Posted on May 28 2020
Each year the Grannoms and Apple Caddis hatch in profusion on the Delaware River Main Stem and the Big East (below the Beaverkill junction).. For dry fly guys the hatches aren't much fun as the trout eat the emerging pupa and seldom touch a dry fly. If, however, you are fortunate enough to be on the river for either spinner fall it is an epic sight. Every trout in the river is up gorging on the fallen spinners. Many times the rivers are just too high for wade fishermen to join in the fun. This year there was no way you could fish the spinner fall on the BR but on the EB I was able to work along the shoreline and cast to fish.
Until the last couple of years the two spinner falls were the extent of my caddis fishing. The caddis fly box seldom left it's little pocket on the bottom right hand side of my fishing vest. Last year the caddis hatch up in Deposit was much heavier than in previous years, it came before the sulfurs got cranked up and yes, the fish were willing to eat the duns.
This year the upper WB caddis hatch has again been prolific and the fish have been feeding on them both as emergers and on top. They have provided anglers with countless hours of productive dry fly fishing during what has always been the dreaded doldrums where there is little may fly hatching.
In the past week, through a combination of dumb luck and good fortune I have stumbled onto caddis hatches on the BR that have just the right number of bugs to get the fish up but still give you a chance to have them eat your fly. Have no idea if the hatches have always occurred in these numbers or if conditions have changed in a way that allows better survival of the caddis nymphs. Keeping the stream bed in the upper reaches of the WB watered throughout the year certainly would allow for a better survival rate there. What factors contribute to the increased hatches on the BR are beyond my knowledge.
Maybe, just maybe, the hatches have always occurred and if my wife had let me fish a little more I would have found out about them years ago.
Until the last couple of years the two spinner falls were the extent of my caddis fishing. The caddis fly box seldom left it's little pocket on the bottom right hand side of my fishing vest. Last year the caddis hatch up in Deposit was much heavier than in previous years, it came before the sulfurs got cranked up and yes, the fish were willing to eat the duns.
This year the upper WB caddis hatch has again been prolific and the fish have been feeding on them both as emergers and on top. They have provided anglers with countless hours of productive dry fly fishing during what has always been the dreaded doldrums where there is little may fly hatching.
In the past week, through a combination of dumb luck and good fortune I have stumbled onto caddis hatches on the BR that have just the right number of bugs to get the fish up but still give you a chance to have them eat your fly. Have no idea if the hatches have always occurred in these numbers or if conditions have changed in a way that allows better survival of the caddis nymphs. Keeping the stream bed in the upper reaches of the WB watered throughout the year certainly would allow for a better survival rate there. What factors contribute to the increased hatches on the BR are beyond my knowledge.
Maybe, just maybe, the hatches have always occurred and if my wife had let me fish a little more I would have found out about them years ago.
0 comments