Delaware River Access..... things are a changing!

[wbranch]

The upper eb is really only floatable when it is too high to wade.

Well 2018 was a perfect year to float the upper EB with all the high water.

 

[krayfish2]

Matt wrote:
I'm glad that there will be a section of river available to wading anglers that can now concentrate on fishing and not be wondering when the next drift boat or pontoon boat is going to float by

Ummm, you are wrong here. There are just under 100 guides on the Upper D. They ALL have secured private launches and will continue to use sections that the general public can not access in a boat. The difference you'll see is that the amount of private boats coming through the red barn pool will change but you will still have all of the guides using it. I may have secured an additional launch point or two. Have to see how things pan out by spring.

Matt wrote:
There are many places along the upper EB where it is so narrow that it is impossible for a drift boat, or even a pontoon boat, to go behind you.

I felt the same and NEVER floated it....not even in an inflatable. Late summer 2018, we floated it and it was great. The flow was 2000 cfs at Harvard. The river was plenty big and nobody in their right mind would be wading it. It's also the kind of flow that will eat you and your boat if you don't pay attention to what you're doing. For those of us that are not retired and have limited time to spend up there, closures do hurt. If everything is blown out or a specific section is the only semi-clean water in the system, not being able to get in there does stink. As I've stated several times...if it's on private land and the property owners have had enough of ignorant a-holes, littering, illegal parking, altercations, etc., I don't blame the people for posting it.

I too will be able to adapt as long as you keep the V-Hull and Jet in York. LoL. I'm sure the river will be more crowded and the ramps / parking lots will be a pain in the A.

 

[wbranch]

Andy,

I too will be able to adapt as long as you keep the V-Hull and Jet in York. LoL.

No problem, I was just pulling everyone's chain. I do though have a nice 55# electric on my Hyde and love it! Quiet and now I've seen more and more guides with them. Over the years I have been given permission for quite a few walk-in's on the system and they are very nice to have, especially now that I'm a septuagenarian. 🙂

 

[krayfish2]

I also have a 55# thrust motor. Swore I wouldn't use it until I was 60 yes old but might drop that back to 55. It would be more helpful on the Susky though.

The first fish I ever caught on the WB was right in front of your place. A whopping 8" brown. I used to rent the cabin next door from that older lady. Almost drown crossing at Sands on more than one occasion. That's also the only place I've had golf balls hit at me while I was chest deep in the river. Almost tagged me with a few before I could reach shore. NickR was along for that one. LoL. Kids up by the cemetery whacking shots at us and they were pretty damn good. Kept us in the crosshairs while we ran for cover.

I remember catching a good trico hatch there one time 20 years ago. Water was chocolate brown, high and fish we're just sipping away. Do they still come off down there?

 

[njk3395]

Hopefully the river is like 3k cfs in May again, so much water that there is room for everyone. The situation always gets interesting in July when the WB is running 800 cfs and everyone is running over waders with their drift boats.

 

[wbranch]

Andy,

I remember catching a good trico hatch there one time 20 years ago. Water was chocolate brown, high and fish we're just sipping away. Do they still come off down there?

Not so much. Before the 2006 flood there used to be very good Tricos from the abutment down to the tail-out. I used to wade out just at the down river side of the abutment and the trout would rise for hours. Also right opposite my place on the NY side is a big sycamore tree. There would be a pod of a dozen feeders there until the spinners stopped drifting by.

The water at the tail-out by Sands Creek is deeper than would be expected about half way over and the current is strong. It could easily topple even an experienced wader. I cross but only at flows no more than 400 cfs.

 

[moon1284]

Correct 2018 was good for floating the upper eb. Except the land where the launch at shinhopple was got absolutely torn up from vehicles and the land owner bermed off the ramp sometime around the 4th of july. Hard to blame them to be honest.

 

[mellowluke]

Has an official release come out from the DEC? Haven’t seen anything available online.

 

[moon1284]

There wont be one. These were never official dec launches.

 

[allan_s]

Plenty of room for boats on the Lehigh, plus its predicted to be BETTER than the D.

https://special.readingeagle.com/can-the-lehigh-river-become-a-great-big-water-wild-trout-fishery-a-group-of-fishermen-thinks-so/?fbclid=IwAR3OSJi_csvE4BZZiyud-5QQglhNU-JqmmixoQ1RV2f-WmyAvMlnQ2uRiqU

 

[lestrout]

Yo allan - tremendous article. Thanks for that inspiring piece. It really deserves its own thread.

 

[mcwillja]

Better than the D is a bold statement. That's quite the prediction.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

That depends: Better than the D is NOW or better than it WAS? Folks are loving it to death.

 

[fisherboy3]

People are coming to the D more and more...because of a couple things. The fly fishing industry is constantly expanding. More guides are coming from out of the pa/ny areas to cash in with clients from their areas. Ive seen more and more jersey/ct and mass plates the past few years than I did ten years ago. Another thing. Social Media. People see the fish guys catch on the delaware. Or see the hatches come may/june, and they want in. Simple as that.

The real question is whats going to happen to the WB when they put this hydro dam plan into effect.

 

[krayfish2]

According to our elected officials, nothing will change.

Wanna bet?

 

[fisherboy3]

I bet it goes down to less than 100 cfs release.

 

[krayfish2]

The release is scheduled to be shut off for 30 days during construction. They will attempt to pump water through hoses over the dam. Should work out pretty well

 

[fisherboy3]

Yep. Were screwed.

 

[falcon]

Just last year before the rains came in July FUDR had to request a water release from the "cold water reserve" to cool the river. The release was decreased down to about 200 CFS and the air temps were around 90. All this occurred when the reservoir was at 80%.

I will bet with the Hydro releases we will regularly see reservoir capacity at 50% and lower. We will hear ...don't be concerned ....we have plenty of water!

Yeah right! These people cannot be trusted.

 

[krayfish2]

In order to generate enough electric to satisfy the needs of 11 homes or whatever the project is supposed to do, they are likely to run the lake down as falcon has mentioned. Hopefully they are able to get rid of the cold water pool before mid June. Then when the lake is at 50%, won't that warm faster? Me thinks so.

So, if cold release of 700 cfs in summertime cooled the river all the way to Lordville, I look forward to a less cold release of 500 cfs that has water temps reaching 76-80 degrees by Stockport. Should be good times.