Fly Fishing Report for the Upper Delaware and Catskill Rivers

More Rain Yesterday

The autumn air has our local trout active and there are plenty of insects emerging to bring the fish to the surface. This is great news for anyone with a drift boat.

The big question for wade anglers is when will the rain take a long enough break for the river flows to drop to fish-able levels. Yesterday was not the day as more heavy downpours hit the region just before dark. This most recent round of rain fell on already high water and quickly raised it even higher.

This morning turbidity and heavy flows are the story everywhere. It will take a few days for the water to drop back to where wading is possible.

The first places that should offer some wading will be the Willowemoc, Beaverkill and Upper East Branch but not until we get a few rain free days.

With the bad news out of the way I'll get to the good.

If you fish from drift boats the fishing is very good. Every day recently has offered plenty of opportunity with both streamer flies and dry flies.

The water has been covering over with Blue WIng Olives. Sulfurs, Cahills, and Isonychia are also on the water in good numbers. There is also a good amount of caddisfly activity but I have not seen these flies play any important role on the surface. Despite the high water the trout are still feeding well. Our guides are targeting the super slow pools and finding plenty of action. I have had several days recently where every trout in the pool has been gorging themselves on small olives. With the higher water, fooling them has been pretty easy. On all of my recent trips where we have fished dry fly, getting the takes has been pretty guaranteed. The fun but difficult part has been trying to land the Trout on tiny flies in heavy water.

The streamer bite has now been steady for a month. It goes from good to better as the turbidity increases. It has been good even when the water is clear. Our guests have been taking some real beasts. With the new blast of water the next few days should be great. I still have tomorrow open if anyone wants to get out.

Now is the time to give us a call for a float trip. Our guides have been out daily and will put you right on the action. We have an opening or two for this coming weekend and a few slots across next weeks calendar.

Give us a call today to plan your next float 607-290-4022