Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

 In case you've forgotten, last Friday it was so crowded that I couldn't find a place to fish. Yesterday, like Little Miss Muffet, I sat on a tuffet, (thankfully no curds and whey were served), for two hours without seeing a trout I could cast to.   Today I decided to join the in crowd and go where the action was. Left the fishing camp in timely fashion at 1:00 and drove up to the Troutfitter in Deposit where David said its been really good and that two of the Associate Editors were already up river fishing. Called Dennis who, in a blatant attempt to keep me out of "his" water told me, "There's no one fishing from the Men's Club all the way up to the town bridge." He lied, counted eleven wade fishermen and three boats in the water and the 12th wader was walking down the bank and into the run I had hoped to fish. (Dennis, if you are wondering, even prednisone won't stop a poison oak hex).  From there things took a turn for the better, if I gambled...

 Had a business meeting to  attend in Syracuse this morning and didn't get down to Lordville early enough to try any WB fishing during prime afternoon bug time. At about 3:30 I headed over to the BK to see if fish had accumulated in thermal refuge areas. Half way up Lordville Road I passed a red fox trotting along the shoulder. The BK was up to 375cfs which was more than twice what it was yesterday. It was cloudy,  (the sky), so visibility was limited and I saw nothing. The dead yearling deer along 81continue to accumulate. There have been at least ten fresh kills on each of my last three trips down. Have seen a mom with one fawn and another with twins here in Lordville and we have a doe in Lafayette keeping her fawn within 30 feet of our house. Have also seen several fawns while out fishing. Every year I see at least one out on an island and this year is no exception. The bears and coyotes get some of the fawns down here while it's mostly coyotes that do the damage in La...

 Having been soaked to the skin twice within an hour yesterday, I resolved to keep a close watch on the weather today. The weatherman said showers, and thunderstorms, ( some severe), starting at 2:00 and lasting until 5:00. His prediction was perfect. Twice I started for a pool only to retreat to the car after hearing the thunder or seeing both the dark clouds and the number of drift boats and wade fishermen already there. Both times I made it back to the car before the rain. At 4:56 the sun came out. Where was I? Filling my gallon water jugs at the Lordville spring. At 7:00 I went out again and drove up the river catching glimpses of both drift boats and wade fishermen  in the dense fog that enveloped the river after the afternoon rains. Some days it's just not meant to be. The rain is once again pounding down on the porch roof as I write amen to a fishless Friday.  A large number of guides have departed. Yes, Barking Dog, Balls Eddy, and Shehawken are busy, but Stockpor...

 After three days of basically driving up and down the WB, (lets forget about yesterday's mid afternoon excursion up route 30), felt I had a handle on what bugs were hatching and where. Found sulfurs hatching and a few fish rising about 2:00, got two refusals and landed a rainbow. When the hatch didn't seem to be building, I reeled it in and moved downstream into the middle section of the WB. Where seemingly almost every trout in the river was up feeding on a mixed hatch of sulfurs and Hendricksons. I would guess most people would have called it a sulfur hatch 'cause they show up much better but there were lots of Hendricksons. Had fish to throw at from 10 feet away to as far as I could cast. Got more refusals than you would think possible, hooked seven fish, lost one not five feet from the net and landed the other six. The action lasted from about 3:00 until 4:45, had to keep sticking the reel in the water to keep it from overheating, (I kid). At 5:00, things were dead see...

 After yesterdays sub par afternoon hatch by the bugs, I decided to sit back, watch the weather, (cloudy with a 50% chance of showers), and make a decision on where to fish close to the prevailing hatch time of 3:00 pm. Dark clouds interspersed with brighter skies and even bursts of sunshine filled up the morning and early afternoon hours. The temperature climbed into the mid eighties all without a drop of rain, at least in Lordville. At 1:30, I'd had enough waiting, got in the car and drove to East Branch and then up route 30 all the way to Downsville. It didn't rain. Never saw a single person fishing on the UEB, never saw a bug hatch, did see one rise. On the return trip there was a pickup at Long Flat and a car parked at the head of Buck Horn. I got back to Lordville about 4:00 and took a nap. Departed Lordville at 6:00 hoping to find a place on the WB with some bugs and rising fish. With all of the freestones too warm to fish and quite possibly done until fall, I decided I ...

 Clearly we are, if not around the bend, at least entering the turn. Haven't been up to Long Flat and Powerline in a while, if anyone wants to report on the drake hatch up there, please do. My sense of "things" tells me that it is still a thing, but I won't stand in line to fish it and that it won't last much longer. Spent the afternoon "hatch", (if I could make the print on hatch any smaller I would), fishing an area that sees constant pressure, up in Deposit. There were a smattering of Hendricksons, a few non descript caddis and some Invarias. The sun was bright and it was hot. The fish were having none of it. Saw a handful of rising fish for not more than fifteen minutes. Totals for the two hour effort, three refusals and one nice 18 inch rainbow. Went back to the Estate and fell asleep. Awoke at 6:15, uncertain whether I wanted to fish or not. Mapped out a drive-by route of four places I would fish, if there were no other anglers fishing. First spot ...