Upper Delaware Fly Fishing Report
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
This weekend anglers visiting the Upper Delaware and Catskill region will find some great summer weather. Throughout the Independence Day Holiday weekend we are forecast for bright sunshine with daily air temperatures in the low 80's.
In the coming days visiting anglers can find a lot of opportunity for both Trout and Warm Water Species.
Right now the Trout fishing is very challenging. This is normal for summer as low river flows, crystal clear water and smaller insects dominate the day.
For our guide staff summer is a laid back time. Most days we are Trout fishing from late afternoon until dark with our guests. Currently the action is on the Upper East branch, Upper West Branch and Upper Main Stem. These are the only areas that are cool from reservoir releases. All of our other rivers are now feeling the heat from normal summer conditions. It is best to avoid fishing the Beaverkill, Willowemoc, Lower East Branch and Main Stem for Trout at this time.
Anglers planning on hitting the tailwaters should be prepared for the challenging conditions that July and August offer us. Right now the insects that the Trout are feeding on are mostly on the small side. Sulfurs, Blue Wing Olives, Trico's and Midges dominate the day time hatching. In the low light conditions that occur just prior to dark you can expect to see a few larger insects but the window of opportunity is a small one. At this time there are some Isonychia, Cahills, Caddisflies, Stoneflies and Spinners available. None of these larger insects have been on the water in heavy numbers but when combined the provide some fast action at that magic time right before dark.
For the next 2 months the action on the tailwaters will fall into a very predictable routine. Anglers will find trout leisurely sipping Trioc's for a few hours each morning. Sulfurs should provide a window of opportunity each afternoon. The afternoon activity is normally steady for an hour or so. There is usually sporadic feeding about an hour before and an hour after the steady period. The exact window of opportunity can vary a bit from day to day but it will usually occur between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm. There is always a dead period between the afternoon activity and the late day activity. Towards dark anglers can expect a heavier sulfur hatch combined with a Spinner fall most days.
To be successful at this time anglers need to slow down and be far more patient that during the spring activity. The East and West Branches have been pounded now for 3 straight months and the trout are super aware of both people and fly lines.. At this time anglers need to make the most of their first drift over a feeding trout as this is about your only opportunity for fooling the mature fish.
Anglers should now pay close attention to their rigging. Our guides are rigging our guests with leaders of between 15' to 20' and tapered down to 6X in most situations.
Our fly choices all fall into the category of Crippled, Defective or Dead at this time. All of our fly choices are on the small side except when we are fishing the heavier riffle water. Most of the Flies we are using are #16 to #22 with our best performers being - CDC Knock Down Duns, Hackled Cripples and Hackle Wing Spinners. In the fast water we are pretty much always using one of our custom Isonychia Cripple patterns.
If you would like to get out and polish your skills now is a great time to book a date with our guide staff. The action is now all dry fly. Our guides can show you the techniques that we use every day to fool the stubborn tailwater trout in the Delaware.
Summertime is also a time where the Upper Delaware sees a huge increase in overall tourism. During this time our staff spends a lot of time on the lower Delaware River chasing Smallmouth Bass. We are offering full and half day trips for these fun game fish. We offer both fly fishing, light spin tackle or a combination of both methods on most trips.
Over the last week we have had lots of trips on the lower "D".
Most of the Trips have been flyy fishing and the best action has been on the surface. Our guides are rigging our guest with a variety of surface flies including Bass Poppers, Gurglers, Frog and Mice Patterns. The action has been very good most days and our guest have been taking some beautiful Smallies
As we progress into the summer months the action will only get better! In the coming days the opportunity for match the hatch dry fly fishing for smallies will develop. This action is really cool since these fish are not super selective like trout. Most of the action revolves around the bigger insects that emerge from the lower "D".
For the remainder of the summer our guides will be offering both full and half day floats for smallies and walleye.
Give us a call today to discuss your next fishing adventure - 607-290-4022
