Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

  We had about twenty four hours of "no spill" and now it will start all over again. Because it's the first of June instead of the first of May, this spill has the potential to be far more harmful to the fishery. Why? In May the surface water spill made the upper WB the warmest part of the system. A month later the surface water will be much warmer and could be harmful to both bug hatches and fish. Hopefully the DEC will use whatever influence they have to get the release increased to moderate the temperature of the water leaving the dam.   When I saw the USGS graphs heading straight up, I packed up and headed home. It was a big storm that had us right in its crosshairs. The Susquehanna and the Tioughnioga weren't hit nearly as hard. If the reservoirs weren't full, things would settle down quite quickly, but the spill will take some time to pass through the system. The fishing - If you're here and wade fishing you will no doubt be above Oquaga's muddy wate...

  After fishing nine straight days it was time to go home, see Jean, watch our granddaughter's lacrosse team advance in the sectional championship, wash my clothes, mow the grass, pay the bills, have lunch with an old friend, and just catch my breath. Wednesday, the last day I fished, the sulfurs were clearly waning on the BR, the BK, and EB. Today they are gone. They can be found in Deposit in limited numbers, (along with the last of the Hendricksons). You may find green drakes and for sure coffin flies from Stockport up, on the BR. Two days away doesn't seem like much, but things are changing fast. If you don't find bugs in your "spot", get in your car and look for them, or find where the guides are fishing, (over twenty trailers at a take out), and join the fray. If you are where "It's happening" you'll be amazed by the numbers of both boats and rising fish.  The fishing - Word from the associate editors during my absence was that there were b...

  It was an eventful day, Mark departed for Greensboro at 7:30 this morning. I devoted the day to catching up on yard work. Since the rains came, I have mowed three times and done nothing else. Pruned around the trees and bushes, dug up a deceased apricot tree, turned over the garden and planted the tomato plants, pulled Creeping Charlie out of the Flowering Quince, filled the bird feeders, sprayed weed killer on the new grass I planted on the railroad bank, made a dump run, and fell asleep in the recliner. Awoke about 3:30 and took a drive, stopped to see Dave at the Troutfitter in Deposit, who said people did well up there over the weekend. Saw a few rises, relatively few fishermen, and almost no boats. Headed east and found the wade fishermen. Every parking spot along the BE and the BK had multiple cars. Drove all the way to Roscoe without finding an empty pool to fish. The fishing - Fished a run on the lower part of the BE that had a heavy Invaria hatch and rising fish everywhe...

  What more could anyone ask for than bright sunshine and warm temperatures after dealing with seemingly endless days of cold drizzly weather? Well some of the fishermen who spent the day in a drift boat today might well tell you that a few more clouds would have been nice, others might go so far as to  say that they didn't mind the rainy days one bit. Why? Because fish don't wear polaroids and the glare bothers their eyes. There were plenty of bugs, but unless the clouds covered the sun, the bugs were unmolested. When the sun finally went behind the hills it was game on for both the trout and the fishermen. The trout were well rested but most of the fishermen who were in a boat since noon were tired and frustrated. Our day - Started just after noon, wade fishing the middle section of the WB. There were a modest number of bugs, both caddis and an assortment of mayflies. The trout were looking up, but were fussy about what they ate and the rises were far and few between. We wer...

  Life at the Lordville Estate continued at a hectic pace with Jean checking out after breakfast and Mark checking back in on his way back to N.C. With a brisk NW wind and rising barometer I decided the day would be better spent off the BR, where I have found the fish reluctant to rise when there are waves on the flat water pools. A drive up the PA  side at 1:00 showed less than ten trailers at Buckingham, about fifteen at Shehawken and so many at Ball's Eddy that we left for the East side. The fishing - Stopped at Cadosia, (everyone should experience the thrill of wading out from the "Handicapped Accessible Ramp" there). Gave it about an hour, the hatch mediocre, and the rising either sporadic or intermittent, (your choice). We hooked four fish, landed three, and when the hatch didn't increase to our liking, we headed upstream. We lost one fish at the next stop, with a poor hatch and few risers. Then fished a good pool on the BK where there was a modest hatch of bugs...