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

Hey, hey. I might be one of those scumbags tossing a bobber rig. LoL. If I don't see feeding fish, I'm dragging nymphs or swinging nymphs. Not the most glamorous thing but it's effective. I also have the appearance of a homeless person from time to time with tattered shorts, long sleeve t-shirt and a big floppy hat. other times I might look like I should be in a Simms catalog but my nice gear selection is limited.

Like you, I've had bags cut me off or stop on a fish I've been working. While it has happened, it's been very rare occasion. Now what I have had more times than not is wade angler issues. I see them 1/3 of the way into the river working a fish. A couple hundred yards above them I'll move my boat to the shore behind the angler. I will hold my oars out of the water and quietly slide behind the wade fisherman so that I don't disturb them or the fish. My reward isn't a "thank you" or a wave....it a back cast rifled into my boat. Kinda makes me want to simply ignore the next wade person and go where I want to. I've seen other boats go directly over feeding fish that someone was casting to. Results in shouting match and rage. In the meantime, the fish started to rise 3' after the boat passed over them. I've caught some while the rod was dangling from the boat as I chomped on a sandwich.

I do believe that the average fly fisherman is in over their head more times than not on the Delaware. While it's never a drawback to be able to throw it 75 feet onto a pie plate, it's not the only way to get it done. Line control in mending is the key up there. I've loved the place for many years and hope I don't have to stop going there soon. Lord knows I don't want to go to the esopus and have to deal with the naked guitar guy again
 
A couple of weeks ago I rowed behind 3 guys into skinny water and got a thank you from all of them which doesn't usually happen.

Then I had a guy with a bamboo rod wading to his shins 30' off of the bank and I passed on the opposite bank probably 150' across from him. Maybe I could have got behind him but I probably would have had to walk my boat. At 1,100 CFS the area I was fishing was at a good floatable level, and a very borderline level for wading. He wasn't happy with my choice. he yelled/asked if common sense and angler etiquette dictated that I go behind him. I looked at him and said yes, sorry. My buddy in the boat wanted to say something back but what's the point of arguing? Then I anchored 150' downstream of him on the far bank and caught a fish in about 5 minutes. Normally I would have gave him more space even though we wouldn't have been able to wade to the fish but he irritated me. He watched me catch the fish sarcastically yelled you're the best, and packed up and left.

Another day, I waded for a couple hours at a fairly busy access point on the upper east that is basically a long slow pool. I watched two guys carry a canoe on the footpath then launch the canoe and paddle up and down the pool for an hour and a half chasing rising fish. Then they paddled back to shore, carried their canoe to their truck and left. They really didn't get in my way but it was the first time I've seen anything like that.
 
kray- HA ha it was probably you! Just kidding. I just am amused at guys wearing and carrying about $3000.00 in gear each and going by in a brand new drift boat who can't seem to cast.

If you fish that river you've seen it all in terms of bad behavior. And some humorous stuff too.

I was on the East Branch some years back and had rising fish in front of me. They were tucked in along bank and sheltered by trees that were down in the water. i saw a huge group of kayaks coming so I just stepped forward toward the bank and trees and the kayaks went behind me. EXCEPT the last little girl. She ducked her head and found a tiny opening under the trees and went right down through the risers in her pink kayak all the while smiling at me. I laughed out loud at that one.
 
Was in a boat on west branch with two other guys and we were anchored. All of a sudden a big inflatable goes past us really hauling ***. The guy was rowing with all his might downstream with the current. A woman who must have been six feet tall with long black hair flying behind her was standing in the front of boat wailing away hitting the shoreline with a streamer rod. At the same time a train was going by up on the tracks carrying some kind of a traveling circus. Nobody said a word. About a minute went by and the one guy says "sometimes it is a real circus up here". We all busted out laughing.
 
If that large group of kayakers was on the Lower East, I know who it is. They do a big family outing about three times a year down the river. I'm sure she meant no harm and you took it that way as well.

One early may I was standing in the upper east branch. Water had just reached 50 degrees and the air temperature was probably in the high forties. I was pretty chilly and waist-deep. I see two canoes coming down towards me. I motioned for the first canoe to please go behind me. 30 seconds later they plowed into my rib cage. I laughed and help them get back around me and on their way. The second one did slip just behind me about two feet. the dad in the back is rowing the canoe and asked how the fishing was. When I turned around to talk to him his twelve-year-old son had one of those water cannons and shot me in the face at point-blank range. My glasses and hat flew off. The dad simply said Scott, I told you please don't do that. I didn't find that one as amusing as the first.

I just thought of another one where I was fishing sulfur's with stimey from the forum. We watched a good fish feeding on the duns so I did a quick so I change. One cast, a good drift and a snout came out of the water. As I raise my rod and the line went tight, a canoe or comes down landing on my fly line breaking the fish off who continues to jump. Stimey yells "hey you broke off his fish". They continued to feverishly paddle rap and more and more of my fly line around their paddle. The lady in the front look back and yelled "we are trying to get out of your way sir" and right about the time she finished saying that, they plowed into a rock and capsized. I'm pretty sure they could hear us laughing at them. When they let go the paddle I was able to pull my fly line and have it unravel.
 
krayfish- Now that is funny. Can imagine a hilarious book could be written on Delaware anecdotes. That is the book that I would like to see.

That kayak group was a family and I think I have encountered them more than once.
 
Kray, we are floating Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, will be looking to do a little wading on Wednesday. Any thoughts on what the upper end of safe wading flows are?
 
Hey Ryan,

Good luck on your trip. Both the Cannonsville and Pepacton reservoirs have filled and are starting to spill over again as of this morning. Plus all the flow from the tribs make the River way high right now on the east, west and mainstem. But a good drift boat guy can show you a good time, for sure.

For wading the WB 300-400 cfs at Hale Eddy is a great wading level. The River is likely to be 3000 - 4000 so wading is not really possible. My suggestion is to either give the Beaverkill or Willow a shot if they are down enough to wade or find spots on the River where you can bank fish or wade a little to fish the margins of the River.

Have a great time. Post pics and a report.
 
Ryan,

Like Afish, I'll use the Hale gauge as my marker for flow on the WB. I also use Cooks Falls, Harvard, Fishes Eddy and Lordville when picking my spots.

Safe wading level depends on your knowledge of the river and your taste for living on the edge. Some sections, I prefer the Hale gauge below 400 and other places, I'm okay with a flow closer to 900. I've seen 2 older gents wading the WB when the Hale gauge was 5000. They knew every rock and knew exactly where they could / couldn't go......still a little crazy though.

We are scheduled to have strong storms roll through tomorrow. All depends how much rain they dump as to what will happen. 2" downpours mean rivers spike, drop the next day and then in another day or two....the lake will spill. Beaverkill and Willowemoc will probably be the only wade friendly spots... Cooks Falls is still running 1250 which is too much for me to even think of wading. You'd like to see it 650 or lower in order to be able to enjoy yourself.

good luck up there.

Below is snippet from crosscurrent guide service website:

Keep in mind that this is just a guide and individual skill and fitness levels should be your real guide to safely wading and/or floating any river. River flows are described in cubic feet per second (cfs).

The West Branch

400-450 cfs: Almost 100% wadable.

600-800 cfs: At best, 60-70% of the river is wadable.

1000-1200 cfs: Except for the most aggressive waders, not much of the river is wadable.

1200-1500 cfs: This is the highest level you should even think about wading. Even so, the places where you could safely wade are few.

1500+ cfs: Yikes! Don't even consider wading. Too high and too dangerous to wade.
 
Keep an eye out when you are floating for places to wade. The Bkill might be your best shot on Weds. I like 800 or below but at 1000 there are some opportunities.
 
I had a guy anchor up working the riffle right above the nursery at DRC campground last week. He was anchored maybe 10 feet off the bank, and doing the right thing i slid between him and the bank. He was working the riffle at the bend towards the cabins, so i politely went behind him. Didnt leave me much room to move, had to yank one oar in to prevent from wacking all the knotweed on the bank. I told him if he wanted other anglers to be courteous to him while he fished that entire riffle in front of him to push out a little more. And he gave me this look. Some people just dont get it. It was a private boat btw.
 
To be honest, I feel like boat traffic this year isn't as bad as the last few years. I just got back from floating for 7 days straight and didn't really have any run ins with rude people. Sure, if you float the upper west every time you will see heavy boat traffic. Ironically, the best fishing I had all week was on the lower east and the main stem.
 
I haven't fished one day yet on the D because of the flows and after reading this makes me not want to.
 
3 inches of rain on the west branch Sunday night. Fished the upper East today, tough sledding.
 
Ryan,
You didn't try to wade at 1000 cfs, did you? Two buddies were up fishing today with one of the bigger named guides on the system who had the day off. They put zero in the net. From what I heard, today was brutal on the entire East drainage and the WB / Main are running red in color. Hopefully flush out and be fishable in the day or two. FWIW, pulled a suicide run Saturday with stimey. We netted 4 and lost 2 others. Not a very productive day but considering we were on the water 7 1/2 hours before we saw our first risers, better than most people did. my understanding is 10 to 12 miles downstream from us the fish or up and feeding like maniacs. The problem was, the flow is so high that you couldn't anchor. You just got a shot at them as you went flying by. LoL

Jason,
I've offered you a seat many times. You gotta take me up on it once.
 
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