Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

 Just so you know, the BK went up to 85 today, the BE at Hancock hit 87. Both temperatures are lethal to all trout. Hopefully the trout in those rivers have made there way to thermal refuges and someone is either shooting the eagles or feeding them dead shad and lamprey eels, (probably should have run that one by Jean, she says not everyone gets my humor). Didn't feel good about my rant in yesterdays report. It came from sitting in the shade watching anglers trying to catch fish while making every mistake possible to ensure that they didn't.  I'm loath to repeat things and in ten years I've said all I know about catching trout more than once. Jean said many readers are new and it wouldn't hurt to go over things every few years. My first thought is that I probably won't be around for a "few years". My second thought is that I coached a competitive sport for several years and came away with nothing but admiration for teachers. Most of the kids playing sp...

 There may be no cure for the summertime blues, but if you want to beat the heat, put your waders on and go stand in the WB, you may not catch any fish, but you won't complain about the heat. Today it was advantage wade fishermen as the guys in the boats fried like eggs on the griddle. Last Friday I looked for the Dorotheas and all I found were the empty nymph husks, (was downstream from the hatch). Called Jim N. who spent the last couple of days in the middle of the hatch and he put me in the right place. Crowded? From 12:00 until 2:15 when I was back in the car, I saw nary a fisherman or a boat. The bugs - The Dorotheas are coming. Judging by the cars and fishermen they are now in the lower part of the WB no-kill in numbers. The Invaria, don't appear to be ready to leave any time soon. Again judging by the anglers, they are to be found in numbers from Butler Brook up to Cold Springs Brook.  Things that drive me nuts - Been writing these reports for at least ten years and try...

 In the nineties the DEC did some surveys of fishermen on the Delaware River System, it was all wade fishermen back then. Got to know Scott and Mark who did the survey work because I was on the river a lot and they made a point of finding me. They said they knew where practically everyone parked and where they would be fishing, except me. It wasn't until the summer heat made much of the system unfishable and I became acquainted with the Stilesville sulfurs that they could easily track me down. You can call them the good old days if you want, but the tiny releases, ( 45cfs from Cannonsville except  June 15th to August 15th when they ran 325), warm water in all the freestones and a BR fish population that was limited to a fraction of what it is today by the small amount of cold water refuge available to the fish. Today the cold water releases are more than ten times what they were in the 90's. The volume of cold water has created a habitat that supports many many times the fish ...

This promises to be a week like I've never seen on the Delaware River System. Today was to be the coolest day and the car reported 88 on the drive up to Deposit. Forecasted highs for Tuesday through Friday are 88, 94, 97, 94. A surge is being sent down the WB from Cannonsville  to try to keep the USGS temperature gage at Lordville at or below 75. The current reading is 74. With the predicted temps, a lot of water will need to be released this week. The thermal releases are normally done in the evening and the cold water travels downstream during the dark of night, arriving at Lordville during the warmest part of the day. It's the best program I've seen, it increases the number of trout able to live in the BR by creating a large, (but artificial), thermal refuge. The problem being created, by what is sure to be a record breaking heatwave, is that the bank of water that can be released is limited, July is historically the hottest month and we aren't even there yet. The se...

 Having taken pains assembling a seemingly well qualified panel of septuagenarians  and octogenarians, all  supposedly well versed in music from the 50's and 60's, I was appalled when Jim N., (exquisite fly-tyer though he may be), (but a still wet behind the ears newbie), was first on a Beach Boy's song. Compounding my pain was the fact that he then had the audacity to suggest a Cure by establishing a New Order that would never let me down again.              Things didn't improve today when no one, young or old, gave credit to Spiral Staircase for Every                   Days a New Day. Diana Ross's song didn't appear until 1999. Too bad Black Boat isn't around to                   keel haul the lot of you.              Hope at least one of the eleven cars parked at the Hale Eddy...

Had the best night's sleep of the season last night, no leg cramps and no trips to the loo. Have been doing a series of exercises to tighten up my shoulders which wake me up whenever I turn over in bed. It's a familiar story, do the exercises, get feeling good, sleep well and stop doing the exercises and within a couple of weeks you're waking up every time you roll over in bed again. Spent the morning finishing the annual peach thinning project. Pruned the tree back by over half two years ago, and this year I was able to thin the entire tree in just three sessions. Pulled about 500 peaches off over laden branches each time, the deer do the cleanup. Finished the peaches at noon and I really can't tell you what happened to the next three hours but I didn't get to the WB until three-thirty. Wasn't concerned because the hatch yesterday went from 3:30 until about 4:45 and I didn't catch anything anyway. To my surprise the water was filled with Dorothea nymph husk...