Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report
Shake, Rattle and Roll.
Posted on August 01 2026
Woke early, got the chores out of the way and was in Deposit by 11:45. There were already bugs and fishermen. Found an empty pool in which I've seen little and done little this year and decided to give it another try. Bugs got going by 12:15 and the fish...
STOP Right Now Before You Go Any Further
Posted on July 31 2026
Hopefully everyone understands that basically I enjoy writing the reports, but that the summer sulfur season is a challenge. There are only three miles of stream in play, one bug hatching, lots of fishermen, tough fish, (thankfully they are HUGE this year), and a writer trying to make it sound...
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - - -
Posted on July 30 2026
With a large stationary low front using Albany as it's axis and rotating it's rain clouds over the entire north east there was no way to fish without a raincoat. Yesterday the heavy rain hit the Willow and Bk and sent the water level at Cook's Falls to about 15,000...
A Barn Sale Worth Attending.
Posted on July 29 2026
Drove up to Deposit to try and get in an hour or two of fishing during what is predicted to be a couple very rainy days. Drove down to the Men's Club and saw a giant tree that was growing on the riverbank just back of the club house laying...
Five Short Minutes Of Lovin - - -
Posted on July 28 2026
I don't care if I never fish another "A" spot, I'm not getting in line the night before the tickets go on sale to be sure I get to fish "my spot". That said, I did get to Deposit at 11:45, (early for me), and found the river sparsely populated...
The Difference Between A Striper And A Stripper Is More Than One P.
Posted on July 27 2026
Jean came down and we spent the better part of Saturday driving around taking in the damaged areas where the tornado touched down. I've seen videos of F-5's sweeping across flat grass land where there is nothing to break them up except towns and trailer parks. The ones we get...
Yesterday - - -
Posted on July 25 2026
With very little new happening, this is probably a good time to list my abbreviations for the rivers in the Delaware System: WB - West Branch Willow - Willowemac BK - Beaverkill UEB - East Branch Branch from Downsville down to where it meets the BK. EB- East Branch from...
I'm Not Ready To Quit Cold Turkey Yet, But I'm Looking Around.
Posted on July 24 2026
The sulfurs continue to hatch, the fish continue to feed, the algae continues to flow, and the fishermen continue to line up, curse the algae, marvel at the number of sulfurs, and try, with very limited success, to hook a trout or two. My resistance to the affair with the...
Everyone Needs A Day Like Today Once In A While.
Posted on July 23 2026
It's 9:45 and I'm beat. Got in the water on the WB at 12:30, which was about an hour too early. There were plenty of bugs on the water but the fish knew what was coming and were in no hurry to get started. It was crazy windy, or to...
Query, Was It A Rain Out Or A Skunking?
Posted on July 22 2026
The Dorotheas have been here for three weeks, most all of the fish have been fooled at least once, they are as difficult a challenge to take on a dry as you would ever want. If you are up for the challenge, here's what you need to know. 1-We are...
Gone, Gone, Gone The Fish Are Gone, Gone, Gone, Where'd They Go, Go, Go - - -
Posted on July 21 2026
In Saturday's Wind Knots and Tailing loops page, I wrote at length about the situation here in the Delaware River System regarding the fish population. Brian, unless he's being factious, said I was correct, and went to the trouble of looking up and posting a statement from the "fish and...
Wind Knots And Tailing Loops.
Posted on July 19 2026
Home watching t-boomers pass by while awaiting my dentist appointment on Monday, (possible new crown or root canal then new crown). Not many questions in the past month but found a few things to comment on. Rich T. - Jean and I winter on the original Zane Grey Creek on...
If I Could Save Time In A Bottle, The First Thing That I'd Like To Do - - - -
Posted on July 18 2026
The worst of the smoke seemed to have gone elsewhere today, blue sky, white clouds and sunshine. The bugs started a little after one and went until three with fish up and feeding the entire time. The bugs actually continued hatching in more modest numbers but the fish were full...
Sunshine On The Water Looks So Lovely - - -
Posted on July 17 2026
With the smoke again blocking the sun and turning the Catskills into the "Blue" Ridge Mountains, there was no need to hurry to Deposit. Without the sun's rays, the water took much longer to heat up and there was little to no bug activity before 1:30. Spent a pleasant hour...
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.
Posted on July 16 2026
Headed out at noon today with a fresh batch of sulfurs that I had put on the car dash to cure the water shed I put on them. Usually an hour in the hot car and they are dry as a bone, not today, with a heavy cover of Canadian...
If You Want It, Here It Is, Come And Get It, Better Hurry 'Cause It May Not Last.
Posted on July 15 2026
On a day like today with air temp in the 90's, the best place to be was in the water, and I that's where I was. Started at noon with Sulfurs already on the water and fish on them. Hooked a couple of fish early, then went through a couple...
The Delaware Always Has Humble Pie On The Menu, Today I Was Served A Big Slice.
Posted on July 14 2026
Last week I carried a magic wand wherever I went. I walked into good hatches, had lots of big rising fish and they were happy to eat my flies. Today, not so much. Fished a pool where I have probably caught more fish than any other pool in the WB....
It's Not Easy Being Me
Posted on July 12 2026
Left for home about eleven this morning, stopped at the Troutfitter to put my small bag of trash in the dumpster and to talk with Dave, then decided to swing down along the river "just for a look". Stopped to chat with two river friends and wouldn't you know it...
Another Day Another Dollar.
Posted on July 11 2026
With Dorotheas on the water from before noon until dark, (yes there was a lull from 4:30 until 6:30, but there were always a few on the water), no one should have had trouble finding rising fish to cast to. Hookups for most anglers are a challenge. If you are...
No Bath Before It's Time.
Posted on July 10 2026
There are still Invaria up at Stilesville being attended to by unprecedented hoards of anglers. Just a historical note and suggestion. When the little Stilesville lot was purchased the farmer complained when cars were parked along the road, and no parking signs were put up, which was fair, (the State...
MOLTER WINS!!!!
Posted on July 09 2026
Our own Dennis Molter brought home the gold in the Greater Stilesville Freefall Invitational today. It was a stunning upset over pre-event co- favorites, A-119 and Associate Editor Ed Smith. Smith, well known for his consistency has won numerous times on his home river, the Willow, and last year won...
Keep Your Eyes On The Prize, Hold On.
Posted on July 08 2026
This one is sure to stir up controversy and dissenting opinions, but I believe I'm more right than wrong. To begin with, trout like an easy meal and what is easier to do than to get in a spot where mayfly duns are floating along in soft current and sip...
Hopefully No Reader Goes By "Double Haul"
Posted on July 07 2026
Home for a Doctors appointment today and to pickup Jean at the airport tomorrow. Hope to be back on the river Wednesday. It's probably a good time to talk about some of the things that are holding people back from catching fish. To begin with, lets be clear, the Delaware...
There's Just No Way To Know Until You Go.
Posted on July 06 2026
With rain predicted for this evening I decided to get to the river on time and give the Dorotheas my best shot. Took a longish walk to a place that looked from the road to be free of fishermen. Apparently other fishermen were taking long walks from different directions because...
Didn't Get Much Of A Bang Out Of The 4th Of July Fishing.
Posted on July 05 2026
The Lordville 4th of July Parade threw a monkey wrench into my plans to fish yet another Dorothea hatch. Got drenched in sweat trying to do a little yard work then came in, got cleaned up, and decided to tie a few new sulfurs, lost track of the time and...
Why Can't Every Day Be Just This Good - - -
Posted on July 04 2026
Jean has left me, again. Dropped her off at the airport at 8:30 this morning, picked up a few items at BJ's and headed for Deposit to spar with the fish eating Dorotheas. Arrived in Deposit and borrowed a shelf in the Troutfitter fridge, (who says this job doesn't have...
Just A Thought.
Posted on July 03 2026
Just so you know, the BK went up to 85 today, the BE at Hancock hit 87. Both temperatures are lethal to all trout. Hopefully the trout in those rivers have made there way to thermal refuges and someone is either shooting the eagles or feeding them dead shad and...
If people Don't Want To Listen, Perhaps You Should Just Stop Talking.
Posted on July 02 2026
There may be no cure for the summertime blues, but if you want to beat the heat, put your waders on and go stand in the WB, you may not catch any fish, but you won't complain about the heat. Today it was advantage wade fishermen as the guys in...
Ain't No Cure For The Summertime Blues
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...
This Week, There Are Better Places To Be.
Posted on June 30 2026
This promises to be a week like I've never seen on the Delaware River System. Today was to be the coolest day and the car reported 88 on the drive up to Deposit. Forecasted highs for Tuesday through Friday are 88, 94, 97, 94. A surge is being sent down...
Try To Remember - - -
Posted on June 28 2026
Having taken pains assembling a seemingly well qualified panel of septuagenarians and octogenarians, all supposedly well versed in music from the 50's and 60's, I was appalled when Jim N., (exquisite fly-tyer though he may be), (but a still wet behind the ears newbie), was first on a Beach Boy's...
Every Day's A New Day.
Posted on June 27 2026
Had the best night's sleep of the season last night, no leg cramps and no trips to the loo. Have been doing a series of exercises to tighten up my shoulders which wake me up whenever I turn over in bed. It's a familiar story, do the exercises, get feeling...
Buddy Gonna Shut You Down.
Posted on June 26 2026
It's nine-fifteen and I've been home for over an hour, yesterday I didn't get into the car until 9:37. What happened? Mother nature, the trout, and a guide who apparently thought dropping the anchor no more than 40 FEET below me didn't constitute "low holing". Short term anyways, I'm done...
You Don't Have To Fish The Freestones To Catch Fish.
Posted on June 25 2026
Had several items to cross off the to-do list so I got up early, had breakfast and got to work. Put up the ladder and unplugged the gutter on the backside of the house, turned the ladder around, got the chain saw and cut off two dead limbs on the...
If I Could Save Time In A Bottle, The First Thing That I'd Like To Do - - - -
Posted on June 24 2026
Awoke this morning with two bruises the only evidence of yesterday's encounter with the EB's rock strewn shoreline. Had plans to fish one of my favorite places on the freestones today, but they were put in the TBD category last night. The trip was back on the schedule this morning....
I'll Give You An Answer In The Morning.
Posted on June 23 2026
Drove down this morning in a steady rain with the temperature in the mid 50's arriving at the Lordville Estate just after noon. Had lunch, did the Monday puzzles and at 1:30 headed out to fish the freestones. With a cold rain and no sunshine the freestone water temps were...
This That And The Other Thing.
Posted on June 22 2026
As promised - With apologies as some of the questions deserved prompt answers. John H - Who gave us many detailed reports during his stay, asked when the black caddis fell. I don't know. Saw the day after day up river migration, saw a couple of days of the caddis...
Happy Father's Day To All The Dad's Out There, (dutifully flippin' burgers at the family BBQ wishin' they were fishin' ).
Posted on June 22 2026
Today is the longest day of the year and I'm not fishing. Yesterday was two seconds shorter than today and tomorrow will be one second shorter. Probably no one but me will notice or care. For me, however, the pendulum has started to swing towards the dark days of December...
Saturdays Are Meant to Be Spent Mowing The Pond Grass, Crossing Items Off The Honey-Do List, And Taking Jean Out To Dinner.
Posted on June 21 2026
Have been enjoying the entertainment provided by the local deer population here in Lordville. Ten days ago mom showed up with her two yearlings and her brand new fawns. Watched the fawns explore the back yard for almost an hour while mom made half hearted efforts to chase the yearlings...
It's Fun Chasing Rainbows When You Don't Even Get Wet.
Posted on June 20 2026
Surprised myself by clearing all of the hurdles back home by 11:05, which left me plenty of time to get down to Deposit for the 2:00 pm Invaria extravaganza. Even had time to talk with David, Anthony, Bob, and Mike the Cop at the Troutfitter before heading out to fish....
Blow Ye Winds
Posted on June 19 2026
Would have been a thrill to hoist the spinnaker and take a down wind run in JF's sailboat, but I'd already scheduled a layday to take care of some nagging business matters. Didn't miss trying to get a fly to touch down on the river in 40mph south winds. Return...
The "Next Day" Isn't Always A bust.
Posted on June 18 2026
Might have been a tad full of myself when I drove off this morning at 9:30 to fish a place on the EB. Was back at the fishing camp at 11:00 having seen not one bug or fish in an hour of fishing. Spent an hour and a half lending...
All I Have To Do Is Dream, Dream, Dream - - -
Posted on June 17 2026
In case you've forgotten, last Friday it was so crowded that I couldn't find a place to fish. Yesterday, like Little Miss Muffet, I sat on a tuffet, (thankfully no curds and whey were served), for two hours without seeing a trout I could cast to. Today I decided to...
The Times They Are A Changin'
Posted on June 16 2026
Had a business meeting to attend in Syracuse this morning and didn't get down to Lordville early enough to try any WB fishing during prime afternoon bug time. At about 3:30 I headed over to the BK to see if fish had accumulated in thermal refuge areas. Half way up...
I Enjoy Crowds At A Football Games, On Trout Streams, Not So Much.
Posted on June 13 2026
Having been soaked to the skin twice within an hour yesterday, I resolved to keep a close watch on the weather today. The weatherman said showers, and thunderstorms, ( some severe), starting at 2:00 and lasting until 5:00. His prediction was perfect. Twice I started for a pool only to...
The Thunder Rolls--And The Lighting Strikes - - -
Posted on June 12 2026
After three days of basically driving up and down the WB, (lets forget about yesterday's mid afternoon excursion up route 30), felt I had a handle on what bugs were hatching and where. Found sulfurs hatching and a few fish rising about 2:00, got two refusals and landed a rainbow....
Been Searchin', Gonna Find 'Em
Posted on June 11 2026
After yesterdays sub par afternoon hatch by the bugs, I decided to sit back, watch the weather, (cloudy with a 50% chance of showers), and make a decision on where to fish close to the prevailing hatch time of 3:00 pm. Dark clouds interspersed with brighter skies and even bursts...
If A Tree Falls In The Woods, Will It Put The Fish Down?
Posted on June 10 2026
Clearly we are, if not around the bend, at least entering the turn. Haven't been up to Long Flat and Powerline in a while, if anyone wants to report on the drake hatch up there, please do. My sense of "things" tells me that it is still a thing, but...
Silhouettes On the Shade.
Posted on June 09 2026
Had a busy morning in Syracuse. Stopped at the Dermatologists where Rachael took, (in my opinion), a little too much pleasure in applying the liquid nitrogen to what she referred to as Actinic Keratoses on the top of my head. Second stop was to pick up supplies to refurbish the...
I Take My Chances, (I don't mind fishin' without a net)
Posted on June 06 2026
Make no mistake about it, the river system needs rain and cooler temps RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately, the forecast for the next ten days shows temps 10 to 20 degrees above the 70 degree high, 50 degree low which is normal for this time of year. The BE water was into...