Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

  Saturday's Fishing - The wind switched from the SE to the NW on Saturday which made much of the upper WB too windy to fish. There were two anglers in the pool I fished Friday so I drove down to Shehawken to see if there were any bugs hatching there. The parking lot had six cars on my arrival and I saw four anglers in the water within 150 feet of the ramp, (on November 8th!), didn't even stop to look for bugs. Found an unoccupied pool farther upstream with a very modest hatch of pseudos and some hungry fish. If you were close enough to a riser and made an accurate cast you got a look. Hooked six fish, landed five, all but one of which were counters. The last two were 17 and 18 inch rainbows, and when a pontoon boat rowed behind me and started casting at risers about 100 feet downstream, I decided to reel it in and call it a season. Had time to drive back to Lordville to do some more bow hunting. It was a quiet evening with does and fawns ignoring the spike horn that showed up....

  Spent the last three days at the Lordville Estate where I had the phone and internet turned off on October 31st. Did some deer hunting, trout fishing and the final shutdown. Here's how it went. Friday - With the temp in the mid fifties I got down to Lordville in time to mow/rake the grass and leaves. With the wind blowing 15 to 20 from seemingly every point on the compass getting even some of the leaves off the lawn was a project. Finished up at what I thought was 2:15 and headed out to fish. Got in the car and it was magically only 1:15, (apparently the clock on the camp wall didn't remember to fall back), so I thought I was early for the pseudo fishing, should it occur, then I came to the realization that the warmest part of the day has now become 1:00 until 4:00 and I was, in fact, a little late. The fishing - Neither bugs nor fish were going in the lower section of the WB, (my first stop), thought  maybe the water would be warmer up in Deposit as the reservoir water has ...

Anyone looking for a report this morning was neither realistic nor aware of the circumstances. There was a wind alert with gusts between 45 and 50mph, and I had both the phone and internet shut off at the Lordville Estate on the 31st, (the shut off happened at 11:30am). Was marked present by Jean at our 5:00pm cocktail hour in Lafayette last night. With two stellar days of fishing in the memory bank, I should have been smart enough to say adieu, however, I sat on the back porch and watched three different bucks trying, (unsuccessfully), to get the local girls to dance, and just maybe the stars will once again align for an hour or two of dry fly fishing. The kitchen floor deeds to be washed, the gutters need to be blown out, the lawn needs mowing/raking, and I still need to say goodbye.

  Woke at 3:30 this morning and looked out at wind and rain. Arose at 7:00 and it was still windy and rainy. By noon the yard was covered with leaves and the rain and wind continued unabated. Am surprised at how little the streams have come up so far. The River Master dropped the flow from over 1,000cfs to 525 in anticipation of the rain and today cut the release back to a mere 200cfs so it looks like more rain is in the works. Unable to work outside and unable to clean out the stove, (I need the heat), I was bored enough by 2:00 to take a drive. Had little hope of being able to fish but the UEB has places where you can get out of the wind, so that's where I went. With the wind and rain you couldn't see rises on the EB even if the were any, but in some of the quiet pools on the UEB I was given assurance that the trip was indeed a folly. Turned around at the Corbett bridge and headed back. Was surprised on the return trip when the sun came through a sucker hole in the clouds and...

  Left for Lordville at 9:30 this morning with three tasks and the possibility of either deer hunting or fishing on the agenda for today. Called Vicky on the way down and got a pruning appointment at 12:30. Drove straight down to the Lordville Estate and mowed/raked the front and two side yards before the hair cut. That left the reseeding of the areas of the lawn destroyed by the grubs the only unaccomplished task. After the hair cut I stopped and chatted with Dave at the Troutfitter who was on his 220th straight day of work, (three to go 'til closedown). He told me Al C., a lifetime Delaware River fisherman, had a lights out day on the upper BR a few days ago with olives hatching and rising fish everywhere. The fishing - Left home  reasonably optimistic about the fishing. Why?  The WB release water is the warmest water in the system. It's been running at over 1,000cfs for ages, too high to wade most places and too high for most fish to come up and eat little olives. I've...

  With Jean and her sister off to visit her brother in Cleveland, the original plan was for me to stay down at the Lordville Estate until Sunday. With gale force winds on Thursday I worked all day getting the camp ready for closedown. Spent the morning Friday crossing items off the list, filled the car with another load for the transfer station and headed out with it about 1:30. From the transfer station I drove back up to the Bk which was 50cfs lower than two days ago, and stopped at a place three pools down from my eagle encounter of a week or two ago. Was in the pool no more than ten minutes when a couple of loud screeches announced the arrival of the eagle. Rose three fish that refused my fly and then hooked a 12 inch rainbow. Kept my eyes on both the fish and the eagle. When the fish was no more than fifteen feet away from me he started to splash on the surface, saw the eagle bend forward ready to take flight, gave the rod a stiff jerk intending to break the fish off, (once ag...

 Yesterdays fishing, (if you want to call it that), was no fun. Had a better chance of getting wind burn than catching a fish. With the forecast for today showing sustained winds up to 25mph, with higher gusts, I said no mas.  I've had a gallon of paint sitting on the porch since last May. Purchased it with the intent of painting the fly tying room, and today I did. The job went well, had on jeans that have "old" written in black magic marker under where my belt goes and it's a good thing I did 'cause I got a smear of paint on them. When I finished painting and cleaned everything up, I drove into town to get nuts and bolts at Bisbee's so I can put up another bluebird house, stopped at the Dollar Store to buy replacements for the shiny little pans that go under the burners on the stove, (the old ones are rusted out), and picked up a pound of butter and Gatorade at Tops. It's the biggest day of shopping I've done all year. On my return to the fishing cam...

  All I had to do was say I planned on giving the WB a try, and the River Master cranked up the release to 1,000cfs. To make matters worse the wind blew out of the north at between 10 and 20mph, (when the sun came out it blew 20 steady). Tied four Hebes, and then put away my fly tying equipment for the year. If you are a fly tyer, you know that it's a job that starts right after breakfast doesn't finish up until it's time for a late lunch at 1:00. If you don't tie flies, you wouldn't understand. This afternoon I mowed, and then planted grass seed in some of the places where the combination of no rain and an infestation of grubs left large areas of the lawn without a blade of green grass. At 5:00 pm the wind was still creating white caps on the river and twirling leaves around in mini tornadoes. Trusting that the wind would go down with the sun, I headed out to fish. I was way to early. In fact with the wind scheduled to blow at 15/25 tomorrow I might well have been ...

Free of appointments for the next week I drove down to try the fishing, work on the Lordville Estate closedown and maybe see if any bucks showed up to admire the Lordville ladies. Loaded the car with detritus from the garage and combined a trip to the transfer station with some east side fishing. The first stop was at the BK, which at 180cfs is fishable. Fished from about 2:00 until 4:15. The bad, saw but two fish rise, two olives hatch, and about half a dozen Hebes blow by in the wind. The good, had eleven fish come to my flies. Six refused, five ate and I landed two of them, both rainbows between 10 and 11 inches. The one good fish I rose did a somersault two inches from the fly when he decided not to eat it. Drove down river to the EB where I fished from 4:30 until 5:30. Saw one fish rise, (never looked at my fly). Saw no bugs. Rose three fish and landed the one that ate, (another 10.5 inch rainbow). Final stop was on the BR at a pool close to home. Fished for forty-five minutes. Sa...

  Jean and I drove down to the Lordville Estate Saturday morning to take care of a "couple little tasks" that took four hands, and to take in the Catskill leaves, which are supposed to be at their peak on Columbus Day weekend. There might have also been a promise of a dinner out at the Riverside Restaurant at Horton but more on that later.  We started by erecting a section of new fence where the deer were jumping over the old one. Jean held the posts while I tried to hit them with the maul. Hit the posts squarely about 50% of the time, never missed completely, (didn't hit Jean even once). We attached the fence to the posts, and called it a done deal. The window AC only required Jean to make sure it didn't fall out the window when I took out the jambs that held the window down on the AC, (five minutes total time). Jean then handed me up, (I was on the ladder), 32 metal poles that I stored on the trusses in the garage where the next owner of the estate will no doubt fin...

Have spent yesterday afternoon and today at the Lordville Estate, fished a couple of hours each night, and nothing's changed my opinion on the current fishing conditions. Fished the EB for about 45 minutes, it was bugless. Had a nice rainbow eat a caddis with a dull hook, one jump and gone.  Drove over to the WB, hoping to find both olives and rising fish, found neither. Fished from five until 6:15, saw two rises not to my fly, and almost no olives. Have never caught a fish on the October caddis that I continue to carry in my caddis box. Tonight a fish came up and ate it. He came unstuck, keeping my record of futility fishing the October caddis intact. Got a refusal and a take on olives and a take on a floating iso nymph. Landed the 10 inch brown that ate the olive.  The radar makes it look like we will get precious little rain from the front pushing through tonight. The power plant at Wallenpaupack is not operating. They reached the drawdown level for October 1st, in Septembe...

  Drove down to the Lordville Estate mid- day today to get rid of the tomatoes rotting on the back porch and to begin work on some of the early close down items. Have to be back in Lafayette Wednesday for a doctors appointment, but with rain scheduled for tomorrow I felt good about making the trip. The rain has now been pushed back until tomorrow night, so fishing in the rain has been crossed off the list. To my surprise the tomatoes are still OK, mowed what little grass that is growing and at about 5:00 I went fishing. Checked the release and balanced water clarity, flow and temperature before heading out. Surprisingly with the temp in the eighties and the rivers very low, all were fishable temperature wise. I guess the low angle of the sun doesn't heat the water up like it does in July. Drove to an empty pool on the BR and was surprised by the results. There were no may flies. Brown caddis were flying up river during the last hour and the only fish I saw were those jumping out of...

  It's been over a month since the staff here at "Angler119's Delaware River Fishing Reports" has  assembled the questions that have come in from contributors. Shame on them. I'll do my best to see that they get them to me more promptly in the future. Chris asked about the fall fishing. With the summer continuing into the first week of October, as yet, we haven't had any. The predicted weather change coming mid week should cool things off and start the fall fishing. Usually, with the cooler water temperatures of the fall, the pseudos' hatch during the warmest part of the day, (2:00 'til 5:00). They are found on all of the rivers but with the current drought conditions, I'm not at all sure where there will be fishable water. As the water temperatures continue to cool, both isos and hebes should also hatch. The isos start a bit later in the day than the pseudos' and the hebes get going as the last isos are hatching. Ron K asked if I use head ceme...

  Someone needs to step up and tell it like it is. I understand that most people writing Delaware River reports have a horse in the race. They paint a picture of beautiful fall colors, speak of "tinted" water helping the streamer fishing, talk of olive sipping fish in the evening, all in an effort to get fishermen up to their lodges for one last fling. Other, perhaps more ethical writers, just don't update their reports from August 'til October. The truth is that the water currently being released from Cannonsville at 1,150cfs, closely resembles coffee with two creams, and it is unsafe for most to wade. Despite the mud, almost all fish can identify the pattern and tier of every streamer thrown, and virtually no fish are rising to eat size 22/26 size olives in the current high water sea of mud. The UEB. EB and Bk on the other hand, are so low and clear that a false cast puts fish down. There is no good justification for spending money on lodging and a guided trout fish...

  If today was still the end of the trout fishing season, as it was many years ago, I could have hung up my waders without shedding a tear. To be sure it's been a difficult and challenging season, I've been skunked a good many times, but today was somehow worse than a skunking.  My GHOF came down and we decided to join forces and show the trout who was boss. Walked down the tracks from Bouchouxville to Cold Flats at about 10:00 this morning. Hooked a two year old brown on my third blind cast and never rose, or cast at, another fish the rest of the day. My GHOF hooked two fish, landing a brown that was about the same size as mine. In three hours of fishing neither of us saw a fish rise. Trudged back up to Bouchouxville, drove back to the Lordville Estate and rested up for the evening olives. My GHOF went back to his house on the WB and fished the "home pool" for an hour without seeing a fish rise. At 5:30pm we drove up to the gamelands, which were deserted. With the fl...

  Fished another split day with a couple hours of yard work in between. Fortunately with the sun subdued by a high haze it kept the streams fishable and it stayed cool enough to work. Drove over to the Bk this morning and found a few fish. Also became reacquainted with an adult bald eagle that patrols the bottom few pools. Last May he was sitting in a tree across the river from me when I hooked a fish. When the fish jumped the eagle flew right over and circled above the fish, I let the line go slack, the eagle flew back to his tree and I landed the fish without further incident. Seemed to encounter the eagle almost every time I fished the lower pools. He would be flying up or down the river and would land in a tree near me, caught fish in front of him, but had no further acts of aggression. Until today! Hadn't given the eagle a thought since back in June. Didn't see him today until I had hooked and was playing a 12/14 inch rainbow. Had the fish on a tight line and was reaching ...

  Started out this morning with the spike horn and what seems to be a gramma, mom, (a yearling that was bred as a fawn), and her fawn, nosing around the base of the apple tree looking for drops. At nine-thirty I headed out to fish and had to stop while two hen turkeys and at least five of their young crossed the road. While in the middle of the EB fishing, I looked up and there was a bear swimming across the river not more than 50 yards downstream from me. Returned to the fishing camp for lunch, shot the bow, picked the last of the tomatoes, left the fence open so the deer could dispose of the tomato plants, and at about 3:30 on a bright sunny, 84 degree day, left to go fishing. Had to stop again on Lordville Road, this time for a covey of Partridge, four of them flew, all in different directions. That ended the glut of wildlife sightings, (not counting eagles, osprey, great blue herons, kingfishers, and mergansers that are every day occurrences), until my return to the Lordville E...

  Thought I'd been Kimmeled this morning when the report hadn't appeared by 11:00am. The Troutfitter management said that an attempt was made to post it at 7:30am but apparently a wrong button was pushed. I'd prefer to think that the Troutfitter phone rang off the hook with room cancellations and demands that the report be posted in timely fashion. The Syracuse vs Duke football game - If anyone had any doubts about who the most important player on a football team is, they were laid to rest by today's game. With their starting quarterback out for the season, the Syracuse offense ran up a total of three points, while Duke, led by their $4,000,000.00 a year quarterback scored 38. The bugs - One thing is very clear. Olives love cold water and overcast, rainy days. With the temperature of the Cannonsville release water continuing to climb, the air temperatures, (both day and night), well above normal, and the sun doing it's very best to give the trout an excuse for not r...

  We finally got some rain in the water system, the BR hit 2,500cfs, the EB 1,800cfs while the BK peaked at 800cfs. The flows were dropping rapidly today, but I would bet the fish are on their way to their home pools, if not there already. The rain provided a big boost to the tribs where many of the yearlings have been stranded. Stopped and looked at two of the pools in Humphrey's Brook that each held 15/20 yearling rainbows Tuesday, and didn't see a fish, hopefully they found their way out into the BR.  With the river at Montague up over 3,500 cfs the release from Cannosville was cut back to the FFMP post September 1st rate of 350cfs, where it will stay unless or until the River Master calls for an increase to once again meet minimum flow. With the decrease in the release, the addition of what was very warm rain water, and an afternoon of bright sunshine the WB water temp spiked up to 65 degrees, and while this poses no threat to the trout, the olives that had been hatching a...

With the Cannonsville release cut back to 380cfs in anticipation of the rain, I stopped at both Buckingham and Shehawken on the way home to see what, if anything was happening. Buckingham was like a mill pond with neither bugs nor rising fish in the still water. It was a little after noon when I pulled into Shehawken and a drift boat was being taken out. They had been streamer fishing but said there were both bugs and rising fish all the way down. I suited up and gave it a try. There were olives and a few rising fish in a misty rain. Three of the first four fish I cast to ate. When the sky started to brighten both the bugs and rising fish slowed down. Got several refusals and hooked two more fish. Landed the 9 incher but lost a really nice rainbow that was eating duns and gulped mine down without hesitation. Reeled it in at 2:00 and headed for home. If the release stays down and the rainy conditions continue, I'll be back sometime Friday and may fish part of the weekend. The water ...

  Did another double header today.  This morning with good cloud cover the water temp in the EB was fine for fishing. Fished a riff/run down low hoping that some fish had started their migration back to their home pools, and they have, sorta. In almost two hours of fishing with no bugs on the water or in the air, I saw but one rise that wasn't to my fly. Had four fish refuse an olive and one fish, (a 14 inch brown), eat an ant. The evening fishing proved far more entertaining. With both the hope of rain and Wallenpaupack back up and running, the Cannonsville  release was cut back to 700cfs. At this level water clarity improves and you can wade fish all but the narrowest parts of the WB. Left the fishing camp at 5:00 and at 5:30 was in a pool in the middle section that had both olives and rising fish. Had a couple of flies that the fish seemed to like and had an enjoyable evening with a combination of refusals and takes keeping me busy until dark. Query - Has anyone had th...

  After spending most of Thursday, all of Friday, Saturday and Sunday not fishing, you'd think I'd be anxious to get back on the river, and I was, until I saw the release from Cannonsville was up to 1,150cfs. That eliminated the "tinted" water in the WB. The people who commented about their BR floats also did nothing to make me risk a speeding ticket driving down. The one positive, (I'll not talk about rain until it falls), was that it was cloudy.  Arrived at the Lordville Estate in time for lunch, and with rain at least in the forecast, I seeded and raked the area on the RR bank designated for an environmental upgrade, (better to mow grass than kill weeds), started up the mower and cut those few areas of the lawn that are still green, picked some more tomatoes, watered them for the last time, and went inside to try and figure out where to fish. It wasn't easy, (see paragraph 1 above), but when I checked the water temp on the EB at Hancock it was starting down...

  Spent from six-thirty until seven this evening sitting on the back porch with my P. M. watching the  spikehorn buck eating apples. Why? There's just no place where I can fish under present conditions, that I want to fish. Jim N's kind words, (or was he reflecting on my lack of intelligence), said it best. The water coming out of Cannonsville is chocolate milk. Visibility is less than a foot at Deposit, and with a 1,100cfs release, it is dangerous wading the WB. Yes, there were lots of bugs and rising fish at the game lands Wednesday night and it was fun, but that was at a water level 350cfs lower than today, and even then I couldn't see the trip rocks. The good news, if any, is that the release will probably drop by almost the same amount as it rose on Saturday night, if Wallenpaupack is going to generate on Monday. We are in a drought, rivers everywhere are approaching all time lows, tribs everywhere are bone dry, and those who want to fish are on the Delaware. Where to ...

  After three straight doubleheaders, I decided to work strictly out of the bullpen today. Took care of some nagging business matters, did some neglected yard work, tied a half dozen olives of the type that got a lot of fish to come up and at least look yesterday, spent time shooting the bow which included trying to chase away the spike horn who kept walking over to the target to see how I was doing. Finally had to shake down some apples and toss them away from the target. Finished two crosswords and a sudoku without falling asleep and at 5:00pm I got in the car and took a drive over to the UEB.  The River Master raised the release from Cannonsville to 830cfs. The WB is muddy enough that you can't see bottom in 2.5 feet of water and at 830cfs that makes wading more dangerous. The car thermometer registered a high of 83 on the way to the UEB. The Willow is puddles at 15cfs, the BK hit 72 today and the EB topped out at 73.4, (saw three guys fishing at McCarters). With the mud, t...

  Today was the  Associate editors third annual meeting. We met under the pavilion at the Troutfitter promptly at 1:00pm and enjoyed BC's famous meatball subs that Dennis champions regularly. The business portion of the meeting was short, the story session lasted until about 4:00. Dave stopped by and had us in tears laughing at, among other things, his adventures with the resident pair of red squirrels. We left for fishing at 4:30 and could well have waited another half hour as the forecasted "cloudy day" turned into another bright, hot, sunny one. The fishing  - It was after 5:00 when the first olives floated by, the fish seemed to know that there would be lots to eat and started slowly. When the hatch peaked there were both big, (18s), and the tiny olives all over the water. The fish appeared and started eating every olive that didn't have a hook in it. There were lots of refusals and ignores, some fish were hooked, some lost, it was both exciting and frustrating. E...

  Before we start I need to make a correction. The grammarian pointed out that Olga never got a ten, 9.8 being her best score. The first ten was awarded to Nadia Comaneci.  Tomorrow is the day the Associate Editors are gathering to both fish and make fun of my fly tying. I have been trying a number of different places in hopes of giving them good advice on where to fish. Went past a place I've often fished and there was a guy there fishing on Monday and again today. On my way back to the Lordville Estate I saw him in his pickup talking on the phone, pulled over, got out of the car, still in my waders and walked over to his truck, he held up a finger, then when the conversation went on and on he shook his head and made the yack, yack, yack sign with his hand, finally he was able to hang up and we had a conversation about fishing. He caught six fish, (all yearling rainbows), there on Sunday, fished there Monday and Tuesday, and never caught another fish, (there is a lesson to be...

  With the peaches picked, the tomatoes requiring water only every other day, and the grass not in need of mowing, (perhaps ever), I had the entire day to pleasure myself. Stopped at Morenos and got my Bow License, and headed out to fish. Picked a spot that I haven't fished all year. It requires a parachute to get there and the descent, at this time of year, in felt bottomed waders on dry leaves and acorns is exciting to say the least. Once on the water I shared the stream with an eagle and an osprey, the eagle flew by twice, the osprey dove but came up empty taloned. With all the disdainful looks I get from the eagles watching me fish, it was fun out fishing him today. Saw what looked like a few tricos bouncing up and down along the shore, an occasional caddis, and some tiny spinners that weren't tricos. The fish were looking up and fussy. Got refused a bunch but in a little over two hours I landed six fish, five nice rainbows and one 11 inch brown. Drove back to the fishing c...

  With Jean out walking with her sister, I finished up the things I had to do back home, fed the trout in the pond, packed food and clothes in the car and departed Lafayette so as to be in time to fish this evening.  The drive down showed that Mother Nature has been busy turning summer into fall despite the warmer than usual daytime temperatures. The fallow fields are a bright carpet of yellow as the golden rod's tall stalks dwarf the other plants, the vine that climes the hardwoods along the road, and goes unnoticed all summer, is now bright red, the sumacs have started to turn but have a ways to go, the swamp maples along 81 near Preble are all a brilliant red while most of the wooded hills are just starting to show a muted rust color.  It seems like forever since the last rain. The release from Cannonsville has been stepped up to 800cfs and is drawing more silt into the river, Wallenpaupack has been running most days and still can draw down the reservoir another foot a...

  With Syracuse Univ. Scheduled to play Colgate at seven tonight I headed out this morning when the air got up close to sixty. The water temps have been good on the BR for almost a month, the flow has varied between 800cfs and 1,100cfs depending on how much water is needed to make minimum flow at Montague. Right now the hydro generators are running at Wallenpaupack so the Cannonsville release is a modest 625cfs. The low flows make wading easy, while the boaters have to use care getting down through the riffs, the BR is still lots better than the Willow at 17cfs, the BK at 62cfs, and the BE at 220cfs. Have been told by a couple of guides who were on the river during the monster ant flight 10 days ago, that there were rising fish from Stilesville all the way down to Long Eddy. The fish appear to have begun moving back to home pools even without a significant rise in the water. Not one to ignore advice from those who know, I've been trying some of the less traveled paths and have foun...

  Killed another day doing nothing noteworthy. Somehow I skipped shooting the bow, I'll probably never have to mow the lawn again, left too much space between the two fences that are needed to keep the deer away from the tomato plants so, they jumped into the space between the two fences and ate most of the tomato plants by pulling them through the gaps in the inner fence. Left the Estate early and drove up to Deposit, chatted with Dave who told me that a group that was here last weekend did well on the BR. Wanted to see if he had a vacancy tomorrow night so that I could watch the Syracuse football game, but he was booked solid. My plan now is to fish in the morning and head home, as the game starts at seven and would mess up the evening fishing anyway. The bugs - Saw several isos, (they wouldn't eat mine), some good sized olives, (18s), late, and nothing else. The fishing - Was better than I could have hoped for. Fished where there were plenty of footprints in the sand/mud alo...

  When people ask me where I'm going to fish, I often say, the first place I find with no fishermen in it. It's not that I don't ever have a plan, because I do, but more often than not the plan is changed because another fisherman's plan was to get to the same place fifteen minutes before I did. My plan this morning was to give the Lordville riff it's weekly exam. The fish almost all move to cooler water during the hot summer months and by fishing the pool once a week it gives me an indication of fish movement back to their home pools. I've fished it the last three weeks and am averaging 1.33 fish per trip. With the water temp now ideal, I was anxious to see if any fish had moved back home despite the very low water levels. At 10:30 this morning with the porch temp approaching 60, I drove over to the other side of the tracks, (this is a concession to my age as I used to walk), only to find not one, but four anglers taking the very same survey I was going to take...

  A week ago there were all kinds of olives when the release from Cannonsville was up around 800. When the release was cut back to the mid 400's the bug activity, (at least where I fished), came to a screeching halt. The last two days the release has been between 475 and 525cfs and the olives have covered the water. There is no way to predict what the flows will be, the hydro at Wallenpaupack is running, there is no rain predicted in the ten day forecast and minimum flow has to be met. The bright sunny days are better for golf than fishing, the smallest olives are hatching but the fish don't like the bright sun. The evenings, however, are getting exciting. Lots of olives and rising fish, mostly rainbows. Rainbows love to eat flies and you're as apt to hook the big ones as the yearlings. Judging by the lack of "How I did" comments on the reports, not many of you are still fishing. If it's due to the gloom and doom report of September 2nd I understand, we aren...

  Arrived back at the Lordville Estate about 12:30pm today. Put stuff away, ate lunch and mowed the lawn, parts of which are brown and haven't grown in six weeks while other parts, shaded by trees and houses, continued to grow. When I finished the mowing, I sat down and tied some very small olives including two 26's, the smallest flies I've ever tied.  Headed out to fish a little after three and with the water still relatively low, went back up to Deposit. There were tiny little olives but the fish seemed reluctant to rise in the bright sun. Had one big cloud block the sun and at least a dozen fish started to rise, as soon as the sun came out again everything quieted down. Departed at 5:00 with no clouds anywhere near the sun. Drove down river knowing I could wade the lower river pools at 500cfs. Found one that wasn't occupied and had fish to throw at in a good olive hatch until dark. The run I fished has big boulders that slow the current in some places while speeding ...

  Trying to figure out/predict river flows is at least as hard as picking winners at Saratoga. Why did they cut back the release on the WB two days ago? The predicted rain - or - is Wallenpaupack going to run?  The rain did produce a little bump in the water level down in Jersey but it's already dropped below 1750cfs and this morning they dropped the Cannonsville release even further. It would appear that Wallenpaupack is about to crank up. If you are here or if you are coming be sure to have the USGS site for Stilesville on your phone so you can check for increases in the flow while you are fishing. It's not fun to get caught on the wrong side of the river. Today, with the release at 425cfs, the contrarian in me decided to try the river up in Deposit. It's been deserted by anglers as there has been little bug activity and few rising fish. When the flow is up over 700cfs it's pulling some of the silt into the water and it's starting to get cloudy. At 425cfs there wa...

  Woke this morning hoping for an all day soaker that would raise the rivers and send the trout back to their home pools, get the olives going and the fish up.. The drop in the release from Cannonsville to under 500cfs in anticipation of the rain, opened up the entire WB for fishing but, it wasn't meant to be  as the first rain didn't arrive until 4:00pm. It has rained on and off since then. Oquaga is still at 5cfs, up from 4cfs this morning and down from 4,000cfs that it reached twice during May and June of this year. It was another late summer/early fall day with cool early morning temps in the 40's and mid afternoon readings in the high 70's. With the wind blowing from the south at 15/20 both leaves and small branches were raining down on local roads. Called Vicky and she got me in at 3:00 and asked why I wasn't fishing. I just pointed at the leaves blowing across the parking lot. Drove down to the Men's Club after the pruning job, saw one pontoon boat at the...

  With rain in the forecast for Thursday, (that might be why they cut back the Cannonsville release),  I decided to conserve energy and burn gas. Left the Estate at 10:00am and toured the fishery. Driving along the rivers in the foothills of the Catskills is a scenic tour that for a trout fisherman is hard to beat. Saw lots of tricos both in the air and on the water but strangely almost no fish up feeding on them. Did the September first cut back in the water release send the fish into hiding? Rode along route 30 all the way up to Downsville to eat lunch at the Downsville Diner only to find it was closed ten minutes before I got there. Drove up to the little store where the canoe rental floats start and asked about Al's old fly shop by the bridge in Shinhopple which is for sale, turns out the store is also for sale. The owner pointed out, you need both a put in and take out if you are going to rent canoes. Having killed enough time, I went in search of the UEB sulfurs and foun...

  If I was asked to describe todays fishing in one word - Dreadful - would do just fine. It might well have been a "great day to be on the river", but where I was at least, swinging wets would have been far more productive than dry fly fishing. Fished two different places on the BR, there were no bugs in the morning place and only a few little olives in the pm spot. Never fished to a rising fish in the am, in the evening I fished down a big flatwater pool and got shots at half a dozen one-timers. Even the fall fish weren't feeding. Caught two two-year old browns in the am, one 14 inch rainbow and a fall fish, in the pm. It's September, if you haven't noticed, and the releases from both reservoirs are supposed to be cut back, UNLESS the River Master calls for additional releases to meet minimum flow at Montague. With Wallenpaupack currently not generating power the River Master has called for releases from Cannonsville that are now up to somewhere around 850cfs and...

  Spent Sunday with a neighborhood friend of over 70 years. His passion is horse racing and we spent a  long but very enjoyable day together driving to Saratoga, scratching the muzzles of two of his horses, (one the NYS bred two year old filly of the year), having breakfast at a back of the track diner where a young lady close to my age took our order, cooked the food, and half an hour later told me what I owed at the cash register, all without writing anything down, (I can't remember where I put my list, let alone what's on it). Bet on nine races, my horse lost his jockey in one race, jockey had to almost stop his horse in another to avoid a horse that cut in front of him, made some bad picks and lost seven straight races, when I won the next two, Tom said it was time to go. Lost $5.00 dollars betting and called the day a big win.   This morning I had weekend stuff to do and was in no hurry to get on the road. Left about 11:00am  and had a late lunch upon arriv...

  Had to go back to August first to find the last time I answered questions -my apologies to those who have waited for answers. Terry V. wanted to know what they are eating when they are rising but won't look at your fly. Easy - flies without hooks in them. If the rises are boils the fish are feeding on nymphs in the water column, if the rises are sips they could very well be eating the dreaded Delaware River midges. Several Ed's had questions - The most dependable olive hatches usually happen as the sulfur hatch wanes. A cold water surge, cold nights, cloudy, (smokey), overcast days with a drizzle are the best bets. The up river area from Stilesville to the Deposit bridge is the coldest part of the stream and  when the sun is off the water it's generally too cold for bugs to hatch. Harry L. - You can get a copy of Paul Weamer's book about fly hatches and flies of New York, (the little orange book), at the Troutfitter's. It tells you when and where hatches occur. If...

  Decided  to try the tricos this morning, it was cold so there was no rush. Took a page out of my GHOF's book and decided I needed to replace the olives that got chewed up yesterday, and wouldn't you know it, both the time and temperature got away from me, (11:00am and 64 degrees when I remembered to look). With the spinner fall being so late I quickly made a sandwich so I could stay and see if there were any afternoon sulfurs or olives, jumped in the car and headed for East Branch. Felt better at the top of Lordville Hill as the temp was down to 62, it fluctuated with the terrain and was 64 streamside.  Found an open pool right away and waded in with fish up and eating tricos everywhere. Funny thing, even before I started to cast, the fish kept rising but got further away. My first cast landed the fly about five feet upstream of the fish and they all stopped rising and moved further downstream. Had to land the trico 15 feet upstream of the fish for them to keep rising a...

  Had breakfast with Jean who left with enough tomatoes to feed the extended family, waited for it to warm up, (45 at 6:15am), and then went out and spent an a couple hours fishing another BR pool. The pool I fished has a small stream running into it which usually provides a summer refuge for a few trout. If any trout spent the summer there you couldn't prove it by me. Never saw a rise the entire time I was there. The only troublesome part of the morning was the fifty feet of knee deep mud I had to wade through to get to shore when I abandoned the venture. Spent from noon until five killing time, shot the bow, read the newspaper, did a crossword, thought about tying a few flies, (will have to tomorrow), and took a short nap. At a little after five I drove up to Deposit and chatted with river friend and veteran fisherman Stewart and his landlord who purports to be a guide/ fisherman. Stewart's experience this year closely paralleled mine, while his landlord talked mostly of the ...

  If perhaps you got the feeling that I was a tad discouraged with the fishing on the Delaware yesterday, you were right. Today was the day Jean was coming down to have lunch with Sue, one of her friends from Florida who lives in Honesdale. The lunch was scheduled for 3:00 and I called her at 6:00 to see if she was headed back to Lordville. She was still in Honesdale and said she would be at the camp when I got back from fishing.  The river master increased the release again and the flow is now high enough to make fishing the down river pools on the WB difficult. Drove further upstream, found an unoccupied pool, and at about 6:30 waded in. First thing I noticed were the olives, good sized ones, that were all over the water, then I saw the rises, everywhere. After the first few casts it was clear that the fish were eating the emerging nymphs rather than the duns, but they had the water aboil. Every cast I made was at a fish, if the fly floated six feet past the first fish it fl...

  It's time to just say it. I'm having a hard time working up enthusiasm for the fishing conditions at present. Had to make a few calls this morning, mow the lawn this afternoon, but about five this afternoon I had no excuse. Got in the car, drove to the post office only to find it had just closed, put the letter in the blue box where it will sit for the next twenty-four hours. Drove over the WB on 191 where two boats were anchored, pulled into the Shehawken lot, walked out on the ramp, saw a pontoon boat downstream and a guy fishing the run where the creek comes in. Saw a fish rise once just upstream from me, and thought if he rises again, I'll go get the rod, he didn't. Love to fish the BR and decided I would spend the night trying it in three places to assess both the bugs and the fish. The first place had no fishermen, there were a few bugs, (saw a handful of isos, one Cahill, several olives and small swarms of midges along the shore. Was there 45 minutes, hooked an...

  Back at the Lordville Estate after a little longer break than usual. Had an MRI scheduled for 3:15 this afternoon. If they were behind schedule there was no way I would have driven down. Was in the machine listening to Little Eva do the locomotion, (not in time with the banging of the machine), along with several other songs of the sixties. Was in the car at 3:45, home before 4:15, and unloading the car in Lordville at 6:15. Talked with David on the way down and he said there were heavy hatches of those pesky little olives both days this weekend. Said there were fish up everywhere. I asked if the fishermen caught any, and he said, "Enough to make them happy, some even stayed an extra day". The conversation ended abruptly when I drove through a cut in the rocks on the way to Castle Creek. Left the camp at about 6:30 and headed up the PA side, it was breezy and I wrote off Buckingham when I drove down to the ramp and saw the waves. Stopped at Shehawken and watched a guy clean...

  With the Hancock temperature at 47 degrees this morning there was no hurry to get on the river for the trico spinner fall. Had a leisurely breakfast, read the paper and at 9:30 set out for the UEB. Car thermometer had the temperature still in the 50's until Fish's Eddy and it never got over 61 on my drive up to Shinhoppel and back. Back? Yep, every spot where you can park to fish the trico hatch had at least one car in it. By the thermometer I was early, but the parking spots filled with cars silently said you're too late.  Headed back to the Lordville Estate, did the breakfast dishes and decided to go out in the riff and give it a try. Now days you seldom get a chance to fish a spot before anyone else, (every boat covers miles of "spots" each day). Waded in and saw some small caddis hatching, also saw an iso, never saw a rise until I was crossing back to the NY side, and not one, but two fish rose just upstream from me. Tried both the caddis and the iso, got na...