Posted on July 01 2026
In the nineties the DEC did some surveys of fishermen on the Delaware River System, it was all wade fishermen back then. Got to know Scott and Mark who did the survey work because I was on the river a lot and they made a point of finding me. They said they knew where practically everyone parked and where they would be fishing, except me. It wasn't until the summer heat made much of the system unfishable and I became acquainted with the Stilesville sulfurs that they could easily track me down.
You can call them the good old days if you want, but the tiny releases, ( 45cfs from Cannonsville except June 15th to August 15th when they ran 325), warm water in all the freestones and a BR fish population that was limited to a fraction of what it is today by the small amount of cold water refuge available to the fish.
Today the cold water releases are more than ten times what they were in the 90's. The volume of cold water has created a habitat that supports many many times the fish that were in the river system back then. BUT, with the increased air temperatures from global warming we still end up with everyone fishing from Stilesville to Barking Dog from July 1st until the sulfurs peter out sometime in late August. Why? It's the only game in town. It's a consistent every day hatch that gets the fish up and feeding in the daylight. True there is fishing in the UEB, the WB and the BR down to Stockport, but it's only for the last hour of light in the evening.
Went back to the Lordville Estate after the sulfur hatch today by driving down the PA side of the river. Upper Game Lands had 6 cars, Lower Game Lands had 1 car, Balls Eddy had no cars or trailers, Shehawken had 3 trailers and two cars, (drove back up at 7:30 and the PA fish shocking crew was there with ten cars and all their gear), Stockport nothing, Buckingham nothing. It gave me an "empty" feeling.
Why? I hate fishing the same places over and over, and don't fish above Barking Dog until I have to. The fish learn quickly to eat almost nothing off the surface, they are tired from fighting for their life every time they eat something they shouldn't. It's crowded, just finding a parking place is a win. Solitude? It's hard for an old man to even find a secluded spot to take a pee. It kinda makes me a little sad knowing what lies ahead for the next six weeks.
I also saw The Who at Bethel Woods in May 2022. They were tremendous. Unfortunately they didn’t perform “ Summertime Blues” . Sounds like I really missed something. Ed
Jim D.- Saw The Who perfrom it live, in Buffalo, NY, Dec. 1979. Live at Leeds version is the best !
Jim D – Thanks for the Blue Cheer info. The depth of your knowledge of music is astounding. Ed
Ed..Blue Cheer was a power trio from San Francisco.. one of the first psychedelic bands to get a hit..in this case 1968.. you can see them on an old Dick Clark Bandstand video on YouTube…
I thought you may have been referring to Alan Jackson who remade this song and just had his last concert.
Jim N- Congratulations on landing two really nice fish under difficult conditions. Great. Jim D- Eddie Cochran , a nice catch also. The Who at Leeds— amazing. . What is Blue Cheer? Ed
Eddie Cochrane. Legend!
Angler119-I concur with you. Unfortunately global warming has drastically altered Summer time fishing from what it was even 30-40 years ago. The streams warm up much sooner and are unfishable until mid-September. Fortunately, the tailwaters do provide July/August fishing albeit very crowded. I guess some crowded fishing is better than no fishing. I bias , however, because I may be crazy, but I like fishing the sulphurs at the Red Barn. FYI- I pee behind the fourth tree down from the gate. I marked my territory, but feel free the use it. It’s 100 degrees here in NJ. Yuck. All My Best Ed
A119,
I could not agree more with your sentiment “It kinda makes me a little sad knowing what lies ahead for the next six weeks.”. I fished the last 2 days with my Brother in law. Over our end of evening beer and scotch (sorry no full bar to prepare a PM), we just wondered how fishing will be in July and August confined to the upper WB and tossing only tiny sulphurs. It’s late summer conditions all too soon!
The fishing…incredibly challenging. Dorotheas came in waves and the fish were up and on them. Fooling them was a different story. I managed two nice 18" fish yesterday. Watched an osprey catch 1 in the morning. That was all of the fish I saw landed in 8hrs on the river. Bring your A+ game if you come!!
Tough time of year..even the local CNY streams are a trickle. Trips down to the Catskills for me will have to wait. Nice reference to Eddie Cochran but my favorite version was The Who Live At Leeds…Blue Cheer anyone?