Fly Fishing Report for the Upper Delaware and Catskill Rivers

BIG BUGS EVERYWHERE

RIck Ockleman with a 22.5" Green Drake Eater and a Drake below that was hanging out on our cooler.

Yesterday the action with big bugs continued. The Green Drakes increased their range while March Browns and Isonychia continue to emerge.

During the day and last night passing rain storms continued to fall on the region. Some areas received localized heavy downpours while other areas only had light rain. In the area I fished we had the downpours and we floated in lightly turbid water as some tributaries were pumping some mud. This should be clear in most places today.

All of our rivers have risen in flow since yesterday. The amount of increase varies by river but since everything flows to the Main Stem it should continue to rise for a while. The Beaverkill and Upper East gained a good amount of water which should only make conditions better long term.

This morning we have sunshine which has been pretty uncommon. I expect it to be short lived as T-Storms are forecast for the afternoon.

Green Drakes, March Browns, Isonychia and Sulfurs are the big hatches of Mayflies. Blue Sedge is the big Caddisfly at this time and it is heavy towards dark. Yesterday the fish were eating everything but the hot item is the big bugs. The fish were absolutely crushing the large Drakes and March Browns. We fished an oversized March Brown Pattern the last few days and had takes from just about every fish.

Below is my custom March Brown that we have been using. This tie is unsinkable and will stand up to dozens of fish.

The Beaverkill, Lower East and Main Stem are still the Best for the bugs at this time. The tailwater will catch up in about a week. Anglers looking to hit the drakes should remember that this hatch moves upstream pretty rapidly. Each section gets a sparse emergence followed by a good emergence followed by an incredible emergence and then it craps out. The only area that seems to break this pattern is in one particular area of the Upper East which has such great drake water that the hatch remains active for a week or two.

Anglers who are planning to fish in the coming days should be in for a treat. This coming weekend should see heavy action with both giant March Brown Spinners and Coffin Flies. These huge spinners should now be available in varying numbers for a few weeks. Anglers should also remember that these big spinners will work for some time after the active hatch has ended.

If you are heading out stop by the shop to get some of our Hackle WIng Spinners and Drake Patterns. We have several custom Patterns for the Drakes including Green and Brown Drake Wulffs, Comparisons and Cripples. If you need advice on flies and river locations make sure to stop by early in the day. OUr guides are in the shop before they leave for their trips and are ready to talk fishing.

We have some openings available for float trips in the coming days Give us a call to get in on the action 607-290-4022