Angler 119's Delaware River Fishing Report
Big change in the works???
Posted on September 16 2016
Fished the big river downstream from Stockport and again found a few fish. There...
Another "Dry Front".
Posted on September 14 2016
Tried the...
When your vehicle and trailer aren't at the takeout when you arrive - - - - -
Posted on September 13 2016
When your vehicle and trailer aren't at the takeout when you arrive - - - - -
Posted on September 13 2016
Decent olives get some fish up.
Posted on September 12 2016
As promised I tried the Lordville riff this afternoon. The bright sun probably didn't help - then again it might not have mattered- never saw a...
A fire in the woodstove.
Posted on September 12 2016
For the first time in months all of the rivers are OK to fish temp wise. Of course there will be few if any fish in the big east which has been well...
Same old, same old.
Posted on September 10 2016
1360 and rising!
Posted on September 07 2016
West Branch release bumped another 241 CFS.
Posted on September 05 2016
More bang for your buck.
Posted on September 04 2016
Another major change in the West Branch release.
Posted on September 02 2016
Flow change update.
Posted on September 01 2016
What are the effects? It's hard to say. PPL power generation at Wallenpaupak has continued unabated, making it unnecessary for the River Master to call for additional WB water to meet minimum flow at Montague. Haven't been...
Eating liver would be more fun.
Posted on August 30 2016
Fished up in the Deposit area for most of the afternoon and early evening....
On a scale of one to ten- - - I give it a three.
Posted on August 29 2016
Stockport (one car there) no trailers or cars at Shehawken, no trailers at Balls Eddy, no cars at either gamelands parking areas and one angler standing on the bridge at Hale Eddy. Up river (where the action is) there was no one in sight above or below the...
Found a way to beat the heat!
Posted on August 28 2016
Left camp a little after 6:00 and took a drive up the EB. Saw a dark haired angler heading downstream from the junction of...
Back in the waders again.
Posted on August 27 2016
Didn't get here until after four and stopped in Deposit to see what, if anything was up (nothing). Drove down river...
I've got better things to do!
Posted on August 25 2016
The game was closer than the score.
Posted on August 24 2016
Decided not to fish tricos this am. Will probably try yet another place tomorrow. Reports from Deposit were consistent. Fewer and fewer sulfurs, some olives with an iso thrown in. Boats were anchored on the best spots. What risers there were, were looking at everything with their bifocals on. If the fishing was good DRC wouldn't have to go to their...
The skunk danced too soon.
Posted on August 23 2016
With the morning temp in the 40's I didn't have to rush. Left camp about 9:30 and drove up to the EB to fish the trico hatch. Arrived about ten to find lots of bugs - all still in the air. They started to fall about a half hour later and the fish fed for a good two hours. There was no wind, a bright blue sky and lots of fish to throw at. Almost all of my good casts got at least a refusal, many...
It's all in how you say it.
Posted on August 22 2016
If I was doing this report for a lodge or fly shop along the river that was trying to promote the river and get people to come and fish - - -
I would say: Couldn't get on the river until after six due to prior commitments. With the cool day, the water temps were down and I headed for the big river. Saw hebes, yellow sallies, and isonichia hatching and spinners over the water late. Trout were seen...
Waiting for a cold rain.
Posted on August 20 2016
With most all of the anglers and guides concentrating on the upper WB where the fish have been pounded for the last three months and where the sulfur hatch has all but disappeared, I took my game elsewhere.
In the am I tried the upper big river. It looked good for the first ten minutes as I hooked and landed two small rainbows, got a refusal and saw another fish rise. Then nothing for two hours.
In...
So you want to fish the Delaware.
Posted on August 18 2016
If you want to go trout fishing you really don't have many viable options right now. It's been hot and in many places, dry. Freestone streams are too low and warm to fish. Tailwaters? You've got the Delaware River System, arguably the best trout stream east of the Rockies right in your back yard. Big browns and rainbows sipping dries, any anglers dream. Just hop in the car, head on down and catch...
Golfers vs fishermen.
Posted on August 17 2016
"Current" state of affairs.
Posted on August 16 2016
For you early risers, the trico hatch offers an opportunity to sharpen your dry fly skills. Be on the river early and look for a cloud of the little buggers swarming over a riff (Cedar Waxwings will be having them for breakfast). Get downstream in a quiet pool below the riff and wait for the fish to start feeding. Most literature says the spinner fall will occur when the temp hits 69 degrees. I've...
Day - Night doubleheader.
Posted on August 15 2016
A good day to watch the olympics.
Posted on August 14 2016
Barely missed a second bear!
Posted on August 14 2016
At least I got the net wet.
Posted on August 12 2016
Gone, gone, gone!
Posted on July 26 2016
Enjoy the sulfur hatch in the Deposit area. If you don't have a long ride home stay 'til...
Big bump in West Branch release!
Posted on July 24 2016
How will they be affected? Some things we know for sure. The algae in the water will be increased short term as the higher flow will wash it loose from the shore lines , rocks and...
And I almost didn't fish!
Posted on July 22 2016
Mergansers should have to fish dries.
Posted on July 21 2016
There are no secret spots!
Posted on July 20 2016
Wasn't it just a beautiful day?
Posted on July 19 2016
One of the most beautiful days of the summer, sun with white puffy clouds, fresh air with low humidity, moderately warm temp and a delightful breeze. Ask a fisherman what he thought of it. "Wind came up in the morning before spinner fall and blew the Tricos away, high pressure stopped fish from rising and bugs from hatching all day. Give me a calm wind, an overcast sky with a light drizzle and...
Lost in the fog!
Posted on July 18 2016
It was a strange day. Arrived in Deposit at three after driving through on and off showers most of the way from Syracuse. Got off 17 at the second Deposit exit with the intent to fish sulfurs in or around town. On several occasions this season I have shared a pool with Mike, a retired resident of Deposit that I have known and fished with for over twenty years. Seldom have I seen anyone else...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-16
Posted on July 15 2016
Fish and Angler 119 split a doubleheader.
With the predicted heat and sun I decided to do a split day. Probably would have gone better if I had remembered to put Tricos in my vest. Found some nice fish going on Trico spinners and all I got from them were four open mouthed refusals. The rest of the AM fishing went better as I saw a half dozen fish rise and got them all to at least look at my flies.
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-15
Posted on July 14 2016
Verizon pulls the plug on the morning fishing.
Strange day. It started with me without internet again. Spent the morning trying to talk to and understand Verizon's "offshore" customer service people who can't understand me and can't begin to get me reconnected. Finally called "Mike" Verizon's "man on the ground" for the greater Lordville metropolitan area.. Mike drove up, checked out my equipment...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-14
Posted on July 14 2016
Going for the Gold!
After a poor and abbreviated day of fishing Tuesday I decided to put in a full day Wednesday. Started out in the morning fishing the upper regions of the big river. Rose eight fish to attractor patterns. Four ate the fly and ended up in the net. The other four decided at the last minute that they weren't really all that hungry and refused the fly.
From three thirty until...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-13
Posted on July 12 2016
Musings on March Browns and Isonychia's - (the times they are a changing).
Back 15 years ago, before everyone needed a drift boat to trout fish there were two attractor flies that you needed to fish the Delaware River system. Early season it was the March Brown and from June first on it was the Isonychia. March Brown takes on the water were marked by explosions spraying water a foot into the air....
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-12
Posted on July 11 2016
Fish of the day.
As I usually do on Mondays, I fished my way back to camp. Stopped in Deposit and found fish feeding on a meager hatch of summer sulfurs. Being a true believer of the mantra "Never leave rising fish," I donned my waders and had at 'em. There turned out to be quite a few two year olds ranging in size from 11 to 14 inches. Many were willing to eat my flies. Lost three of the first...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-09
Posted on July 08 2016
For perhaps someday I'll catch a mermaid!
With flies to tie for my western trip, I stayed at the camp and gave the upper East Branch sulfur eaters a rest. Left camp at about 3:30 and drove up to Deposit where I looked over the mist covered river and took a pass. Drove down stream, chatted with a friend and watched a river sans bugs, risers and fishermen flow by. Undaunted, at about five I put on...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-08
Posted on July 07 2016
Maybe now I'll stop whining about Montana.
Yesterday I might have been a tad down. Even with no one fishing I couldn't find bugs and feeding fish enough to get excited or enthused about. Today it started out worse. Didn't head for the river until mid-afternoon and when I did - the river (WB ) was shrouded in fog, even in the fog I could count six boats anchored within the Deposit city limits....
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-07
Posted on July 07 2016
Montana looks good right now.
With the hot sunny weather the cold water loving summer sulfurs have moved into their upstream summer quarters. Fished early yesterday morning on a stretch of water in the lower regions of the WB. Saw no bugs but raised seven fish on attractor patterns. Three of them ate and stayed stuck all the way into the net.
After Tuesday's poor showing on the upriver sulfurs I...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-06
Posted on July 05 2016
TGFSS
It was a tough afternoon on the river. Partly cloudy with a hot sun beating down more and more as the afternoon wore on. There were sulfurs but very few fish were impressed. Walked over a quarter mile of the WB and saw but one head. It turned out to be a fat sassy 18.5 inch brown who ate my fly and let me know how he felt about it. The rest of the after noon sulfur hatch was spent just...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-05
Posted on July 04 2016
It's July now and - - - - -
There is no doubt about it the fishing has changed. The iso hatch has been meager at best and the summer sulfurs (at least up river ) have failed to hatch in numbers sufficient to get the "big boys" feeding. I fished three places between Deposit and Hancock and never saw a drift boat. Parking lots are almost empty and in many places there isn't an angler in sight.
Why?...
By Angler 119 on 2016-07-02
Posted on July 02 2016
Weekend musings on the season to date.
Took the time to tally my fish counts for May and June. It was the eighth best May in the twenty five years of records. June finished as the 11th best. There are many factors which influence the overall results. When I first came to the river system there was a learning curve that showed slow but steady progress in my ability to catch Delaware River fish. I...
A return to the West Branch.
Posted on July 01 2016
of algae.
Arrived about two-forty five to find a mix of bugs...
It was still a good month!
Posted on July 01 2016
A guy could get lonesome fishing the upper East Branch
Posted on June 30 2016
the seventeen rest area. When I turned up route thirty at the Sunoco...
We needed the rain - bad!
Posted on June 29 2016