WEEKEND OUTLOOK! With July 4 Th. falling on a Tuesday many anglers will have some extra time to chase fish with fly rods. In the Upper Delaware anglers now have some options with both Trout and Smallmouth Bass. Over the last week summer has slowly been getting a grip on our local water. With every passing day our freestone rivers are getting a bit warmer and the Trout are falling into a more laid back summer way of going about their business. At the same time the warmer water temperatures are starting to increase the activity of the always aggressive Smallmouth Population. As we continue the warming trend this great game fish will continue to dominate the marginal waters and the lower reache
GOOD HATCHES! Over the last few days the hatches have picked up a bit. The big change I have been noticing is with the Isonychia and Cahills. These bigger insects have been emerging in growing numbers each day. Yesterday there was a really heavy hatch of both insects and they were on the water for a good amount of time. The action with these specific insects is best on the free stone rivers. We have seen the best activity on the Beaverkill and Main Stem. This action has been best from late afternoon until dark. There is also a good mix of smaller insects on the water most days. Sulfurs and Olives are still the main staple for the trout. Both are emerging well and are on every river. This ac
WEEKEND OUTLOOK! Guide Zach and Jen with a Scrappy Brown during yesterday's group outing This weekend looks like it may start with changing conditions. There is heavy rainfall forecast for later today. The forecast is predicting heavy thunder storms which could put our rivers back on the rise. This has been the pattern recently and each time it seems to effect a different section of the region. Overall about 1/2" to 3/4" of rain is forecast with more possible in the areas directly in the path of the storms. In the event that the forecast is correct. The Beaverkill and Willoemoc will rise and fall the quickest. The lower East Branch and the Main Stem will also go up quickly. These rivers also
Late June Action Over the last few days our local rivers has risen quite a bit from thunder storms passing through the region. This morning many of our river sections have water far higher in flow than what is normal for the date. Most notably are the Main Stem and Beamoc System. The Beaverkill always rises up quickly due to the large amount of tributaries. It also falls very quickly. The Main Delaware is up simply due to the fact that all water in the system ends up there. BY this morning all of our rivers are clear of turbidity and fishing well at above normal June flows. Over the last few days the fishing in the Upper Delaware definitely made the transition from the fast action of spring
A Brown and A Rainbow from this weekend. Lots of action on Nymphs! As we head into summer the Trout fishing in the Upper Delaware normally falls into a steady reliable routine. Most days there is some surface activity during the early morning hours. The majority of the activity occurs in late afternoon and evening. Sulfurs and Blue WIng Olives will be the main food items now. Isonychia and Cahills will be the larger insects that will be available at times. Overall however changes to conditions will be far less important than during the spring period which brings change on an almost daily basis. With that said I will shift my reporting to 3 to 4 times per week rather than daily. For now I w
WEEKEND OUTLOOK! Anglers planning to fish this coming weekend should have good fishing conditions. The current forecast is a bit vague but it appears that overcast skies with a chance of showers is the prediction. If this holds true the trout should remain active for a longer portion of the day. We are also expecting some cooler air temps. which should limit temperature swings in the rivers. Anglers can expect to find every bit of the Upper Delaware system to be accessible by foot. Drift boat anglers will now find themselves limited to the Main Stem Delaware and not much more. Currently water temperatures are in a range where the trout are active and aggressive. Around the system water temps
COFFIN FLIES AND HUGE BROWNS! Another Beast from the East! The big bug action continues around the system. Green and Brown Drakes and their respective spinners are the Main Attraction! Last night the Drake emergence continued to slow as the main hatching period is now past it's prime. The Coffinfly and Brown Drake Spinner action was simply amazing with the water totally covering over with these insects just before dark. Surface feeding during the spinner fall was intense and fish fed well into darkness in every pool I rowed through. ON the tailwaters there is now decent afternoon activity. Both the East and West Branches have larger Sulfurs emerging during the mid afternoon. On recent floats
BUG WEEK RECAP AND FORWARD LOOK! This past week was a whirlwind at Baxter House. Every year this week is our most booked and requested time as everyone wants to get their crack at the largest insects of the year. We had an incredible number of fly fishermen out this week which included old friends and some new faces that were just getting started with the fly rod. Overall the river conditions, insects and Trout gave us full cooperation for a change. This post will be photo heavy as I want to make sure that a good number of you get to see your photos. You can also email or text your guides to have photos sent to you. With the current high water our guests have been treated to some fairly eas
WEEKEND OUTLOOK This weekend is set to be the a great one for DRY FLY fishermen. The big bugs are on the water and the action is pretty reliable from mid afternoon on. The action right around dark has been exceptional! Higher than normal water continues to be present around the system. The Beaverkill, Willowemoc and Upper East Branch will have wading options at this time. Be careful, Wade shallow and don't make any river crossings at this time. With the large insects you can find plenty of rising fish right along the banks. The big bugs will be the attraction for the next few days. Green and Brown Drakes are emerging well. March Browns, Sulfurs, Isonychia and Golden Stones are also in the mi
BUG WEEK ACTION! Adopt-A-Soldier Outings The action continues to remain hot around the system. The river flows are dropping to a range where wade anglers can get back into the water. Drift boat anglers have the run of the system and good hatches about everywhere. Green and Brown Drakes are still what everyone is chasing. They are emerging well in multiple river sections and with the high water the trout are pounding them. A few areas are far enough along in the hatch that there are good returns of Coffinflies appearing with some reliability. The Sulfurs are also emerging in huge numbers. About every night the water has been covered with these smaller duns. Every recent night has had spinner
HIGH WATER ACTION! A pretty quick report today as the conditions remain about the same. The high water and the large amount of insects has made the last 2 nights very special. The change to sunny weather has also spurred some pretty intense spinner activity across the entire system. Currently the Beaverkill and WIllowemoc are the only options for wading. These rivers are still very high so access is limited. Anglers should keep wading to knee deep and not attempt river crossings at this time. They should drop back to about perfect fishing levels by the weekend. Drift Boaters have lots of options for where to fish. These options should remain for a while as both reservoirs are spilling over t
HIGH WATER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SYSTEM This morning the SUN is out and the forecast is predicting several days of sunshine in a row. This should make for more comfortable days on the river. Today and for the next few days anglers can expect to find very high water and varying turbidity around the river system. The next few days will also be days in which wade anglers may find themselves looking for options. For those in this boat we are recommending the option of fishing some of our local high mountain ponds for Brook Trout. These are about the only waters that are not blown out by the recent heavy rainfall. Some options include Alder Lake, Trout Pond, Mud Pond, Crystal Lake etc. For those
RIVERS ON THE RISE! The steady rainfall that has been falling on the Upper Delaware rivers hit it's tipping point late yesterday. Heavy downpours during the afternoon and evening have all of our rivers raging again. This has been the story for most of this spring and it looks like the trend will continue. This morning there is no wadable water in the system. The rivers are all still rising and there is more heavy rain in today's forecast. The predictor apps. have the flows forecast to continue rising through mid day tomorrow. When river flows subside I will keep you posted as wadable water becomes available. For drift boat anglers the heavy turbid water should be great. First off it is rare
WEEKEND OUTLOOK This weekend looks like it will be our first weekend where the sun will be shining on our rivers. Visiting anglers should have some very pleasant weather to fish in for a change. The action is good and the hatches are heavy and reliable. Right now river conditions are about perfect. There is good access for both wade fishermen and drift boat anglers. The water temperatures are in the perfect range for our wild trout to be active and aggressive. This weekend your should have plenty of March Browns and Green Drake patterns. These are the big hatches right now and the fish have been feeding on them heavily. There are also huge hatches of Sulfurs and Blue Sedge right at dark. The
BUG WEEK CONTINUES! Joe Cusato with a big March Brown eater taken at mid day.. The big bug action is now in high gear across the Upper Delaware system. The big hatch is now the Green and Brown Drakes. March Browns , Isonychia, Sulfurs and another dozen or so species are about at times. The Blue Sedge Caddisfly is on the water heavy towards dark. Last night Coffinflies were in the air in places where the Drakes have been emerging heavy. There were also a lot of March Brown spinners as well. The fish have been gorging whenever these large insects are on the water. Here is a bit of the progression so you can try to time it. The Beaverkill has had the best Drake action. The lower river seems to
