Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

  There have been a dearth of questions this year which cuts down on the need for my weekend Wind Knots pages. Some commentors have also been good enough to jump in with  answers so that the question is promptly answered. Thanks to those who have helped out in this manner. Thanks to Jack and Chris for their reports on the proposed repair work. Sounds like a much more sensible way to get to the desired water level without unduly affecting the fishermen and the local economy. Dennis wanted to know about the Partridge Trail on the BE. It's a trail that has been opened up along the river using the old railroad bed. It runs along Partridge Island. There is one good pool I know of on the side of the island near the trail but most of the success I've had there has been on the other side of the island. The walk along the old train track should be of interest to mycologists as whenever I've walked it, the areas on either side of the trail and the river bank have been covered with al...

 It got up to 60 degrees today but without the sun there wasn't much improvement in the water temps. There was a downstream breeze that was a little troublesome at times, but the main problem was the lack of the sunshine needed to warm up the water.  The bugs (all kinds of them) wanted to hatch but the water was just a bit too cold. We had bugs from 2:00 until about 4:30, but not as many as yesterday and the bigger fish just weren't up. Yesterday our smallest fish was sixteen inches, today our biggest fish was seventeen inches. Yesterday we were well satisfied with both how we fished and what we caught. Today not so much. We ended up rowing out when both the bugs and the fish quit. Two other boats floated the same water we did. they appeared to be throwing at fish but we never saw them net any. Update Friday am. - - The outlook for the rest of the week looks grim. The rivers are blown out from last nights rain, not a bit of sun is expected to appear until Monday and rain is in...

 It's Sunday afternoon and I'm home waiting for cocktail hour with my wife. There was a dearth of questions this week so the page will be spent discussing the long term effects of the FFMP. The FFMP (Flexible Flow Management Plan) is the best flow program I've seen during my 35 years fishing the Delaware River System. The increased flows have resulted in a major increase in both the fish carrying capacity of  the WB and the BR and the number of drift boats floating them. Keeping the water temp below 75 at Lordville provides a large thermal refuge for the down river fish which in turn increases the number of fish all the way down to Callicoon during the "big bug hatches".  Elimination of the dewatering of large portions of the stream bed in the upper WB caused by the former low flows has resulted in a major increase in caddis hatches in the "Sulfur Zone". These are the basic plusses that I have observed. As with most everything in life - if there are plus...

  This winter, with Covid still raging and time on my hands, I decided to compile the year's blog pages into a book.  "A Season On The Delaware"  follows Angler119 as he fishes the Delaware through the progression of fly hatches from the first little stone flies of April to the last paraleps of November.  It provides enough information to enable readers to better enjoy and appreciate their time on the river while laughing at the  humorous situations that every angler invariably finds himself in.  It encourages readers, to take the time to smell, if not the roses, then at least the heifers at the pasture pool, to observe and enjoy the wildlife they interact with every day along the river and maybe, just maybe, helps them to, every once in a while, fool a big West Branch brown into eating a Hendrickson or experience the thrill of chasing a hot iso eating rainbow down through a riff on the big river.  Dave and Rick at the Troutfitter shops in Syracuse and...

With a tornado watch in effect and thunder storms predicted for  two-thirty , I opted to fish the upper WB at a spot close to the car.  I had avoided the algae plagued  West Branch all week, first because  of the algae, second because of the rain induced muddy water.  Found  the river at an ideal level,  running clear and with a reduced amount of algae. Arrived about two-forty five to find a mix of bugs on the water with  very few fish up. The summer sulfurs got going about 3:30  and  the fish  started feeding with some vigor. There were dark clouds  overhead, thunder and lightning in the air and when it started to rain  hard I headed for the car.  It was 4:00  and I had landed five of seven fish hooked,  losing a big rainbow and a two year old brown  to large clumps of algae. Returned after about half an hour to find lots of bugs and very few  feeding fish. You had to find risers, mark them, ...

After yesterday's bonanza I decided to return to the upper EB, but  spend the day fishing places I hadn't visited this year (or at least  since Hendrickson's).  Did chores in the morning, tied flies and left  for the river around two.  Carried out my plan to perfection, visiting  all new ( for this year) places.  Couldn't believe how much the  multiflora roses have grown.  Probably poked a dozen new holes in my  waders.  It was sunny and the sulfurs (where I was) hatched in modest  numbers which the fish, for the most part, chose to ignore.  By seven  o'clock I had landed two twelve inchers. Not to worry the feeding bonanza was yet to come.  As soon as the sun  goes behind the hills  - - - - - Well it went behind the hills and the fish, where I was, began feeding  on sulfur nymphs (just like yesterday) only the hatch never really got  going and the spinners didn't show up until it was too dark...

There were more fishermen on the river today than earlier this week  but there were still plenty of places where you could fish alone.  The  upriver hatches remain meager with the summer sulfurs still absent  from the mix.  The fish are feeding but very carefully.  They seldom  eat more than a couple of flies at any one time and often change lies  between feeding spells. Down river the summer sulfurs are going, in some places in the  afternoon and in others not 'til late evening when there are also  olives, isos and spinners in the mix.. Fished my new flies again today.  Had a refusal on the first cast and  then a take on the second.  Thought I was in for a  great day but I  ended up getting more refusals than takes. Five fish ate the fly,  all  upriver.  When I went downstream for the evening fishing, the fly was  ignored.  It is apparently taken for the emerging "big sulfurs".  Am...

Stung by two tough days on the river, I got out early, determined to  teach those fish a lesson.  Fished what I think is one of the better  runs in the river from nine-thirty until eleven fifteen.  What did I  get?  One rise by a fish that said "no thank you" to my offering.  At  least I was smart enough to quit when I did, go home , eat lunch and tie some new and different flies. Almost passed up the afternoon "sulfur hatch"  but  decided to give my my  new flies a try. The hatch was the same as it has been with a mix of  big flies but no summer sulfurs.  The fish, absent anglers (there was  no one fishing anywhere) were rising.  Hooked and landed the first two  fish I threw at and continued to get looks from almost every fish. The  action got hot and heavy whenever a cloud blocked the sun and slowed  to a crawl when the bright sun shone on the river. By five o'clock,  when the hatch had ende...

At four o'clock there were no cars at the lower game lands lot and  just two cars at the upper game lands.  At seven o'clock there were no  cars at the power line pool  and one car at Long Flat. No one is fishing - because? No one is catching any fish.  The "fluff"  reports notwithstanding. Today I fished a run in the middle section of the WB from ten in the  morning (I've done very well in the morning the past two weeks and  expected to do well today) until four in the afternoon.  Saw one other  wade fisherman and two boats. One of the boats was rowed by a guide  who I consider to be the best on the river.  We were both there  because the run is full of fish and the bugs have been going good  there for two weeks. How'd I do?  During the six hours I was there I rose three fish, none  of which ate my fly.  I hooked one of them in the side and landed "the  fish of the day" - a foul hooked fifteen inc...

Have had a good week of fishing.  After the big bugs the fishing  usually gets tougher.  When the Big River and Big East get too warm to  fish it puts extra pressure on the West Branch.  This week you could  fish anywhere and I did, picking spots that were too shallow or too  far down river for boats.  Fishing in the morning got me away from most of the wade fishermen. In the evenings I stayed away from the WB. The result was a solid week of fishing that was as good as any week  I've had this year.  Yesterday morning was no exception.  With the Big  River and EB warming up I fished a long riff on the WB and found large  browns and bows willing to eat my flies.  For a change I landed most  of them.  Took the afternoon off and went to the upper EB for the evening.  The  floating goop that I called brown algae is rock snot.  It's awful as  it gets on your line and fly and won't come off....

With NYSEG arriving at 8:15  to "drop"  the power line to my house so I  could take down a big  spruce tree, the report is somewhat tardy - my  apologies (the tree came down without incident). With no rain in sight and Mother Nature scheduled to pour on the heat  this weekend the fishing on most of the Big River is most likely drawing to a close for the summer. Water temp at Lordville was 68  yesterday and the next day of sun will put it into the "no fishing  temp zone". Decided to spend the day on the lower river as there is little boat  traffic and the fish are still in place.  With cold water temps the  past few days there was a steady stream of bugs and rising fish. With  winds in the 15/ 30 mph range, however,  the Big River had little  appeal.  In the last  two days the temp went from the mid fifties to  yesterdays 68.  The fish are fine but the bugs have stopped hatching. Fished a long riff ...

The day started off cloudy and cold with wind blowing fifteen, gusting  even higher.  Got on the water at three to find the hatch not yet  underway.  By 3:30  there were some bugs and a few risers.  The  bugs peaked about 4:30  in what could best be described as only  a fair hatch The fish fed but were clearly not in a feeding frenzy.  You had to look for them and wait for them to rise then cast.  There were  fishermen in the "A" spots and I saw several fish landed. As I got  about as far away from the car as I planned on going the hatch petered  out.  Wade fishermen left and the boats rowed  out.  Started my journey back towards the car looking for the last risers when the sun  broke through the clouds.  It's mid June and even at 6:00  you  could feel the warmth.  The bugs could too for sulfurs and cahills  started hatching again - not a lot  - but enough to get the f...

With the wind at just  fifteen most of the day it was by far the  easiest casting day of the week.  The sulfurs are hatching in good  numbers on both branches.  They can be found in the upper half of the  WB in the afternoon, providing day time dry fly action that has been  missing for the past few weeks. Yesterday it got up near seventy and when the wind laid down around  six it paved the way for a system wide spinner fall.  I found rainbows  sipping an assortment of different spinners.  They were careful but  it's a lot easier to fool them when they are eating off the surface.  As is common with Delaware River bows, I lost almost half of the ones  I hooked. With rain in the forecast it might well be a good weekend to hit the  river, after all you can't mow the lawn or do yard work in the rain.

Three shirts and a rain coat didn't begin to keep me warm.  The wind  blew over fifteen with gusts much higher - rain came on and off all  day and there were even a few ice pellets. The temp never got over  fifty two.  Saw only one other wade angler and half a dozen boats all  day. The bugs, for some reason were lovin' it.  By three the water was  yellow with every kind of bug you could name.  It wasn't until the  sulfurs started to wain that I noticed all the little olives and the  isos. The fish - were slow to get started but fed like crazy from about four  'til seven when things shut down (so much for yesterdays advice). Dry fly fishing was an event.  I missed rises by fifteen feet.  Drag  just might have been a factor in numerous refusals.  But, enough fish  ate the fly to make it a great day. My index finger looks like I was  pulling up rose bushes bare handed (trout teeth are sharp) and the...

Just as it was getting hard to see my cornuta the fish started eating on top.  Hooked a couple on the cornuta and then had to switch to a sulfur so I could see it.  The sulfurs were on the water by then anyway and the fish were more than happy to eat mine.   Over the years I have noticed that the approval rating of my flies goes up as the light fades. Until the summer sulfurs get going in the afternoon  the action seems confined to the last hour of daylight (again looked for cornutas in the morning - found nothing). It's not an ideal time to make a trip to the Delaware as there is a lot of down time.  When the summer sulfurs get going there is fishing from early afternoon until dark - come then!

The season is speeding by - Green Drakes are all but over on the Upper  East and there was a big spinner fall at the one ninety one pool on  the West Branch Thursday  night.  Fished near Balls Eddy on Thursday  and saw neither Duns nor Spinners. Isos normally follow the drakes  and appear in numbers around Memorial  Day.  Often times you can see as many as a dozen nymph husks on stream  side rocks.  This year you have to look at a dozen rocks to find one  husk.  Is it a poor year for Isos?  Has the heat held them back or are  they over? Who knows? The Cornuta (large olives)  arrive after all the big bugs and usually  hatch in the morning in early in June.  I have looked for them both  last week and this but in all the wrong places.  A Troutfitter regular  called the shop to report seeing them Friday  morning at the game  lands. Friday  night at the one ninety one bridge the...

Returned to the river this morning - with the five hundred cfs release  in the WB the worst of the algae problem has been sent down river for  now. The unfishable high temps have continued on the Big River and the Big  East. The Beaverkill?  Who knows?  There have been no temperature  readings at the USGS station there for years. The three most critical stations (where thermal stress is most likely  to occur )are Fish's Eddy on the EB, Lordville on the Big River and  Cooks Falls on the Beaverkill.  They stopped reporting temps at Cooks  Falls years ago and no one seems to care.  The shop owners who post  water temps seem happy to write NA next to the Beaverkill water temp  and people go right on fishing.  Perhaps they feel its better for  business to have the people fishing. Someone should get this long  neglected matter corrected (DEC, FUDR, TU) come on, step up! Fishing remains poor - had enough hookups to...

With the Big River, the Big East Branch and the lower Beaverkill all too warm to fish, there just wasn't enough river for the holiday weekend throng to fish.  Add to that a week of unseasonably hot weather, the algae problem on the West Branch and bright all day sun and you had the makings for a very poor  fishing weekend. Surprisingly the algae problem improved slightly the second day after the increased release ( beware another increase in release is scheduled for June first) but it made little difference  in the fishing, there were just too many boats and fishermen.  The fish were either rowed over or cast to non stop and never settled down to feed on the surface.  With the algae situation, nymph and streamer fishing were taken out of the equation. On the upper East Branch there were plenty of bugs and feeding fish but the sheer number of anglers limited most anglers success. Parking areas were jam...

The upper East Branch is marginal it hit seventy at Harvard yesterday.  The Green Drakes are hatching and it has been SRO up there.  Unfortunately the lower part of the upper EB is where the drakes are.  Use a thermometer and discretion fishing there. West Branch - Went out early on the lower WB and saw more boats than fish.  The  flow increase cooled the water and slowed both the bugs and fish.  Fished the no kill and above in the late afternoon and early evening,  there were a few boats and almost no wade fishermen. It's been dead up  there since the end of the Hendricksons.  Did see a few of the spring  sulfurs (the big ones) but the fish were not impressed. Went  downstream below the gamelands about 7:30  and found a modest  hatch of green drakes and isos.  There was some feeding subsurface but  there weren't enough bugs to get the fish going on top. The West Branch is a mess - algae carpets the bottom, the n...

Was in the big river by eight-fifteen - morning fishing has been good  and I wanted to fish before it got too warm - never saw a bug or a  rise. Second stop was WB at the  gamelands - hooked and landed a nice  eighteen inch brown. Proceeded to the no-kill where I again saw no  bugs or risers.  After a Wendy's #7 (family style chicken sandwich) I  was off to the upper East.  Saw a pool that had no fishermen and  rising trout.  Ended up landing three there including a second eighteen inch brown - left at 2:30  after quelling all risers and  drove up river past Corbett without seeing a single fish rise. The  Beaverkill was my next stop and I was rewarded there with a "blind  cast bow" that took a iso in a riff. Back on the road trying to find a place to fish the "evening hatch".  The big east was too warm and had no bugs, risers or fishermen.  Returned to the upper East hoping to find a spot to fish - no luck...