Fly Fishing Report for the Upper Delaware and Catskill Rivers

BUG WEEK CONTINUES!

Joe Cusato with a big March Brown eater taken at mid day..

The big bug action is now in high gear across the Upper Delaware system. The big hatch is now the Green and Brown Drakes. March Browns , Isonychia, Sulfurs and another dozen or so species are about at times. The Blue Sedge Caddisfly is on the water heavy towards dark.

Last night Coffinflies were in the air in places where the Drakes have been emerging heavy. There were also a lot of March Brown spinners as well. The fish have been gorging whenever these large insects are on the water.

Here is a bit of the progression so you can try to time it. The Beaverkill has had the best Drake action. The lower river seems to be over and done. The next 3 days the Drakes should be on the water from Horton up to Roscoe. It started here yesterday. Today should be good, Tomorrow Great and then it should wane to a trickle. Coffinflies should be around for some time afterwards.

The Main Stem has the Green Drakes as well. The Upper Main should have the best action and the next few days should see the bulk of these insects.

Anglers should note that in normal weather years this is a afternoon hatch much like the March Browns but they emerge in mass. This has been the cast this year. I have seen them popping as early as 1:00 pm this week. Today's bright sun may push it later. Anglers should also be aware that the Brown Drakes will be coming as well and this hatch occurs right at dark. Another interesting emergence trait to look for regarding these insects is where they emerge. Most often the Green Drakes will be in the Main Currents and foam lines of the river. Brown Drakes will emerge in huge numbers and congregate along grassy banks in slow to almost dead water. Sometimes the best fish will move to the opposite shorelines then their normal lies to feed on this banquet.

At this time you can find fish rising all the time if you cover the water and look hard. A lot of the daytime fish we have been taking have been within inches of the grassy banks.

Nymphing remains hot in most riffles. The best nymphing is when the sun is on the water. Today should be great. Anglers should be fishing their nymphs up in the water column at this time. We are setting our nymph rigs only a foot under our indicators. Every fish in the river is now looking up.

With the constant and heavy rainfall of spring 2017 conditions are great and the should remain that way for a while. We are now taking booking for June. Give us a call to get in on the action. 607-290-4022 we have some great dates available. We will also begin booking our popular evening hatch Dry Fly Floats later this month along with our late nigh Mouse and Streamer trips. Call today for info on these great trips..