Fly Fishing Report for the Upper Delaware and Catskill Rivers
GREEN DRAKES AND ISONYCHIA ARE ON THE WATER!
The fish above is a 20 incher taken on the maiden voyage of our new StealthCraft Raft. The photo below is a Snapper we saw chilling on a rock wondering when the sun is coming out.
Over the last few the insect hatches have been improving fast. The Drake sightings here and there became a full hatch yesterday. The Green Drakes emerged heavily on the Beaverkill all afternoon. There was also a respectable Hatch of Drakes over most of the Main Stem. In addition to the Drakes, Isonychia made their first appearance of 17. These large fish favorites were on the water in good numbers throughout the afternoon.
This coming week has always been known as BUG WEEK and it looks like this year won't let us down. On yesterday's trip I saw at least a dozen different species of insects. The coming days are shaping up to be great.
In addition to the insect abundance we are forecast for continued gray skies and a chance of rain every day. These are the exact conditions that keep insect activity going throughout the day.
My top pick right now is the Beaverkill for walkers. This river is in it's zone right now. It will continue to be bug soup for a while and now is the time to see what made this river famous. The Main Stem is my #2 especially for those who fish by boat. The Main Has the Bugs as well and the Trout are making up for the time lost to high water earlier this spring.
The rest of the system is fishing well with a variety of insects. The action however is not as far along as the Main and Beaverkill.
On all of our recent trips our guides have been alternating between Nymphs and Dry Fly. The nymph action is hot and so are the Rainbows once you hook them. Just about every riffle has been producing. You do need to put the time in and make sure your drifts are drag free.
The Dry Fly action is great for both blind fishing and for setting up on active risers. Yesterday we had plenty of both. For blind action we have been sticking with the March Brown. The fish have been on the and they are blowing up on the in the knee deep riffle water. For the set up situations it has been a mix of March Browns, Drakes, Sulfurs, Caddisflies and Spinners.
Anglers should also take note that the Blue Sedge is on the water now. This is a black larger caddisfly that actually spends some time on the water. It is very difficult to see in the waning daylight but quite often the trout key in on these due to the sheer numbers present.
The late day has also been a big mix of spinners. There are some big boy spinners in the air but most of this activity has been dominated by the smaller sulfur spinners. Over the last few days the sky has been heavy with these spinner flights about an hour before dark. The fall has been happening concurrent with the emergence of the newly emerging duns.
Guide Zach is available the next 2 days short notice due to a cancellation. If you want to get out give the shop a call. We also have openings later in the week and are booking for June dates at this time. 607-290-4022
