Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

I am in the process of closing the camp  but after 28 years even the garage needs a good hoeing out. Have spent the last two mornings in there filling trash bags and sweeping up sunflower husks (the mice/chipmunks once chewed through a plastic garbage can during the winter and ate 50 pounds of them). Finished up at 12:45, ate lunch and went out looking for rising fish. It was windy and I drove up the UE looking in the protected areas. Found rising fish in one of them.  They were right below me, not 60 feet away. The only problem was that getting to where I could fish to them required a long walk over somewhat difficult terrain. Took the walk. Saw the fish rising just downstream in the placid water. When I got there, not five minutes later, the wind changed directions and blew right up the once placid stretch of river. Paced along the shore for an hour with relentless wind and no risers. Gave it up and headed for camp. Stopped at a pool that was in the wind on my journey upstream.

The sun finally poked through the clouds about noon. Most times you don't want sunshine if you are looking for olives but it's fall and the water is cold,  a little sun is not always a bad thing. Took a drive up the PA side of the BR (bad idea), two major road repairs underway with traffic signals - both red.  No fishermen, bugs or risers all the way up to Hancock.  Took the PA side of the WB up to Hale Eddy, nary a rise or a fisherman.  The water is still off color but clearer due to the significant input from the tribs.  Kinda wanted to try the WB but with no bugs or risers I passed.  Drove over to the UEB and tried a long slow pool with a decent riff above it. There were bugs on the water and a few risers but most were yearlings (it's spawning time remember). Gave it about an hour and then drove over to the BK which is still a little high and (it turns out) bugless. Five minutes in the water there was more than enough. Drove back to the lower WB just to see if the DR

Have yet to see a deer (buck or doe) from my tree stands  this season.  That made the decision easy. Rivers dropping,  warm weather in the forecast and here I am, back at camp. On the way down I saw four does, three fawns and three bucks, (one was a good one). The weather was  overcast with an all day drizzle, temp below 50 all day,  not what they predicted but with long johns, three shirts and a raincoat I couldn't complain. The pseudos were tardy but they showed up.  The fish have moved back into the slow water but they fed. The big browns are busy doing other things but the rainbows and smaller browns were eating on top. From 2:00 'til 5:00 it was fun.  Returned to camp in the daylight and found the local ladies and their kids out back waiting for apples. Shook the tree and  made their day. Tomorrow it's clean out the garage and mow the lawn for the last time this year. Hopefully the pseudos will wait 'til show up to hatch.