Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report
There is no correlation between being smart and being a good fisherman.
Posted on June 27 2018
When it started raining at about 8:30 this morning my morning shift was cancelled (spinners don't do it in the rain). With time on my hands I turned on the tea kettle and steamed a few of my more bedraggled flies, tied a few new ones and lo it was 1:00 o'clock. Drove up to Deposit and visited with Lloyd Hornbeck, hands down the best fisherman on the Cannonsville reservoir. Left Deposit and headed...
At a loss for ways to say "The fishing is still great".
Posted on June 26 2018
For perhaps the first time since I started writing this blog I sat in front of the computer and found myself at a loss for words. Each night, while sipping my libation, I try to think of something different and interesting to write about. Tonight the words just didn't come. Writers block? Or am I just tired of tired of telling people how good the fishing is.
If you want to catch fish on a dry...
If you want to catch fish on a dry...
Monday, coming down.
Posted on June 25 2018
Got enough rain over the weekend to help out the lawn and at least bump up the river levels a little bit. It helped the BR the most as Lordville at 1300 cfs stayed below 70 while the BE and the BK both hit about 72 today.
Ran into the perpetual traffic jam at the construction project in Binghamton on the way down and opted out by taking I-86 east. When the GPS settled down and stopped telling me...
Ran into the perpetual traffic jam at the construction project in Binghamton on the way down and opted out by taking I-86 east. When the GPS settled down and stopped telling me...
Y'all come, a few at a time.
Posted on June 22 2018
Remember about a month ago when the Hendricksons were done everywhere but the UEB and WB and the BK blew out and everything down stream was too muddy to fish? There were so many boats and wade fishermen crowding the river that I just didn't fish.
This week with the high water temps, everything but the UEB and the WB were shut down and I had such a good week of fishing that I would gladly cancel my...
This week with the high water temps, everything but the UEB and the WB were shut down and I had such a good week of fishing that I would gladly cancel my...
Where things stand on the first day of summer.
Posted on June 21 2018
It's the first day of summer and we need rain. Lots of it. The reservoirs are fine, right where they should be. NYC is seeing to that. But the tribs are drying up, the releases have been cut back and the BK, BE and almost all of the BR are too warm to fish. The adult fish are being stressed by the low oxygen content in the warm water. In the tribs the brown and rainbow fingerlings are becoming...
Cold water, lots of bugs and rising fish. Who could ask for more?
Posted on June 20 2018
Yesterday there wasn't a fly in any of my boxes that got the job done. Collected samples of three different flies that were hatching, put 'em in the fridge when I got back to the camp, took 'em out this morning went to work. Tied a couple dozen flies in different shades of the yellowish green body and yellow/gray wings. Also tied emergers in various stages of emergence. Lastly I went to a...
Your questions, my answers.
Posted on June 19 2018
Recently I received three questions in the comments section and thought maybe the answers might be helpful to all.
Brian - You aren't the only one who has asked. I'm not a typist and it's just easier for me to use initials for the rivers.
BK = Beaverkill
BR = Big River, Main Stem, The Delaware
UEB = The East Branch from Downsville to East Branch (the Sunoco Station)
BE = The East Branch below "Jaws"...
Brian - You aren't the only one who has asked. I'm not a typist and it's just easier for me to use initials for the rivers.
BK = Beaverkill
BR = Big River, Main Stem, The Delaware
UEB = The East Branch from Downsville to East Branch (the Sunoco Station)
BE = The East Branch below "Jaws"...
The way things are.
Posted on June 18 2018
Fished both branches and the big river today with mixed results.
The BR: With the 700 cfs release from Stilesville the middle section of the BR was in play today. The release was cut back to just under 400 cfs again at noon and any amount of sunshine will put the water temp over 70. Today the river had browns and rainbows willing to eat a fly with a hook in it (always a good thing) and I did better...
The BR: With the 700 cfs release from Stilesville the middle section of the BR was in play today. The release was cut back to just under 400 cfs again at noon and any amount of sunshine will put the water temp over 70. Today the river had browns and rainbows willing to eat a fly with a hook in it (always a good thing) and I did better...
Happy Father's day to all!
Posted on June 17 2018
With a predicted high of 90 degrees and the release at Stilesville cut back to under 400 cfs the choice of where to fish became less complicated. A 400 cfs release won't cool the BR much below Stockport (if that). So, you have the UEB the WB and a short stretch of the BR. The rest of the system (BK, BE, and BR below Stockport were clearly out of bounds due to temps in the mid 70's.
Arrived at...
Arrived at...
If you didn't tie a wind knot today - - - you didn't fish!
Posted on June 14 2018
If there was ever a day in June not to fish, this was it. In Florida they say, "Wind, what wind, we don't call it a wind 'til they give it a name". Well I gave it several names today. It was flat out unfishable.
Got into the BR early just as the wind started picking up. There were splashy risers chasing Cornuta nymphs. The Cornuta hatch is frustrating because the trout eat the nymphs and won't...
Got into the BR early just as the wind started picking up. There were splashy risers chasing Cornuta nymphs. The Cornuta hatch is frustrating because the trout eat the nymphs and won't...
Trump's "friends" sure can fish!
Posted on June 13 2018
With a gray overcast day forecasted I decided to continue my assault on the BK and BE. With the low water conditions it won't take more than two or three bright sunny days in a row to get both streams into the "no fishing zone" (temps over 70).
Fished about a half mile of the BK which surrounds one of the "Eastern European's" tenting sites. They camped there for about a week to harvest fish during...
Fished about a half mile of the BK which surrounds one of the "Eastern European's" tenting sites. They camped there for about a week to harvest fish during...
Trump's "friends" sure can fish!
Posted on June 13 2018
With a gray overcast day forecasted I decided to continue my assault on the BK and BE. With the low water conditions it won't take more than two or three bright sunny days in a row to get both streams into the "no fishing zone" (temps over 70).
Fished about a half mile of the BK which surrounds one of the "Eastern European's" tenting sites. They camped there for about a week to harvest fish during...
Fished about a half mile of the BK which surrounds one of the "Eastern European's" tenting sites. They camped there for about a week to harvest fish during...
All you need to know about Delaware River midges.
Posted on June 12 2018
I'm not a midge expert by any stretch of the imagination. No-see-ums are bad news, you're on fire before you even know you've been bitten. Chironomids, on the other hand, don't bite, hatch in trout streams, taste good and can be tied and fished on size 16 and 18 hooks. Trout love'em. On my annual trip out west they are the mainstay of mid day fishing, hatching in 100 degree heat and bright...
Early afternoon is the time to snooze.
Posted on June 11 2018
With summertime water levels on the rivers and a sunny day predicted, a split day was in order. Started on the BR about 9:00 am. There were bugs hatching, fish feeding, eagles eating dead shad and deer along the shoreline. Never saw a boat or another angler (two of the perks of morning fishing).
What I did see were duns of all sizes floating down the river unmolested. The fish on the BR have...
What I did see were duns of all sizes floating down the river unmolested. The fish on the BR have...
Love low water, bugs and rising fish.
Posted on June 10 2018
Have been on a Sunday through Thursday schedule for the past three weeks. The boats aren't as numerous on Sunday as Friday but there seem to be wade fishermen everywhere. Arrived late morning and took time to tour the river system. The water at present is too low to float anywhere but the WB and the BR. Saw boats and wade fishermen on the BR midday with rising fish in all the big pools. Didn't see...
Love low water, bugs and rising fish.
Posted on June 10 2018
Have been on a Sunday through Thursday schedule for the past three weeks. The boats aren't as numerous on Sunday as Friday but there seem to be wade fishermen everywhere. Arrived late morning and took time to tour the river system. The water at present is too low to float anywhere but the WB and the BR. Saw boats and wade fishermen on the BR midday with rising fish in all the big pools. Didn't see...
How your GPS can help you to catch more trout.
Posted on June 07 2018
In mid May when the water was too high to wade and the bugs hadn't really gotten going, I said we'd probably get an extended heat wave and it would all be over in a couple of weeks. I'm wrong a lot but seldom does my being wrong make me so happy. This weeks cool, cloudy weather has slowed the bug activity so much that we actually have Hendricksons and Green Drakes (plus all of the other mayflies)...
Today the worm turned (and the flies hatched).
Posted on June 06 2018
If you are a regular reader you'll know that I've been taking my lumps trying to meet bugs and rising fish on the BE and BK. I've made the trip once or twice every week and come back with fish totals that can be counted on one hand without using the thumb and several digits.
Went to the Beaverkill around one (morning fishing on the BR wasn't worth talking about). With heavily overcast skies there...
Went to the Beaverkill around one (morning fishing on the BR wasn't worth talking about). With heavily overcast skies there...
If you did well on the Delaware yesterday - - stay home today!
Posted on June 05 2018
After yesterday's great morning with the rainbows on the big river there was no question where I was going. Mother Nature, however, had plans of her own, which were designed to give the 'bows a little help. To start with it was in the 40's this morning and no self respecting bug was about to leave it's home in the relatively warm water and try to air dry it's wings 'til things warmed up. Waited...
It's not so much what's hatching (everything) but where.
Posted on June 04 2018
Went out on the BR about 10:30 looking for spinners and never found a one. What I did find, however, were Green Drakes, Isonychia, Gray Fox and sulfurs in enough abundance to get the fish up and eating. It lasted until the sun burned through around 12:30. There is a large year class of two year old rainbows (now 13 to 15 inches) throughout the system and the BR appears to have its full share of...
Love my job!
Posted on June 03 2018
The fishing was, dreadful, there was just no other way to describe it. All the signs were there, thousands of golden stones on the grass along the lower BE, iso husks on both the BE and BK streamside rocks, a gray overcast fishy kind of day and - - - nothing - - - just nothing.
From 1:30 until 5:30 I fished three pools on the lower Beaverkill and two pools on the BE. I rose three fish, caught...
From 1:30 until 5:30 I fished three pools on the lower Beaverkill and two pools on the BE. I rose three fish, caught...
Just because you have the right - doesn't make it right!
Posted on May 31 2018
It was another one of those "perfect days for fishing", overcast with a light mist falling. An olive kind of day. This is the third one I've fished this spring and if there are any more on the way I'd like to save them up for July or August when they might do some good. Didn't get skunked but didn't throw at a rising fish all day.
There were none of the sun loving caddis. There were no...
There were none of the sun loving caddis. There were no...
A split day in May.
Posted on May 30 2018
With another hot, sunny, summer type day on tap I decided to do a day/night double header.
Spent the morning playing the big river 'bows to a standstill. Lost the last three in a row to end up at a fifty percent catch rate. Saw three Green Drakes,one Isonicia, some caddis and a few olives. There were enough rises to locate fish and once I took the March Brown emerger off, most of them ate. There...
Spent the morning playing the big river 'bows to a standstill. Lost the last three in a row to end up at a fifty percent catch rate. Saw three Green Drakes,one Isonicia, some caddis and a few olives. There were enough rises to locate fish and once I took the March Brown emerger off, most of them ate. There...
Traded bugs and rising fish for solitude and serenity.
Posted on May 29 2018
It wasn't because I didn't think the WB would be any good, it's just because I like to fish different places and with the water finally down to wadable levels, you can now get into spots that have been inaccessible to wade anglers all year.
Fished the top of the UEB and there were still Hendricksons but, like Deposit last week, there were not enough of 'em to get the fish going. Watched them float...
Fished the top of the UEB and there were still Hendricksons but, like Deposit last week, there were not enough of 'em to get the fish going. Watched them float...
A better place to be.
Posted on May 28 2018
Yesterday I fished the Big River, the Big East, the Upper East Branch and the Beaverkill. Never really saw a hatch. There were a few March Browns, a smattering of caddis and almost no rising fish. I did stop at the Hale Eddy bridge on the West Branch, where there were Hendrickson spinners over the riff upstream of the bridge but the number of boats and wade fishermen convinced me to fish...
On which day would you rather fish?
Posted on May 27 2018
You get to pick:
#1 Sunshine in a cloudless sky, temp in the mid 80's, with afternoon thermals and a windless evening.
- -or - -
#2 60 degrees temp, heavy overcast skies, intermittent rain or a light drizzle and little or no wind?
FYI-
Last Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were #1's.
Last Tuesday and today were #2's.
Please vote in the...
#1 Sunshine in a cloudless sky, temp in the mid 80's, with afternoon thermals and a windless evening.
- -or - -
#2 60 degrees temp, heavy overcast skies, intermittent rain or a light drizzle and little or no wind?
FYI-
Last Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were #1's.
Last Tuesday and today were #2's.
Please vote in the...
Make it a memorable Memorial day - go fishing.
Posted on May 25 2018
Another hot sunny day with the temp hitting 88 degrees. Was wrong about the Hendricksons starting early above Deposit. Got there early today and watched the water go by until 3:00 when the first H's hatched. The hatch was sparse, with little feeding and was over before 4:00. There was one other angler that I could see above the town bridge and only one boat came down. Apparently everyone else...
The water's droppin, the bugs are poppin and the fish are - - -
Posted on May 24 2018
Got on the river at 3:00. There were Hendricksons on the water and feeding fish. There was also a boat anchored over every pod of feeding fish. I'm guessing that the hatch has been starting well ahead of my arrival, as the last two times I fished above Deposit it was over within an hour of my arrival.
Drove down the back side of the river to Hale Eddy and was amazed at how many boats and how few...
Drove down the back side of the river to Hale Eddy and was amazed at how many boats and how few...
Love those caddis spinners.
Posted on May 23 2018
With the flow being cut back at Downsville I headed to the upper reaches of the UEB hoping to find the Hendricksons making their last stand. Found a few Hendricksons and a few apple caddis and almost no risers. In two hours I rose two fish neither of which found my fly to their liking.
Bailed on the UEB and headed for the bug soup that is currently the WB. Of course the pot is overflowing at 2000...
Bailed on the UEB and headed for the bug soup that is currently the WB. Of course the pot is overflowing at 2000...
This, that and other things.
Posted on May 22 2018
For those who care, todays game was called after the fishermen batted in the top of the fifth. The fish were the home team and were ahead so they didn't have to bat in the bottom of the fifth.
The water levels: It rained again. If you can't look at the flow levels yourself, learn how to do it or you'll have a lot of "bad trips".
The water color: The color of the water is another thing....
The water levels: It rained again. If you can't look at the flow levels yourself, learn how to do it or you'll have a lot of "bad trips".
The water color: The color of the water is another thing....
So what did you have for dinner?
Posted on May 21 2018
Arrived a little late due to construction tie ups leaving Syracuse and going through Binghamton. The river in Deposit was like a ghost town. Don't know if the rain and high water discouraged everybody or if there were poor bug hatches over the weekend. There were bugs on the water when I got there so I suited up and had at'em (for a short while). The high water put a lot of the river out of the...
May 18th, Hendricksons still going strong.
Posted on May 18 2018
After yesterday's day off, I was anxious to get back in the water and throw a fly. Headed to the upper reaches of the WB to fish the Hendrickson hatch. Drove up the WB at about two o'clock and saw very few anglers and boats on the water. Had a pool to myself for about an hour and a half and threw at rising fish the whole time. When I had fooled all the fish I was going to fool there I waded...
When you're retired every day is a holiday.
Posted on May 17 2018
It's not your fault! All you wanted to do was go fishing. Unfortunately so did hundreds of others. It was just bad luck that parts of the Delaware were too high to wade and that the Hendricksons were over on the BK, BEB and the Big River. Everyone reads the fishing reports and they know where they had to go.
The problem is mine (perhaps mine alone). I just don't like crowds. I don't want boats...
The problem is mine (perhaps mine alone). I just don't like crowds. I don't want boats...
Sunshine makes me (and the bugs) happy.
Posted on May 16 2018
With the Beaverkill, Big East and the Big River muddy and high there was no doubt that the UEB and WB would be crowded. Game land lots were full of cars and every put in and every takeout was jammed full of trailers.
In an effort to minimize the number of boats passing by me during the day, I fished the WB up high. The strategy worked. Not a single boat went by. The guides knew that without...
In an effort to minimize the number of boats passing by me during the day, I fished the WB up high. The strategy worked. Not a single boat went by. The guides knew that without...
I'm buying a lottery ticket!
Posted on May 15 2018
Left camp about 8:00 this morning and drove five miles ( narrowly missing the second of two yearling deer that were learning to cross RT. 97) to where I could get cell service so that I could again call Verizon and try to schedule an appointment to get the phone line fixed. The call took 45 minutes and with severe thunderstorms scheduled for the afternoon I decided to take advantage of the rest of...
It's better to have hooked and lost, than never hooked at all.
Posted on May 14 2018
Returned to the big river hoping to convince the caddis pupa eating 'bows that Hendricksons were more nutritious and tasted better. After three hours I had landed four fish. Not bad you say? Well, the rainbow was a nice one (fish of the day at 18.5"). (The other three were fall fish). Turned my back on the pupa eaters and walked back to the car. Met a fisherman coming down for the "epic spinner...
I hate caddis pupas!
Posted on May 11 2018
Fished the midsection of the WB, hoping to avoid the crowds and be one of the first ones in on the "bust out Hendrickson day", (It wasn't). There were paraleps hatching in good numbers at 2:00 and they were joined around 3:00 by a mediocre Hendrickson hatch and a testy wind. Caught the only riser I saw and was in the car heading elsewhere at 3:30.
Got fooled at Buckingham when I only saw one...
Got fooled at Buckingham when I only saw one...
So, how was my day?
Posted on May 10 2018
Now I'm not one who gets emotionally attached to automobiles, but today was the day to say good by to my 2011 Santa Fe which has given me over 174,000 absolutely trouble free miles. Picked up my new ride, loaded it up with my fishing gear and headed back to the camp.
Arrived to find that the bathroom sink that I have been working on for the past two weeks is still leaking. Happy to report that the...
Arrived to find that the bathroom sink that I have been working on for the past two weeks is still leaking. Happy to report that the...
Was anyone able to read my smoke signals?
Posted on May 09 2018
While I'm sure my call was important to them and they were sorry for any inconvenience, Verizon still took five days to get a repair man out to the fishing camp to get me back on line. The nice ladies over in India weren't much help at anything but apologizing.
I wouldn't have had much good to tell you anyway until yesterday. Up 'til then there were Hendricksons on the BR, BEB and the Beaverkill...
I wouldn't have had much good to tell you anyway until yesterday. Up 'til then there were Hendricksons on the BR, BEB and the Beaverkill...
A day on the Neversink.
Posted on May 05 2018
After five days of trying to wade fish the high water in the Delaware system, with poor hatches and a lack of feeding fish, the prospect of having to contend with the plethora of drift boats and other personal flotation devices sure to be on the river today, made it the perfect day to give the Neversink a shot.
For those who don't know, it's the "forgotten" Catskill tailwater. The home water of...
For those who don't know, it's the "forgotten" Catskill tailwater. The home water of...
Things don't always add up.
Posted on May 04 2018
Water levels are coming down. Water temps have finally gotten into the 50's (except for the WB). Hendricksons have made their appearance on the BR and on the BEB (there were even some apple caddis hatching on the BEB where I was fishing). The dandelions (this is the last time I give them any ink) were in full bloom in everybody's yard.
The bugs: From 3:00 until 5:00 there was a modest hatch of...
The bugs: From 3:00 until 5:00 there was a modest hatch of...
Its not as bad as it was, nor as good as it will be.
Posted on May 03 2018
After four days home crossing items off my todo list, I drove back down to the camp in mid 80 degree sunshine. The last three days have done wonders for the river system. Water temps have been in the fifties on both the big river and the Big East (EB below jaws). The grass on lawns has turned green. One of the Red Buds in the back yard has turned pink. There are Rose Breasted Grosbeaks at the...
"Too much of nuthin" - - -
Posted on April 29 2018
"Can turn a man into a liar". I won't do that to you. There's just too much water to wade and too few bugs to get the fish up. Today's predicted high is 43 with the possibility of snow! Tomorrow's forecast isn't much better. I'm heading home.
Starting Tuesday, however, things are supposed to turn around. Highs in the 70's and lows well above 50 should finally get things underway on the river....
Starting Tuesday, however, things are supposed to turn around. Highs in the 70's and lows well above 50 should finally get things underway on the river....
On your mark, get set - - - -whoa!!!
Posted on April 27 2018
A check of my fishing logs revealed that the only time I've been skunked for April was back in 1993. (In 2011 I managed to land but one fish.) The best April fishing comes when the reservoirs are below the lip of the dam and there is plenty of sunshine and warm temps. This April has seen cold, cloudy, windy weather with lots of snow run off and this week, rain. With water levels as high as they...
The way it is.
Posted on April 24 2018
Spent the warmest day of the year (so far) opening up the fishing camp. For those of you that care, the 27 year old camp refrigerator started right up again. With no apparent leaks in the water pipes and the heat turned on I left to take a look at the river system.
To date it's been the coldest April in 75 years. The water temps have been hard pressed to get above 40. The banks of the Beaverkill...
To date it's been the coldest April in 75 years. The water temps have been hard pressed to get above 40. The banks of the Beaverkill...
Opening day 2018.
Posted on March 31 2018
They say a picture's worth a thousand words - - - here's one of a big brown that'll be waiting for you whenever you make your first trip to the Delaware.
As for myself? My bags are packed and early tomorrow I will be on a flight bound for Deadman's Cay, Long Island in the Bahamas for a week of bonefishing.
It's rumored that the Troutfitter may be in the process of securing a week at the camp for...
As for myself? My bags are packed and early tomorrow I will be on a flight bound for Deadman's Cay, Long Island in the Bahamas for a week of bonefishing.
It's rumored that the Troutfitter may be in the process of securing a week at the camp for...
The 2017 season in review.
Posted on October 26 2017
Returned to camp after six days to find the north facing hills a barren gray with isolated spots of color where a lone aspen or oak is making it's last stand. The oak trees on the south facing slopes which were green when I drove home last Friday are now a beautiful combination of burnt orange and burgundy interspersed with the green of the pines. If you enjoy fall foliage it's your last chance...
It was somethin' else!
Posted on October 19 2017
Most people probably thought today was a beautiful day. Why not? A mid October day with bright sun and the temp pushing 70. What's not to like? Well, standing in a trout stream you sometimes see things differently. The "delightful' 10 mph breeze blew so many leaves into the river that there was no place to even land a fly. Trying to cast a size 20 olive to a rising fish on 7x tippet was mission...
Reprisals aren't always bad.
Posted on October 18 2017
I admit it. The last two days of fishing didn't sit well with me. I had some good fish rising Monday that I couldn't fool and I fooled some good fish Tuesday that I didn't land. Gave it a little thought, tied up a few new olives, re-rigged my leader using 7x tippet and headed out.
Took a look at the WB which resembled the Mississippi in color, stopped to chat with Lloyd Hornbeck at his shop in...
Took a look at the WB which resembled the Mississippi in color, stopped to chat with Lloyd Hornbeck at his shop in...
It wasn't meant to be.
Posted on October 17 2017
Cool temp, negligible wind and bright sun (at this time of year with cool air temp, sun is a good thing) had me on one of the Beaverkill's two little "no-kill stretches. (With well over 90% of the trout anglers "no-kill" why do the "meat fishermen" get to strip the trout from the rest of the river? But, I digress.
Found enough olives (mostly pseudos) to get the good fish up and sipping. In the...
Found enough olives (mostly pseudos) to get the good fish up and sipping. In the...