:30 and I decided not to wait to see if the drakes came just before dark or even if there was a spinner fall. The one car at powerline and half a dozen at Long Flat was evidence enough that Monday night was no great shakes. With the BR unwadeable in most places and the BE having laid an egg last night, I headed for the WB. Both reservoirs are overflowing and the water in both branches is up and stained. Decided on a spot well below Hale Eddy where the river is quite wide and the higher water would be no proble...

Please note the "Season to Date" post shown on the Troutfitter's website shows only the first two paragraph of the report (someone?? must have hit enter, prematurely). The blog format allows me to edit but the edits are not transferred to the Troutfitter web page. The full report can be seen by going directly to "Angler 119" Don't know if the aforementioned post served as a wakeup call but there were green and brown drakes on the UE at 3:00 and they continued to hatch until at least 7:00 when Ken Tutalo, a guide from Baxter House rowed his boat down a 25 foot wide side channel, hopped out and walked the boat by where I was fishing, sending a cloud of mud over the fish. He then climbed back in the boat, sending a wake across the channel. All fish stopped rising and I departed. Baxter House guides fish the UE a lot and they float it a lower levels than the other guides do. Today the river was at 500 CFS which should be high enough to float the UE if you ar...