West Branch of the D

[fisherboy3]

Heading up to the West Branch the weekend of the 13th. Ive been reading reports from the DRC and WBA but you know how they report...to get more customers. Anybody been fishing up there lately? Any White flies yet? Im assuming we'll have small olives and slate drakes, maybe brown drakes and stenos if the weather stays the same. Hoping for some good fishing.- Kev

 

[krayfish2]

Kev,

I'd bank on olives and small stenos. The iso fishing this year hasn't been very good IMO. Don't think you'll se a brown drake. White flies are warm water bugs and would be found a ways down the main. You would want to very closely keep an eye on temps if you chase them. I'm guessing they might be do e anyhow. The other thing you should see are caddis. They should be getting cranked up for fall hatches. Tan, olive in 16 should work. Good luck

 

[fisherboy3]

I looked quickly at a hatch chart for the upper delaware and saw brown drakes and white flies. Dont fish up there as much as I'd like to but eventually in the next few years ill be moving up there, so ill be fishing there a lot more. Suprised you wont be up there Kray. Well even if the topwaters not cooperating I'd heard nymphing has been quite good during the day, which is my specialty. Last time after i saw you Kray i hit the Beaverkill down over in Cooks Falls and did quite good. Had 5 or 6 fish, most of which were strong (wild im guessing) bows. Guy next to me caught a nice 22 inch wild brown. Cool stream if youv got the time. See you out there soon.- Kev

 

[krayfish2]

I was going to mention that the section around Horton / Cooks Falls is closed as a thermal refuge but it opens up again after labor day. Just keep an eye on temps if you're heading down that way.

I'm guessing algae will make nymphing next to impossible in the upper 2/3 of the west. Just find water between 58-68 and you'll find fish feeding. I understand the main and upper east have been fishing nicely.

Only made a few trips this year. Maybe next year will be kinder to me. Have fun, tell Ben I said hi and hope to get one more shot before the rivers close.

 

[fisherboy3]

Kray,

Quick question. Im supposed to go up saturday to fish the west branch, but the flows are waaaay up with the Yo Yo thing theyve been doing to put more water downstream. Will streamer fishing be possibly okay? The flow is up now at 2700....Not from rain but from the release. Or should i go fish the upper east? -Kev

 

[krayfish2]

Unless you got a boat, you'll have 2% wading available. Upper EB is an option. The flows have been up and down over the last week or so. All of the slop on the bottom and along the banks just got ripped loose with flows that high. Who knows, it might be at 300 in 8 hrs.

Edit: just looked at flows. That 2700 looks like a malfunction but its over 1000 cfs at Hale. Still some limited wading with serious care. The main should be good past Callicoon and much easier to wade. All of east should be ok temps too.

 

[fisherboy3]

Kray,
Well ill be with turpin tomorrow so we'll have a boat. Im thinking the upper east on sunday since the flows have been pretty consistent at 156 up at harvard which is a good flow for wading up there. Either that or going over to the beaverkill. Its been pretty cool up there the past couple days and its gonna be cool there tomorrow. Chance of showers all day and overcast with no wind, sounds like a picture perfect olive day. Nymphing should be prety good as well. Ill make a report sunday night.- Kev

 

[LongWader]

Just go back and the upper Main Stem fished very well. Lots of big Olives. The West Branch was at 1,300 CFS and was tough except for swinging streams on the edge of chutes and riffles and the Lower East Branch had a big Cahill hatch.