Upper Delaware Summer Smallmouth

[Fly-Swatter]

My buddy and I are looking to do a Delaware smallie float soon. We have fished for trout down as far as Lordville but not below that.

Does anyone have experience or intel on Summer Smallie fishing on the Delaware between Callicoon and the Water Gap?

I've driven along the section from Milford to East Stroudsburg many times and wondered how it fishes. However, I noticed the water levels from Lackawaxen down fluctuate with the releases from Wallenpaupack. Does this affect the smallie bite?

Any info on better sections to target or other helpful info will be very much appreciated.

 

[Baron]

Will you camp?

 

[Fly-Swatter]

No, day trip, but we can start early or fish late. I live about an hour from most points along that section.

 

[afishinado]

Fly-Swatter wrote:
My buddy and I are looking to do a Delaware smallie float soon. We have fished for trout down as far as Lordville but not below that.

Does anyone have experience or intel on Summer Smallie fishing on the Delaware between Callicoon and the Water Gap?

I've driven along the section from Milford to East Stroudsburg many times and wondered how it fishes. However, I noticed the water levels from Lackawaxen down fluctuate with the releases from Wallenpaupack. Does this affect the smallie bite?

Any info on better sections to target or other helpful info will be very much appreciated.

From Callicoon and downstream is good, but no need to drive that far up for smallies. Milford > Dingman's Ferry > E. Stroudsburg are all good places to fish.

And there's plenty of access points all along the river.

Check out this map >http://www.riverexplorer.com/delaware/boat_ramp_map.php?fbclid=IwAR1oki0eEnURTZivLnqUtlY4lXRdJwjt2u9lzzE9m4ookvCBcJ6N21e2onk

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Thanks, Afish. Do you know if there is a difference in the size or quantity of bass as you go downstream. I assume the answer is a qualified "yes", meaning there are a few bass near Hancock and they get more numerous and bigger through Callicoon (or maybe further downstream), but that effect diminishes downstream from there.

 

[CLSports]

One of my favorite stretches in just north of Barryville. The section from the Ten Mile River Boat Access on NY side to Zane Grey on PA side where the Lackawaxen dumps in.

Also, we just did a float from Port Jervis to the River Beach campsites in Milford. Water is a bit low, but lots of smallies caught. Nothing bigger than 12"-13", but plenty in there.

I've done Callicoon (or whatever launch is just south) to Narrowsburg too, but it has been a while. Just need to be aware of Skinner's falls in that stretch.

There are many launches in the water gap too.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Quick report: Lot's of bass and fallfish caught (dozens) mostly on crayfish patterns. We saw many bass under 6" so that's good. Largest bass landed was about 15", largest fallfish was pushing 20"! We also caught a handful of redbreast sunfish and the odd rock bass. There was a lot of submerged weed beds. This is something mostly absent from the section of the Susky I fish (near Tunckhannock). We found the fish were mostly stacked up in deeper braids and runs. At one point we anchored at one such run and caught a dozen fish on sparkle grub variations: caught dead drifting, stripping, on the swing, and hanging below us in the current.


However....THOUSANDS of tubers, loud, non-social distancing, mostly friendly. It was a real novice mistake going down the Delaware near an outfitter on a sunny summer day. We got to the point where we couldn't wait for our float to end.

Odd Highlight: While anchored in a run, surrounded by 30+ tubers and rafters, I caught an 8" rock bass. The onlookers cheered! So, naturally, I bowed to which they laughed. Very Strange.

Skinner's Falls: It could have been a hazard but my buddy's 16' Stealth Raft (here) is rated for Class 4. THe water was low. We got stuck on a rock and turned sideways half way down the falls and the boat didn't rock a bit. It's super stable to the point where 3 of us can stand on the raised platform over one pontoon and it doesn't tilt a bit! BTW, thanks to the many many tubers (did I mention there were thousands of them?) we got knocked off the rock bumper car style within seconds of getting stuck.

Bottom line, lesson learned: No-go on summer weekends. Also, we now have some knowledge of a new river section we can use. I can see landing scores of bass if the river had no tubers/rafters (ie, early spring and Fall).