Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

 With Dorotheas on the water from before noon until dark, (yes there was a lull from 4:30 until 6:30, but there were always a few on the water), no one should have had trouble finding rising fish to cast to. Hookups for most anglers are a challenge. If you are getting fish to come up to your fly but refuse it, (no you didn't miss them), you are close, but something just isn't right. Drag is probably the number one cause, but the fish are looking at the fly from no more than an inch or two away when they make their final decision. Do your flies look like the flies floating down the river? Are they too big, (Invarias no longer cut the mustard where the Dorothea hatch is in full bloom), size down and you should do better. Pick up a Dorothea off the water and actually compare it to the flies you are using, most are far too bulky. Trim them down with a scissors or clippers and see if it makes a difference. The Fishing - For me very good. Have had lots of refusals the last two days b...

There are still Invaria up at Stilesville being attended to by unprecedented hoards of anglers. Just a historical note and suggestion. When the little Stilesville lot was purchased the farmer complained when cars were parked along the road, and no parking signs were put up, which was fair, (the State could have come up with more money for a bigger lot). This year anglers are again filling the Stilesville lot and parking down the road, some almost half way to the Red barn pool. Many are walking down the road and entering the Red Barn pool through the open gate and of course fishing without paying. If you are fishing above the riff, fine. If you are parking on the road and walking down to save five dollars please consider paying the five dollars and parking at the barn. No parking signs would eliminate access for a lot of fishermen. Just a thought. Based on what I've seen so far the Dorothea hatch looks to be a good one. There are bugs hatching both afternoon and evening from the 17 ...

Our own Dennis Molter brought home the gold in the Greater Stilesville Freefall Invitational today. It was a stunning upset over pre-event co- favorites, A-119 and Associate Editor Ed Smith. Smith, well known for his consistency has won numerous times on his home river, the Willow, and last year won the Red Barn Open in front of a packed house. A-119 is an experienced freefaller who has competed all over the country and in Canada. Most recently A-119 took gold in the Tar Hollow Classic with his freefall on the rocks. Molter, (also an Associate Editor), is an accomplished athlete who has competed in swimming, basketball, golf, and to a lesser degree fly-fishing. He has had no known prior experience as a freefaller, (that is being investigated). The freefall - With no cameras running,  it's hard to describe the fall in it's entirety, but after talking with those present, here's what we were able to put together: It started with a backwards one leg hop, leading quickly to a ba...

 This one is sure to stir up controversy and dissenting opinions, but I believe I'm more right than wrong.  To begin with, trout like an easy meal and what is easier to do than to get in a spot where mayfly duns are floating along in soft current and sip them as they drift by. Trout do this the first few days at the start of every species of mayfly that hatches. If you are lucky enough to be in the water on one of those days and see the noses coming out of the water as they eat duns one after another you can become, for an hour or so, the fisherman you've dreamed of being, but, with the pressure that is put on the Delaware River trout, the "dun sipping" phase of a hatch is over almost before it has begun. As soon as a fish has been hooked on a mayfly dun, (this probably varies from fish to fish, some need to be caught eating duns more than once), he starts to concentrate on eating the nymphs as they swim up from the bottom. It's harder work and requires the expend...

 Home for a Doctors appointment today and to pickup Jean at the airport tomorrow. Hope to be back on the river Wednesday. It's probably a good time to talk about some of the things that are holding people back from catching fish. To begin with, lets be clear, the Delaware River System every year hosts more of the best fly fishermen east of the Mississippi than any other river, (perhaps any other river in America, period). It also hosts many, many anglers who have had success elsewhere or who are relatively new to the game and find the river system more frustrating than challenging, (it is a very difficult place to consistently catch fish). I'm no expert in any one phase of the sport but I've fly fished now for over 70 years, I've got game, you might say a jack of all trades, master of none. Most of what I say will be for the fishermen either new to the river or new to the sport, many of you will be bored, but hopefully, many of you will learn a thing or two that will ...

 With rain predicted for this evening I decided to get to the river on time and give the Dorotheas my best shot. Took a longish walk to a place that looked from the road to be free of fishermen. Apparently other fishermen were taking long walks from different directions because heads started popping out of the bushes everywhere. Last count showed four fishermen in the 200 feet I wanted to fish and another one half way between me and them. Did a 180 and headed back towards the car. At the head of a riff were a couple fish quietly feeding, stopped to watch and discovered several more all taking nymphs subsurface in what was shallow water. Fished for an hour, rose seven fish, with three of them eating my fly. When things quieted down I continued my journey back towards the car. Stopped where I fished a couple days ago, saw a couple risers and gave them a try, both fish took a look but refused to eat. Tried what probably was one of the fish I caught Friday, he was in the same lie sippi...