Posted on July 14 2020
After the weekend off and a short day (of fishing) yesterday, I was anxious to get after it today. Finished my mandated three hours of painting (gutters and screens), cleaned up, ate lunch and headed out at 1:00. Drove up to Deposit and just plain couldn't find a place to fish. It wasn't crazy crowded and other people would have squeezed in somewhere but I like room to roam and what passes for solitude on the Delaware, today, in the "Sulfur Zone" there just wasn't any of either.
Drove back down to Hale Eddy and saw some sulfurs coming off in the riff above the bridge. Decided to try just upstream, saw lots of sulfur nymph husks but no sulfurs and more importantly no rising fish. Returned to Deposit and sat in the shade under the pavilion and chatted with Dave who said that the anglers had found the sulfur hatch hard to pin down as to when and where.
Got back in the car about 3:30 and drove around. Talked with an angler who had just finished fishing the lower part of the No Kill, he said that the sulfurs came good for about 45 minutes and that it was over. Noticed quite a few anglers leaving the stream between 3:30 and 4:30. By 4:30 I had my pick of the pools. Chose to fish in the upper part of the No Kill. On the shady side of the river where there were a few sulfurs hatching and a few fish waiting to feed on them.
With the pool to my self I offered every riser I saw my fly. Many came and took a look, a few even ate it. It was slow going but more than enough action to keep me occupied. Then, just as the sun went behind the hill, the bugs started hatching, the fish started rising, the driftboats and the wade fishermen started appearing and within minutes I was boxed in with no where to go.
Reeled it in and headed for the car with the idea that anywhere would be a better place to be as the whole WB is in play the last hour of the day. Driving towards the Laurel Hill angler parking lot I noticed that there were no cars parked along the road at Norbord. Sure enough there were neither drift boats or wade anglers fishing.
The fishing - You already know that the afternoon hatch was of short duration in the lower portion of the No Kill. You already know there were no bugs or rising fish just above Hale Eddy. You already know that at 7:30 there were no fishermen at Norbord. With the sun behind the hill I donned my vest and headed out to fish the Norbord Pool. There were a modest number of sulfurs on the water and a modest number of fish feeding. But with no one else there I had them all to my self. It was fun. The later it got the more fish were up and the easier it was to get them to eat. A holdover, often hooked, hatchery fish and a "too tired to fight" wild brown, both at 17 inches, shared fish of the day.
Drove back down to Hale Eddy and saw some sulfurs coming off in the riff above the bridge. Decided to try just upstream, saw lots of sulfur nymph husks but no sulfurs and more importantly no rising fish. Returned to Deposit and sat in the shade under the pavilion and chatted with Dave who said that the anglers had found the sulfur hatch hard to pin down as to when and where.
Got back in the car about 3:30 and drove around. Talked with an angler who had just finished fishing the lower part of the No Kill, he said that the sulfurs came good for about 45 minutes and that it was over. Noticed quite a few anglers leaving the stream between 3:30 and 4:30. By 4:30 I had my pick of the pools. Chose to fish in the upper part of the No Kill. On the shady side of the river where there were a few sulfurs hatching and a few fish waiting to feed on them.
With the pool to my self I offered every riser I saw my fly. Many came and took a look, a few even ate it. It was slow going but more than enough action to keep me occupied. Then, just as the sun went behind the hill, the bugs started hatching, the fish started rising, the driftboats and the wade fishermen started appearing and within minutes I was boxed in with no where to go.
Reeled it in and headed for the car with the idea that anywhere would be a better place to be as the whole WB is in play the last hour of the day. Driving towards the Laurel Hill angler parking lot I noticed that there were no cars parked along the road at Norbord. Sure enough there were neither drift boats or wade anglers fishing.
The fishing - You already know that the afternoon hatch was of short duration in the lower portion of the No Kill. You already know there were no bugs or rising fish just above Hale Eddy. You already know that at 7:30 there were no fishermen at Norbord. With the sun behind the hill I donned my vest and headed out to fish the Norbord Pool. There were a modest number of sulfurs on the water and a modest number of fish feeding. But with no one else there I had them all to my self. It was fun. The later it got the more fish were up and the easier it was to get them to eat. A holdover, often hooked, hatchery fish and a "too tired to fight" wild brown, both at 17 inches, shared fish of the day.
JIm,
I will do my best to offer some advice for your questions:
1. Having to be so accurate with casts, how close do you try to get before casting? ie. How far do I have to cast and still land my fly within a foot or so of my target with tippet slack?
CZ- get as close as you can without spooking the fish is the easy answer. However, it really depends on the time of day and water level. If at dusk you can get very close to fish without spooking. If during a sunny summer day you may need to cast 50 feet to get the fish to take. One tip is to use a very long leader and tippet (at least 12 feet but 15 feet is better on 6X or 6.5X tippet)
2.When possible, where do you try to position yourself—upstream and quartering across from rise or just wherever you are when you see a rise within casting distance?
CZ- you answered your own question, always be above the fish and cast downstream so the fish sees the fly first. Most important thing you can do is practice the reach cast. If you can do that at say 40 feet you are going to do great.
Thanks again for your posts. They’re great. Also thanks for your advice on BWO’s mixing in with the Sulphurs. Fished the Deposit area yesterday and ,yes it was crowded. Found a little less people up River from the bridge. Managed three small fish on an #18 sulpher emerges but did hook into a 14 “ rainbow and a 16” er on a # 22 RS2.( I wish I had put in on earlier) Left around 4 things had quieted down.Thanks again. Ed Smith
Made my first trip to the Delaware in June. It won’t be my last. Really enjoy reading your posts. Is there ever a time it’s not crowded? I was there on a Monday and Tuesday and it was busy.
I can’t thank you enough for your daily effort. I have tried to get down to the upper WB about three times a week. Your input actually teaches me more about the daily activity when I am not there than I get myself when I am there!! Two questions: 1. Having to be so accurate with casts, how close do you try to get before casting? ie. How far do I have to cast and still land my fly within a foot or so of my target with tippet slack?
2.When possible, where do you try to position yourself—upstream and quartering across from rise or just wherever you are when you see a rise within casting distance? thanks, Jim V