East Branch Delaware River, Delaware Co NY, 6-19-21

Prospector

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Jul 7, 2015
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1,195
City
Butler Co home, Forest Co camp
Time Fished: 600pm-730pm

Weather: Cloudy, 75 degrees

Water Conditions: clear, low, actual cfs was 320 while the historical average was 580

Insects: very few only saw a few rises.

Fished below Rt 97 bridge. Started with a Humpy in the riffle and about the 6th cast a heavy fish broke me off. That would be the last contact with a fish for the 3 of us . We found it tough to fish this location since the main current was across the very wide creek. Plus there were no insects moving so we saw very few rises. We decided to try another area just about a mile down the road which was the 191 bridge. As we pulled into the parking lot it began to rain pretty hard. So we sat there for awhile.

As we looked at the creek at the 191 bridge we noticed it was flowing right to left while the creek at the 97 bridge was flowing left to right. This didn’t make sense to us. After some figuring, we concluded we had fished the East Branch first (off of 97) and we were now parked at the West Branch at the RT 191 bridge. The rain never stopped over the next 20 minutes so we took a drive to find Balls Eddy since we considered fishing there later in the week.

At Balls Eddy there were lots of boat trailers, something we never see in the western part of the PA. Very strange sight to have 20+ trailers along a trout stream. At that point it was raining harder so we called it quits and drove back to Roscoe.

Sort of a bust of a night but this was new water to us. We caught none.
 
I get how it's kind of confusing to know what river you are on there. The easiest way to remember is traveling east to west on 17. Livingston manner exit to roscoe exit is willowemoc. Roscoe exit to east branch exit is beaver kill. Go north on east branch exit on nys rt 30 and you're on upper east branch. On 17 from east branch exit to Cadosia/hancock exit lower east branch. 2nd hancock exit to deposit west branch.

The lower east branch was probably pretty warm and there aren't a lot of fish there right now. West branch stays cold it's entire length. Easy branch stays cold usually until harvard (where oxbow campground is). If it's really warm you have to go higher.

I screwed around Sunday for 45 minutes on the willowemoc by the museum when I was driving through. The water was probably too warm. I got several browns on a tiny comparadun.

Right now first and last light are the best times to fish. The beaverkill is relatively easy at first light with small streamers. I think the east branch is the toughest to fish, especially the upper east branch. And the number of fish pales in comparison to the west branch.

As far as sulphurs not working, go down to 18 or 20 and tie them sparse. Colors don't really matter much imo. Comparaduns work best for me deer hair or snowshoe hare. The lower they ride in the film the better (on flat water). Isos always give you a shot too, especially in broken water. But what do I know, last time I fished a sulphur hatch on the west branch my buddy caught a decent fish on a **** cast with a size 12 royal wulff...
 
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