Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

  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...

  Spent the early morning hours watching the deer in the back yard. The winter coat is poking through the summer hair on two more does. The twin fawns are now tackling small apples. It takes contortions of their entire body to get the apple in pieces. Have previously mentioned that I sometimes turn on the flood lights that light up the back yard to see what's hatching. It helped me this year as I had golden drakes tied up and ready when the hatch got up into the colder water. My GHOF could no doubt explain it better, but sometimes the lights are surrounded by thousands of bugs that seem to be carrying a ribbon of light behind them, it's mesmerizing to sit and watch them. If you sat out on the porch any night in the past two weeks you would have seen - nothing, (just went over to the window and looked and there were no more than a dozen bugs slowly circling the light. Which is a long and torturous way of saying that there are no risers on the BR because there are few if any bugs...

  Was in no hurry to get out fishing today. Tricos have a tough time landing on the water when it's windy, so  I didn't go. As I mentioned in yesterdays report, this was to be an olive day, and in some places it was. There were, however, other places where it wasn't. Left the Lordville  Estate at 2:30, sure the olives would be going by then. Drove up the PA side, glassed the BR at Buckingham, the WB at Shehawken, at Hale Eddy, and finally at the Deposit sewage treatment plant. First bug and rise I saw was at the sewage treatment plant. Drove around to the parking area, put on my waders, and waded cautiously, (does everyone but me know there is a t in cautiously?), downstream in greenish colored water from Oquaga to where the bugs were hatching and the fish were rising. I was there probably 45 minutes, (long enough to know I wouldn't catch anything), while the hatch of both sulfurs and olives increased to the point where the trout said OK, it's time to eat. Not a fis...

  Walked out on the back porch at 6:30 this morning and the thermometer said it was fifty degrees. Last week I saw a doe about half a mile up Lordville road that was already the dark color they get when the winter coat first shows. This morning she was in the yard looking for apples with several of the locals. She's almost three weeks ahead of schedule and the only deer around here that has shown any color change. The 50 degree temperature was a welcome sight. It gave me time for a leisurely breakfast and a chat with Jean before heading out to trico fish. During our conversation, Jean mentioned that the wind was blowing at the house. I told her there wasn't a leaf moving here. The fishing - Arrived at 9:30 with the car telling me it was 63 degrees. Crossed the stream and there were a few tricos on the water and lots in the air. Got to the pool where I wanted to fish and there were risers everywhere. Have fished the pool twice before, (two weeks ago), and it has probably been fi...

  Enjoyed a weekend at home with Jean that included a quiet 40th anniversary dinner at Dashers Pub in Homer. Ran well water into the trout pond all last week as both the inlet to the pond and our little stream, Rainbow Creek are bone dry. The fish perked up with the cold water and I was able to feed them for the first time this month. While I was watching the feeding trout, a kingfisher flew over the pond. It's the first one I've ever seen there. No doubt it has discovered the fat head minnows in the pond. The heron that fed on the pond trout for at least 10 years is gone, haven't seen him for two years and the trout population has remained constant. Walked down to the pond to feed the fish this morning and ran into three hen turkeys with 7 -10 young. It's the most young turkeys I've seen all year. Arrived at the Lordville Estate about noon after stops to pick up apples, gas, groceries, and a "What's new", chat with Dave at the Troutfitter. Both the te...

  If you are looking for something positive to pin your hopes on, the River Master started calling for increased releases from Cannonsville on Thursday. The releases are required to meet minimum flow requirements at  Montague down in Jersey. Why now? The additional flow is needed because the hydro generation at Wallenpaupack is not operating. When the power plant is shut down the additional water needed to meet minimum flow requirements comes from Cannonsville.  How does this affect the river system? While the additional releases are being made, the DEC will not have to use water from their "bank" to keep the temperature below 75 degrees at Lordville, which is a good thing.  The Wallenpaupack  reservoir is currently down to 1181.57 , (or lower), and no generation is scheduled for the coming week. The target level for September 1st is 1181.00  without substantial rainfall it looks like the increased Cannonsville flow will continue for at least a week and pro...