Fly Fishing Report for the Upper Delaware and Catskill Rivers

MORE WATER FOR THE WEST BRANCH!

This morning the West Branch is higher than yesterday. The release from Cannonsville has increased to 1123 cfs. This is great news for a good section of the River System since we are still forecast for a few more days of 85 degree heat.

Right now under the current release the entire West Branch and most of the Trout waters of the Main Stem are in good shape. The Upper East is also Ice Cold.

Anglers should however avoid fishing the Beamoc Water and the Lower East for Trout if the water temps. are up near 70 degrees.

Over the weekend our guests had very good fishing. Our guides took full advantage of the Ice cold water and were able to put our guests into steady action. The Dry Fly action was scarce. The bright scorching sun and lack of any clouds probably is the biggest factor in their absence.

With the lack of insects the Nymph bite was on!. We had real steady action on all of our trips. The fish want to eat and if you put something in front of them they are willing. Right now the Wild Bows are super active and most of the fish are impossible to deal with once they are on the line!

The best flies are still on the small side. The #16 to #20 nymphs will still account for most of the fish but Isonychia nymphs have been hot at times. I have had several stretches where the Iso nymphs were red hot.

With the big release anglers will find the West Branch to be heavily Turbid. There is some debris and algae in the drift. By the time you get to the lower reaches of the West the turbidity lessens and there is some clarity. The clearest water as always is in the shallow riffles.

The current turbidity extends pretty far down the Main Stem. There is Turbidity in all of the pools down to the Buckingham area and a slight amount of color all the way past Lordville.

The type of turbidity in the Main Stem is about perfect for making the Trout easier to approach.

Autumn releases on the West are almost always turbid so this should be the normal situation now. Anglers should expect the water color to have little effect on the dry fly action but it always makes nymphing less effective. The streamer Bite in theory should turn on but the West is a very hard fished river and they have seen a lot by late Sept. Small Buggers and Old School Streamers seem to work best lately.

If you would like to get in on the Hot nymph action we have some openings. Give us a call to plan a date. Our guides are also spending some time at the Salmon River. If you want to fish here call us for scheduling. 607-290-4022

Don't forget to stop by and visit our NEW Fly Shop if you are in Roscoe.