Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report

 Today was to be cloudy, (it was), and rainy, (it wasn't). I was hopeful of seeing a few bugs and rising fish before the last hour or two of daylight, and I did.  Here's the story. Had a date with Vicky at her unisex salon in Deposit at 12:30. Arrived five minutes early and got the seat with the scissors, no waiting. Finished up by 12:45, (the top takes almost no time at all), and stopped to chat with David at the Troutfitter. The motel business has been good but the fishermen have abandoned the tailwaters in favor of the freestones and the shop business has slowed as a result. Drove down to the Men's Club seeing but one boat anchored at the sewage treatment plant and not a single wade fisherman. It was dead at the Hale Eddy bridge and there was nary a boat or wade fisherman to be seen on my drive down 17 all the way to Hancock. At four o'clock I decided it was time to fish or cut bait. Waded out into the Lordville riff knowing that isos have been hatching there for abo...

 If you are planning a late season trip to the Delaware expecting to catch some of those big browns everyone was talking about during the sulfur hatch you should probably trim your sails and lower your expectations. Why? The summer sulfurs started to wane about the middle of August, and the big browns that had been feeding on them all summer abruptly stopped rising. The olives that usually begin hatching in earnest as the sulfur hatch fades have so far been a disappointment, making their appearance no more than an hour before dark. The fall Isonychia hatch, (like this years spring hatch), has also been a disappointment. With mid September fast approaching the outlook for catching big browns on top is not good. They will soon be moving to their spawning grounds and have other things on their minds than eating size 20 olives. What to do? Fish for rainbows! Why? For one, they aren't concerned with spawning this time of year. Second, they love to eat flies, and any significant hatch of...

 Never mind what the calendar says, it's fall. Started the first fire in the stove this morning since sometime back in May. It was 47 out on the porch and a chilly 68 inside. Made three trips to the big apple tree to pick up drops, (the deer just can't keep up), filling a five gallon bucket in the process. Between  the neighborhood peach and apple trees, the deer are very well fed. The fawns are still struggling with even the small apples, but they pick up the pieces mom drops chewing the bigger apples. Have not yet seen a buck out of the velvet. Watched the US Women's team win handily today. Caitlin Clark has been forced to play a plodding structured game preferred by the coach. Will be interesting to see what happens when they play the good teams later in the tournament. When the game was over I left the camp and went fishing. Stopped at a place on the EB both on the way out and back. Saw no bugs either time, but did see one rise on the way back. Fished to rising trout fo...

 Returned to the Lordville Estate today, in part because I'd gotten several major tasks out of the way at home, in part because I didn't want to deal with Labor Day traffic tomorrow, and in part because I just plain missed the fishing. The first two are done deals. The third may turn out not to be true. Arrived early enough to mow the grass, (again), before watching CC and the women's national team seemingly shoot beach balls at a hoop the size of a tea strainer, (look that up you Gen Zers). Left the fishing camp a bit after four, tried two spots on the EB, (no bugs and high water), Bk was too high to fish and the UEB was too crowded, did a U-turn and drove over to the WB which was surprisingly uncrowed. Picked a spot in the middle section with no anglers in sight, hoping to luck out like Michigan.  Entered the water at 7:00 with the sun shining on just the top of the hills on the far side of the stream. Stood on shore for five minutes swatting mosquitoes, without seeing a ...

 Woke this morning to more surprises, there were two wet spots on the porch which was a clue that it had rained. Looked out at the river and it was clear that I would be heading home again. Looked at the screens and they were again covered with isos. Mowed the grass on the railroad land up by the tracks and on the bank down to the yard, left notes for the neighbors to help themselves to the peaches, delivered some peaches to Dave at the Troutfitter and headed home. Watched replays of the US women's basketball team beating China, (they have a 19 year old girl that is 7' 4"s tall). Fed the fish and cleaned out the pond inlets, (both ponds are both now full). Watched my friends star two year old filly comfortably win a stakes race for N.Y. bred two year olds. Then enjoyed a dinner with Jean featuring  Chanterelle mushrooms and shrimp cocktail for hors d'oeuvres, (with a Perfect Manhattan and two Mic Ultras) , corn on the cob, baked potatoes and prime rib made up the entre...

 Yesterday's "drive by" did nothing to boost my enthusiasm for the fishing, neither did the absence of bugs under the porch light, and the thunderstorms that passed through during the night. Awoke this morning to see muddy water flowing by on the BR, checked the USGS gages and where I was going to fish was not an issue, (above Oquaga or back home in my trout pond). Walked out on the back porch to turn off the light and got my first pleasant surprise, there were over thirty isos on the screens along with several october caddis, (aka pumpkin caddis), two stone flies and a miscellaneous assortment of other bugs. With the rivers up and muddy, (BR at 5,000 cfs), there was nothing I could do about the isos except tie some, but my spirits were clearly lifted. Drove up to Deposit and had my pick of the pools, there was a greater danger of running into JimF or Mike the Cop, (all of us driving around looking for a rising fish), than there was of finding someone in the pool you want...