So Why Aren't The Trout Up And Eating The Sulfurs?

 

Trying to be in the right place at the right time on the Delaware System this year is proving to be a challenge for everyone. The Dorotheas, are usually one of the most prolific and consistent hatches the river has to offer, with the bugs showing up around 1:00 in the afternoon and again at 7:00 in the evening. This year the Dorotheas first showed up about three weeks ahead of schedule, but they have clearly lost the ability to tell time, as they have hatched anywhere from noon till dark. They have also been wildly inconsistent as to the numbers hatching. Some days the Cedar wax wings don't even bother to show up. The trout apparently have better options than the sulfurs as they have been pretty much ignoring even the best of the hatches. 

With freestone water temps hovering around the 70 degree, no fishing mark, I've been spending more time on the WB the last few days. Yes, I have started catching the two year old trout you have been telling me about, but in my limited time on the WB I have seen some things that have been surprising. For one, the WB trout are much thinner than the freestone, (and even the UEB), fish I've been catching, and they have not been fighting nearly as well. Are they just adjusting to the much colder water they are now living in, or are they simply not getting nearly as much food as their cousins on the east side of the system?

There has been some discussion about blind casting in the comments. I've written on this subject a few times and Dave was good enough to provide the link to the blog pages where my comments could be found. The next time Dave shows up for work, (slacker thinks that just because he's been there 10 years, he can take July 4th off), I'll ask him if he can once again use his wizard's wand  to find the previous article about blind casting.

The fishing - Four paragraphs down tells you something right off the bat, it sucked. The afternoon hatch started about when it should have, but both the bugs and the fish must have heard that Catlin Clark wouldn't be playing so neither showed up. The only good thing was that I made it back to the car before the rain hit. The evening fishing was much the same. The sulfurs didn't bother to hatch, and the Trout had nothing to rise for. Saw three trout rise, one of which ate my fly. Hooked three more blind casting and called it a day in time to be back in the car before nine.  


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