Posted on August 10 2026
July, helped by a very good Dorothea hatch, was a surprisingly good month for me. I have never, in the 36 years I have owned the Lordville Estate, caught as high a percentage of big fish. While statistics are often misleading I think this months are interesting enough for you to take a look at.
Since 1991 I have kept track of the percentage of brown trout in my catch that are over 17 inches each month. July usually shows a decline in the percentage of large browns as they switch from eating bugs to eating fish.
Here is a list of both the number of browns browns caught and the percentage of the total catch in July since 2020.
Year # of Browns over 17" % of browns caught, over 17"
2020 - 24 7.8%
2021 - 17 8.4%
2022- 79* 34.4%
2023 - 40 29%
2024 - 51 20%
2025 - 42 26%
2026 - 69 58%
This July the breakdown for year classes was - 57% over 17" adult fish
20% 15/16" four year old's
10% 13/14" three year old's
2% 11/12 " two year old's
11% 11/12" hatchery fish
* The 2018 year class almost certainly had the largest number of brown trout survive to be two year old's in the history of the river. In 2022 a good number of them reached 17 inches. In total fish caught 2022 was the second best year I've had on the Delaware, (2012 was slightly better).
I don't record yearling fish unless they are at least 10 inches long, (only a very few browns reach that length during their second year), but to the best of my recollection I have caught only three yearling browns this year. Many rainbows reach 10 inches in August and September, (16th/17th month).
The absence of one, two and three year old browns in the river population is of course concerning. Enjoy the opportunity this year presents to fish for large numbers of trophy sized trout. It probably won't happen again anytime soon.
Do you track milage? Wonder if high miles = harder to find a place to fish.
Any thoughts on the Isonychia numbers this summer? There seems to be a lot less this season than the past few. Bugs are cyclical, with Drakes hitting an recent apex last season, with their numbers dropping this year. Iso’s have been on the wane for several years now, and this one continues that trend, at least in my experience. Hopefully they come back next season, they are my favorite bug to throw.
A119 great stats. Thanks for sharing all your info. I fished yesterday and had nothing but refusals. Not a great hatch but enough bugs to get the fish up. I can’t believe all the refusals!!!! I talked with Adrian and he said he is getting the same thing.
36 years is a long haul. Thx. for sharing your tips and hope you continue to enjoy your passion.
Angler119’- Thanks for your overview of the condition of the Delaware River fishery. And congrats on the number of big browns you’ve brought to the net. Amazing. All my best wishes for a good outcome on your mri today.Ed