We got the rain we needed - and then some.

All of the streams were hit by the early morning gully washer so I stayed in camp, lent some order to my fly boxes, made repairs to a few battered flies, tied some new ones and watched the graph on the Beaverkill hit 3,000 cfs of very muddy water. If things settle down enough I'll probably drive around this evening looking for a place to fish.

With time on my hands this afternoon (it was hot, sunny and way too early to fish),  I looked back on the reports since I sent out since my last thank you.  Geoff, Ed, Marty, Dick and Thomas have all taken the time to share their experiences or offer encouraging words (or both). Thanks to you all!!!  It's nice to know at least a few fishermen are reading my ramblings.

About 5:30 I couldn't stand sitting around any longer.  Drove up both branches (BR, EB and BK are a raging muddy mess).  The WB was quite clear and fishable above Oquaga.  Even below Oquaga down through the "NoKill" it was clear enough to fish and wade safely.  Below Hale Eddy it was still muddy.  This didn't deter the fishermen as there were waders and boats everywhere.  Most of the fishermen I saw were standing with their rod over their shoulder just waiting for it to happen.

The UE was much the same, very muddy by the Sunoco Station in East Branch with some clearing as you traveled upstream.  The mud deterred neither boats nor wade fishermen. With three out of five rivers out of play, everyone was crowded into the two branches. As I drove upstream each pool had anglers and it seemed a sure thing that a U- turn would send me back to Lordville.  Drove over the Corbett bridge and to my surprise the trib was low and clear (as was the UE). It was 7:15 and not a car in sight. Parked and went fishing.

The Corbett Bridge is neither a secret or quiet spot. At times  you'd think all traffic going from NYC to Binghamton was being routed over the bridge. After my arrival, four additional cars of fishermen arrived. Saw two walking downstream.  Four who arrived together armed with spinning rods and tackle boxes moved in a short distance upstream. Never saw the fisherman in the fourth car.

The fishing was better than trying to watch YouTube on my computer with the power out (it was when I left camp).  There were a some sulfurs late, one gray fox and one iso.  The few fish rising were mostly in the 9/10 inch range.  A 16 inch brown was fish of the day in a cake walk.

The rivers are dropping and clearing. Both the UE and the WB should be back to good fishing conditions tomorrow. 

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