Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

  If anyone is wondering, I'm back in Lafayette. After enjoying a delightful dinner last night at Indian Springs Club (my neighbors just up Warren Road in Lordville) I went to bed hoping that the front would coold things down enough to get some bugs hatching. Alas, when I awakened at 7:15 the air temp was still in the 60's. Spent the morning putting away my fly tying materials (love the smell of moth balls) and checked off several items on the camp close down list. At noon I decided to drive over to Roscoe to replenish some hooks that were running low. Was surprised to see muddy water at Fish's Eddy (my check of water levels at 7:00 gave no evidence of heavy rains). At East Branch, the East Branch was clear and the BK was muddy and high. When I got to the Cooks Falls/Horton exit the BK was low and clear with fishermen lined up fishing Cemetery and several other pools. At the Roscoe exit the Willow looked like it was just about out of it's banks (2,500 cfs). Got my hooks...

  Well I got the rainy, drizzly day I been asking for and just maybe I've been asking for the wrong thing. There were almost no bugs or rising fish in any of the three places that I fished. Went out at 1:30 sure the water would be covered with olives. It wasn't. If I had decided that I would drive around until I saw rising fish, I'd probably still be driving. The fishing - First stop was on the lower WB where, with the cut back in water, I could fish some places that aren't easily reached in higher water. In two hours of fishing I didn't see more than four or five rises other than to my offerings. Landed four fish between 11 and 12 inches and lost two good fish one a brown the other a rainbow.  Next stop was on the BE where I found a pod of nice fish eating something subsurface. Got two of them to come and turn up their noses at my flies. Was working back up stream to where I could cross when a nice fish came up and slowly porpoised on my olive. Lifted expecting a s...

 After sitting  in a deer stand a couple times swatting  mosquitos, I decided that there were better ways to spend my time. Jean was coming down to get new tires at CL Repair in Equinunk on Wednesday and I was able (with the promise of a dinner out) to get her come down a day early. We spent two delightful days, confusing the GPS, taking in the fall colors in places most people don't know exist, enjoying our cocktail hour while being entertained by the deer in the back yard and yes, a dinner at West Branch Angler where we were one of two couples in the dining room. They would normally be closed but they have three more weddings scheduled. Jean departed for home this morning and I was left with nothing to do but to go fishing. I know, I know, it's much too warm for Pseudos, but just two weeks ago I had a bang up morning on the EB. Waited for the fog to almost burn off and went fishing. Got a Rainbow to eat my caddis (after first refusing an olive) right off the bat. In the...

 Well, it's October first, which is the bow season opener. Sat in one of my tree stands this morning and watched a combo of five does and fawns walk down an old logging road about seventy five yards away. With the temps scheduled to be in the high 70s and low 80s this week I'll probably spend more time fishing than hunting.  During October I transition from trout fishing to deer hunting. While it's pleasant to sit out in 70 degree weather there is usually little deer movement. Late in October the bucks start "getting the urge" and are much more likely to walk past my stand. Surprisingly a ten point buck posed for a picture this past week. The previous week there was an eight pointer and a group of three 18 month old bucks who were still traveling in a batchelor group. It's enough deer to get me enthused. The 2023 fishing season - At this time last year I predicted there would be more big fish than ever before, but fewer two year old fish and my numbers, especi...