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Fly Fishing Report for the Upper Delaware River and Catskill Rivers


October Action

Since my last report we had some substantial rainfall move through the region. This was the first rain in a very long time. Our mountains are now in full color and it is a prime time to be outdoors. Every recent day on the river has been a treat. Besides the great trout fishing there are lots of other cool things to see. Lots of animal activity along the river banks

Now anglers have lots of options for fishing the Upper Delaware and Catskill Regions.

Currently all of our local streams are bank full of water and running with water temperatures that are about perfect for trout to be active and aggressive.

Last week we had a stretch of cold weather that included 2 days in a row with frost in the morning. The cold combined with the overcast weather got our Autumn Blue Wing Olives going. During the cold stretch the olives blanketed the water during the afternoon hours. Now that this hatch is going it should become more reliable with every cold day.

Right now the action is from about 2:30 through 5:30 and when it ends it's been over.

As the days shorten the hatch should get progressively earlier in the day. The length of the hatch should also stretch out to about 3 to 4 hours of activity. This is very reliable dry fly action!

Fly Choice is pretty easy now. Small Olives and small spinners. There are plenty of other insects around but I classify them as fly around bugs. (Flying everywhere, none on the water).

At this time my fly selection is pretty narrow. CDC Knock Down Duns, Hackle Cripples, Hackle Spinners and tiny Traditional Catskill Dry Flies. All available in our shop.

If you are able to keep CDC floating the knock down is really the only fly you need. My second choice is the hackle cripple

An Olive Eater taken on an old school fiberglass rod (hackle cripple #16)

The nymph action has remained hot for the last month. Under the current conditions we can expect the great sub surface bite to continue. You can pick away at the fish with generic bead head nymphs in the #10 to #14 size range. On these larger flies you have decent odds of putting a few in the net. For a hot bite small flies are the ticket. #16 to #20 nymphs will produce steady takes but Delaware Rainbows are tough to land on tiny flies. They have too much crazy in them.

Hot flies include BH Isonychia, BH Zug Bug, BH Pheasant Tail, Our Ice Pupas, Our Trigger Nymphs and Our Soft Hackles

Some nymph eaters. Our guided float trips have been producing steady action with Wild Rainbows in this size range.

Our guides will continue to be available for as long as the weather remains pleasant enough to be on the water. This is normally mid to late November. Call today to book a day on the water 607-290-4022

I personally will be finishing up my Upper Delaware Trout fishing at the end of this week. After the Holiday Weekend I will be moving south to begin my guiding in Tampa Bay. I will be available for flats and back country fishing there beginning October 22. Now is the time to reserve some dates for a winter getaway! 607-290-4022 or visit www.tampabayflyfishingguide.com

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