Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

I know these are some of the most beautiful September days you could ever have but c'mon, if not rain at least a few afternoon clouds. Today I headed for the UE around 3:30, drove up to Corbett, turned around and headed back towards East Branch. Why? Power Line and Long Flat didn't have a single car but every other pool had multiple fishermen. Sure there are afternoon hatches of olives (pseudos mostly) and fish that want to eat them. But the release has been lowered to 114 CFS and the Hale Eddy flow gage is at about 130 and it's next to impossible for me to catch fish at the current water level, in bright sunshine, even in an undisturbed pool. Because of the heavy pressure I fished two "C" pools. There were bugs, but alas, the pools were on a part of the UE that runs east/west and were in full sun. In the first pool I saw three fish rise once each, hooked two (lost the first at the net) and landed the second. The second pool had two rising fish that I managed ...

Will it ever rain again?  The part of the lawn  I've been working on (seeding and watering) is growing while the backyard looks like the Sahara desert.  Refused to be lured into morning or early afternoon fishing. Fishermen have been as thick as maggots on a road kill on the UE above Shinhopple. I had trouble catching fish there before the crowds arrived I've no need to put my shortcoming on display.  Left camp about 4:00 and headed to the UE, with contingency plans to either fish the WB down around the game lands or hit the BR about 6:30 and hope for a late hatch of olives.  Down below Shinhopple, away from the crowd, I found a pool with no fishermen in it that I've fished four times this year. To better understand fishing the UE you need to see my catch figures for the four previous trips: 0, 0, 22 (and they were mostly big fish)  and 4. The fishing:  The UE is now at 130 CFS.  It was somewhere between difficult and impossible at 180 CFS....

Wanted to go out early this morning but with the temp in the mid 40s, I had to wait until almost ten before the bugs were in the air. Saw a few brown caddis over the water and a small group of tricos jumping up and down trying to keep warm. Was back at camp by 11:05.  Sometimes you just know it isn't going to happen. Went out this afternoon about 3:30.  Not a cloud in the sky, temp in the low 70s, couldn't ask for a nicer day  - unless you are a fisherman. Drove around looking at streamside  rocks (for iso husks). Saw  none on the BR or BE rocks.  There are lots of  husks on the BK rocks and I did see a few isos duns floating untouched,  down the UE both Mon. and Tues.  In the bright sun there were few if any risers.  When I got in pools with hills blocking the sun there were both bugs and risers. Only problem - I couldn't catch 'em.  Was in a pool on the UE about 5:30 with bugs and rising fish. I left.  Do it to me once, goo...

With the lawn in need of a mowing and the wood stacker empty, I passed on early morning fishing and took care of chores. Spent the early afternoon steaming some battered flies and reorganizing my olives, isos and spinners. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the bright sunshine coupled with a stiff breeze made it easy to delay the start of  fishing. Went out about 3:30 and headed for the Upper East (UE) where the hills provide both protection from the wind and early shade.  It is now the third week of September and every pool above Shinhopple had fishermen in it.  If I find out my blog has anything to do with this I'm going to have to stock it with red herrings. Went down river and tried two pools I hadn't yet fished this year. Both required a walk and a decent to the river through multiflora roses. The first was a zero. There were olives on the water and I saw but two rises. Never rose a fish and was out of there in less than an hour. The second pool use to have a ...

After five days touring the northeast I was ready to get back to the peace and quiet that is found at the Delaware River this time of year. Started off by taking a ride up to Deposit to check out the WB.  It's muddy but there were rising fish in the usual spot just downstream from the grass island below the 17 bridge.  One boat (the only one I saw all day)  was anchored there with a sport casting at the risers. Stopped at Hornbeck's in search of Dai-Riki hooks (they are out of business and I'm trying to get a lifetime supply of the ones I use),  had a nice chat with Lloyd, and came away with 4 boxes of hooks. Then stopped at the Troutfitter Shop to chat with Dave. He and his brother had fished the BR on Sunday and I wanted a report. It wasn't  good. They saw very few isos and no risers. Dave caught the fish of the day - ask him about it when you see him. Next stop was Roscoe, I knew Dennis who owned Catskill Flies had passed away but was surprised to learn...