Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

 It's the weekend and many of you have turned to golf or gone on a family vacation. The Sulfur Zone season is ending (even though there are reports of an epic sulfur hatch Thursday night at the barking dog boat launch).  A-119 has weaned himself away from the zone in stages. To avoid crowds he first skipped the early afternoon hatch, entered the fray during the lull between hatches and stayed on for the evening sulfurs. Lately he's found far better evening fishing in the lower river. The fish there are well rested and far easier to get to eat a fly with a hook in it. This morning I began the search for other alternatives. Drove over to the UEB in search of tricos and came up empty.  There were two cars parked along the river from East Branch to Shinhopple and both were at the #1 trico spot. Drove right on by and stopped at one of the B places.  There were but a few tricos busy battling a gusty wind with almost no rising trout. I hooked and landed two eight inch yearl...

 It's time to face facts. The sulfurs are on the wane. Yesterday I was tardy getting to the stream but had fish rising to sulfurs for about forty five minutes, was fishing between town and the red barn. Today I got going on time and  tried a place between Oquaga and the town bridge. Have been bested by the trout there twice already this year and wanted to try to get even. I didn't. To begin with there was nothing anyone would call a sulfur hatch. There were a few fish rising to eat only God knows what. Did they come to my fly? You bet. Did they eat it? One nice rainbow and one three year old brown did. Several of the fish stocked in Oquaga with major parts of their mouths missing did. Half a dozen nice fish came up open mouthed and didn't, and I saw another couple dozen come up under my fly just for a look. Fished from 2:00 until 4:00 and it was more than enough. Drove back to the Lordville estate and took a little snooze.  Forgot to mention that on the way back, in what ...

Thanks to Ed and Dennis for their updates on the sulfur hatch and to Jason for his contribution to the cost of new pavement in Hancock. I did yard work and wasn't on the water until almost three. Had rising fish for about forty five minutes then things really went dead. Fished out of the zone in the evening and was also out of the bugs. What fish rose did so to eat the little olives that have been hatching for the past six weeks. Was able to hook and land a fat heavy 18.5 inch brown on a size 22 olive. Not quite a candidate for the 20/20 club but exciting anyways. While the sulfurs are still hatching it seems that most of the action is now above Oquaga Creek. There were fishermen all the way down to the barking dog launch but the number of bugs decreased the farther down river you went. With colder nights predicted for the next few days fishing should improve in the lower part of the river. It will probably take a significant rise in the water, however, (either an increase in the r...

 First of all, an up date on the fox situation. Have never in the 32 years I've owned the camp, seen so many foxes. Either they have learned that scavenging along highways is easy pickins or they are just doing well. Friday night I saw one on the Equinunk to Lordville road and then encountered the Lordville fox out on the bridge. He ran to the side, thought about jumping, then ran to the other side and then ran ahead of me off the bridge. Which brings me to the rte. 97 cripple. Hadn't seen him for what must be a month, feared the worst, until tonight when he broke all the rules and ran off the road from left to right. The side of the road where he ran had been mowed and he ran (sorta) and scooted under the guard rail. Was so intent on watching him that I didn't see the big frog he was no doubt after until it was too late to avoid turning it into frog puree. On the ride down Lordville Road tonight there was a doe in the road, as I approached she scampered off the road leavin...

My distaste for fishing in crowds is well known. Thursday and Friday last week and again today I didn't head for the river until after four thirty.  The sulfurs were in their lull period as were the fishermen. If you looked carefully there were still fish rising and each day I found fish, put on the gear, waded out only to be confronted by an afternoon thunderstorm. First the wind picked up, Thursday there was lightning near by, Friday lots of rumbling, today enough wind and rain that I waded back to the car. Each day the fog rolled in. Thursday and Friday I headed downstream until I got out of the fog and both days had a short period of very good fishing.  Today I toughed it out. The rain never came down hard, the wind layed down and the fish kept on sticking their noses out of the water to eat those tiny little olives (and /or brownies). I had tied some of them on 22's and was able to catch a couple fish on them but mostly they were ignored. Fished a 22 spinner that also cau...