Upper Delaware Fly Fishing Report

It has been a while since I updated my report and I apologize for that. I had the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museums Jubilee Weekend and we have been doing a lot of smallmouth Bass Trips which have been leaving the shop at 7:00am.

Today has been the first day in a while where I am in the office early.

At this time the Trout Fishing is still really good! Our guests are still taking a lot of Trout and big Trout, almost exclusively on Dry Flies.

Below are Bill and Tom who can't get enough of the great action. They took these two from a pod that was feeding heavily in a riffle at the same time. Bill also kept their string of Big fish alive with the large angry Brown below. Bill expertly extracted this big boy from the river in complete darkness with an Isonychia Cripple dry fly.

All Upper Delaware Rivers are slowly returning to more normal August flow rates but the water temperatures are still good in most places.

The Beaverkill and WIllowemoc are the most temperature challenged at this time. They are getting low and on bright sunny days they are pretty warm in the afternoon hours. This is most acute in the lower sections of both rivers. The upper sections and headwaters are still very cold.

Since the flow out of Pepacton Reservoir was cut back last week the Lower East Branch also falls into the temperature challenged category. Anglers will have to use their thermometer to see just how far down the cold water release is effecting but I expect it not to be very far below East Branch. The water at Fishs Eddy has been in the low 70's most days.

The Upper East Branch is low, cold and tough to fish at the 175 cfs. flow rate. The current conditions are what causes some to love the river and it's challenges This is also the type of conditions that will send just as many anglers running away looking for some easy pocket water.

The West Branch and the Main Stem are still Ice Cold and fishing well. These waters are now in their 3rd. day of a 4 day ramp down of the cold water release. By tomorrow the release from Cannonsville will settle out at 500 cfs. where it should remain steady.

Fishing conditions should change a bit based on the fact that the Trout will have to reposition themselves a bit with the reduced amount of river. I do not expect to see too much of a change to the good fishing. Yesterday morning when I started my smallmouth bass trip in Callicoon the water temperature was 58 degrees.

The cold water is actually making the Smallmout fishing more technical than it should be. OUr guests are currently working much harder than normal for fewer fish. Overall the action for these gamefish is still pretty good. The best action is late in the day after the waters have had a chance to warm up a bit. Below is a shot from yesterday

Current River Flow Table

Beaverkill 128 cfs.

Wilowemoc - 92cfs.

Upper East Branch -176 cfs

Lower East Branch -430 cfs.

West Branch -898 cfs.

Main Stem -1610 cfs.

The INSECTS

Currently there are Cahill's, Yellow Drakes, Olives, Isonychia, Trico's, Steno's, Sulfurs, Hebes, Stoneflies, Caddisflies and more emerging from all Upper Delaware Rivers. There is good spinner activity most nights. Anglers should now target the areas around the faster riffles and pocket water. Most of the insects that are emerging now are fast water dwellers and all of the late day spinner activity will happen in these same areas.

The Sulfurs and Olives are now the Main Staple in the Trout's diet. The larger insects are only on the water at times and rarely in large numbers The best action with the larger insects is on Rainy Days and right at or after dark.

THE FLIES

Today's Upper Delaware Fly Selection- Isonychia Cripples, Isonychia Duns, Olives,Olive Knock Down Duns, Sulfur Knock Down Duns, Baxter House Hackle Wing Spinners, Iso Spinner, Hackle WIng Rusty Spinners, Sulfurs,Sulfur Cripples,Trico Spinners, Elk Over CDC Caddis, X Caddis, Peacock Klinkhammers BH Copper Johns, BH Pheasant Tails, Ice Caddis, KT Pupas, BH Stoneflies, Flash Back Pheasant Tails, Cased Caddis Small Zonkers, BH Wooly Buggers , Sculpins, Bottom Wigglers, Muddlers, Small Articulated Flies, Streamers of 3" or less will be most effective at this time.

The Smallmouth Bass action is now heating up in the Main Stem Delaware. We have been taking some nice Bass recently. Most of the larger bass have come on Woolly Buggers and small Atriculated Sculpin type patterns. We are now booking both full and half day floats for Smallies. The nice smallie took a 4" woolly buggers fished in a slow eddy.

We are now taking reservations for Guided Smallmout Bass and Evening Hatch Trout trips. The Bass trips are full or half day. This year we are also offering evening smallie trips that will focus on taking smallies on the DRY FLY and on POPPERS.

The Trout trips are are still full or half day. Our half day trips are at dawn which is a combo of Streamer and Dry Fly or in the evening which is one of our most popular trips. Our guides have been doing these evening trips for over 15 years. They are experts at choosing the best sections of river on any given day. These trips put you on the water from 5:00pm until dark and offer you the best dry fly action of the day. Give us a call today to book your next fishing adventure at 607-290-4022