Posted on November 10 2025
Saturday's Fishing - The wind switched from the SE to the NW on Saturday which made much of the upper WB too windy to fish. There were two anglers in the pool I fished Friday so I drove down to Shehawken to see if there were any bugs hatching there. The parking lot had six cars on my arrival and I saw four anglers in the water within 150 feet of the ramp, (on November 8th!), didn't even stop to look for bugs.
Found an unoccupied pool farther upstream with a very modest hatch of pseudos and some hungry fish. If you were close enough to a riser and made an accurate cast you got a look. Hooked six fish, landed five, all but one of which were counters. The last two were 17 and 18-inch rainbows, and when a pontoon boat rowed behind me and started casting at risers about 100 feet downstream, I decided to real it in and call it a season. Had time to drive back to Lordville to do some more bow hunting. It was a quiet evening with does and fawns ignoring the spike horn that showed up.
Sunday morning - Started the pipe draining process in the dark, then went out hunting. The live decoys were all positioned beautifully when a very nice eight pointer showed up and started walking towards them on a course that would give me a 20 yard shot. The buck came from my right where I had no shot but was less than a couple yards from stepping into the open when the doe he was interested in spooked and off he went after her. Checked off all remaining items on the shut down list and was on the road home by 10:00am.
It's been a challenging season to be sure, (I caught half as many fish as the preceding year), but I enjoyed every bit of it and I'm sad that it's over. A big thanks to all who contributed to the reports, Dave who posted the reports even when they may have been bad for business, the grammarian who makes them more readable, the associate editors whose combined knowledge and experience far exceeds mine and whose reports lend credibility and clarity to what I may be trying to say, and lastly all the fishermen, (and music lovers), who share their on river experiences, both good and bad, which helps keep things in perspective, (no you're not the only one getting skunked, and yes you're entitled to crow a little when the fish go easy on you or you fool a big one). Hopefully we'll all be here five months from now when the first fish start to rise next spring.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge of the WB along with those rattlesnake reports.
Thanks for sharing your great year. The knowledge you share is invaluable to those of us who are trying to figure out those complicated fish. And it’s the best form of entertainment on the days we can’t make it to the rivers.
👍👍💯
Looking forward to next year already. Thanks again for the tips and great prose A-119! Enjoy the winter and some good bonefishing!!
Thanks for keeping it real..all season long…….
WE’LL MEET AGAIN, DON’T KNOW WHERE, DON’ T KNOW WHEN…
BUT I KNOW WE’LL MEET AGAIN SOME SUNNY DAY. .. :-)
To all the “editors “ of this wonderful blog and to you Angler 119 have a peaceful and joyful holiday season with your family. It’s always a real joy when the first article appears in a new year of fishing the Delaware River System and I certainly look forward to another year of conversation with everyone.. Tight Lines and Peace..
What a great last day, Angler 119! Makes me wish I hadn’t already hung up my waders. Thanks for another season of great stories and advice. Will miss starting my day with your reports. Have a good winter and happy hunting!
Angler119’- All My Best Wishes to You and Jean for a Happy and Healthy winter. Enjoy Your Family this holiday season. Looking forward to your first reports in 2026. Ed
Thank you Sir for your once again fantastic daily reports! While I do not look forward to another long winter I will count the days until the first A119 report pops up on my screen and another fishing season has arrived! Have a healthy and safe winter!
Can’t tell you how much I enjoy these reports and fishing the Upper Delaware system even if it is only a few days a year. As retirement nears I hope to be there more often. Thanks for sharing your experiences, wisdom and humor with us. Hope the winter is kind to you and I’m already looking ahead to next spring. Be well.
Thanks A119- I’ll miss reading ya for five months. I’ll be fishing this winter for the first time because I’m loving this fly fishing stuff. Be well, I’ll prop see your son in Syracuse shop soon.
Have a great winter A119.
As always, I want to thank you for your reports, stories and advice. I look forward to seeing your first report of 2026, booking my room from Dave at Troutfitter, another meatball sub from BCs, and the first rise and take by a big Brown.
Be well friends. Have a great Thanksgiving and a blessed Christmas.
Jim