WB & main stem Delaware - May 24 - 27

[wbranch]

Hmm, how about the worst four days in memory. Arrived Tuesday, didn't get on the water until 1:00. Put the Hyde in at Buckingham and used my trolling motor to run up river about a mile. Sat there until 6:00 and saw one fish rise 3X and another once. Got bored and took out by 6:30.

Went to my cabin on the WB, flow a dismal 430 cfs. No bugs I could see and only saw three rises. At least a couple dozen shad making redds and chasing each other all around the pool. All the spawning nuptials may have had an adverse effect on the trout and feeding. The pool where my cabin is located is a good benchmark for feeding activity. In three days I didn't see a single rise.

Tuesday I didn't really cast to a rising trout all day. Wednesday fished Bard Parker in the morning. No rises, no bugs, no fish. Early afternoon went up to Norbord in Deposit (the beginning of the No Kill). Flow just 300 cfs, saw one sulfur, sat there for three hours and never saw a rise. Late afternoon back to my cabin and fished a riffle below it. Same comment, no bugs, no rises, never cast.

At 6:00 p.m. I drove to Bard Parker and could see fish rising near the head. I should of crossed as it is easier to reach the rising trout from the PA side of the river. Admittedly I was stubborn and paid for it with no hookups. I just didn't feel comfortable standing over my waist in flowing water trying to throw drag free fifty footers. My bad and I should of crossed.

Thursday morning was the highlight of the trip. Arrived Stockport at 6:00 a.m. Found rising immediately. Good numbers of tan caddis and feeding fish. Rose ten, landed just four 13" - 17". three jumped and threw the hook, I broke one off and just plain missed two. By 10:30 the action was over. Took a long, six hour break as it was extremely hot, and went back at 5:45. Stayed almost to dark but the fish just never fed like they did on Wednesday as they were hardly any bugs.

This morning went back to BP, arrived at 6:00. No visible rises. Crossed to the PA side and found half a dozen one time risers. Tried #20 olive, #16 & #18 rusty spinners, sulfur emergers, Lafontaine pupa and all on 6X fluorocarbon. Never touched a fish. Far fewer caddis today than yesterday. Left for home at 9:30.

The flow at Hale Eddy yesterday was 380 cfs which is just a dismal amount of water considering Cannonsville reservoir has close to 100% capacity. Water temperature was almost 60. The flow at Lordville was just 1140 cfs and the water temperature 68 degrees which is quite shocking considering it is only the end of May.

I saw on the DRC blog that on June 01 the FFMP (Flexible Flow Management Plan) could ramp the flow up to 500 cfs out of Cannonsville which is really needed to perk up the entire WB and at least ten miles of the upper Delaware.

I won't be going back until there is either significant rain and/or a sustained 500 cfs release from the reservoir. I feel bad for guys who have guided trips booked. There is no floating of drift boats on the WB at this level, I counted nineteen (19) trailers at Buckingham on Tuesday afternoon and 13 cars at Stockport. I didn't see a single angler on the lower WB.

Edit: I just looked up the DRC blog and this is a sentence from yesterday's comments;

"The water temperature in Callicoon hit 74 degrees yesterday, Lordville hit 69 degrees, The East Branch at Fishs Eddy hit 68 degrees, and even the lower West Branch hit 66 degrees. "

 

[chromefinder]

Looks like we somehow got another 100 cfs release of water in the WB today Friday around 1pm...

 

[wbranch]

Chromefinder,

After I posted my report I looked at the flows and saw that too. A 100 cfs isn't going to do very much, if anything, for the WB very much below Hale Eddy. If the weather cools down to more normal late May/early June temperatures that and the 100 cfs will help the WB in particular and the WB/main in general.

What is really needed is a 2-3 day moderate rain event where the rain will soak into the ground and then run-off into the rivers slowly so there will be an extended period of more average flows.

The WB below Hale Eddy for this time of the year is normally running 662 cfs. The average flow for the main stem for this time of the year is 2130 cfs, it is running only slightly more than half that number at 1100 cfs.

 

[evw659]

Geez, sounds like a pretty dismal trip. Fwiw, I have made 2 trips total to the wb, both last summer. The first was in may, water was very low, like 300 at hale. I found rising fish my first evening fishing the wb, and caught 3 or 4. The rest of trip mirrored yours. Difficult fishing, not many bugs, very few risers. My second trip there, I caught 0. Found rising fish only on the last evening I was there, including some large fish. Tried 15-20 different patterns and couldn't get more than 1 half hearted rise. They were feeding on what looked like olives but who knows.
Unfortunately, as far as the flows go, when you have a completely man made fishery that seems to not be managed as a fishery, these are the types of problems you have.

 

[wbranch]

evw659 wrote;

when you have a completely man made fishery that seems to not be managed as a fishery, these are the types of problems you have.

That is a very accurate statement for most of the problems found on the West and East branches of the Delaware. I've talked to people, in their 80's, who have lived along the WB all their lives and they told me before the reservoir was built there were relatively few trout in the river. Mostly catfish, chubs, sunfish, and some bass.

During really hot and dry summers the river was pretty much dewatered and it was just inches deep in many places and very warm.

 

[timmyt]

Sounds like terrible flow management from the commission in charge. What a disgrace

 

[evw659]

timmy wrote:
Sounds like terrible flow management from the commission in charge. What a disgrace

Well, that is one way to look at it. but.... I'm pretty sure that when Cannonsville was built (and the others), the creation of the west branch delaware's world class trout fishery from the cold dam release was simply an unintended consequence. So you have a piece of infrastructure that was built as a drinking water supply only and managed as just that. not as a fishery. But honestly (and I don't have any numbers on the pure economic value of the upper delaware as a fishery), I have a feeling that the economy that the fishery has created is strong enough to the point that management of the upper d system as a fishery (not just for water use) should be on the table.
Also, I read online that construction of a hydroelectric generator on Cannonsville is supposed to start this year. that throws another wrench into the flow management plan.

 

[RLeep2]

>>Well, that is one way to look at it. but.... I'm pretty sure that when Cannonsville was built (and the others), the creation of the west branch delaware's world class trout fishery from the cold dam release was simply an unintended consequence. So you have a piece of infrastructure that was built as a drinking water supply only and managed as just that. not as a fishery.>>

This is sort of how I see it as well.... As fine as a fishery as it may be when things are right, any trout stream that came into being as an afterthought and is dependent in some ways upon being managed as intensely as a golf course has an, at best, tenuous claim to be called a trout stream.

But that's just me. This is just one of several thousand issues where most folks probably don't think like me....🙂

 

[afishinado]

The Cannonsville reservoir is at 99.6% right now:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/drinking_water/maplevels_wide.shtml

The temp at Lordville hit 75* yesterday and is at 70* right now, even with all that water right up to capacity:

Lordville Temp

It's really a shame. No need at all for this. Crazy.

 

[kbobb]

Planned a big trip to this river(s) with my son as a special father - son post college trip and experienced similar conditions as wbranch described. we did manage to catch a couple fish, fortunately my kid got the largest - a rainbow about 16- 17" and that made him very happy. we enjoyed each others company and saw a mature bald eagle, beavers in the river and, for the first time, eels in depressions in the creekbed.
Although we had a wonderful time being together, I don't expect to be going back there for the fishing anytime soon.

 

[DaveS]

Yea. Pretty slow here lately...

I've been here for nine days and although it started off well enough, the fishing has plummeted.

DRC Report

I intended to stay for a few more days, but I'm about ready to pull the plug... Hot weather, warm water, almost out of beer. Desperate times.
Its a shame they can't spill some water.

 

[Sylvaneous]

Well, I'll have to say that there are PLENTY of dams all throughout the nation that basically invented a fishery. The biggest example might be the TVA system. There's all that bass fishery AND trout, none of which could have been anything but a tertiary consideration. Could there have been environmental or conservation considerations as to lake and flow levels for the tail waters? Those are all for flood control and power generation, so it's a different game. Not interested in keeping the saline line downstream of the Philadelphia water uptake pipes.

What I'm saying is that there is a long precedent of 'wildlife' being a significant issue in reservoirs that were made for everything BUT that.

Like children, We then become stewards of what We created.

In counterpoint to the more familiar conservation ethic of 'you didn't make this. it was here before even your species walked the Earth. Don't F-it up."

Syl

 

[JackM]

On a philosophical level, I don't mind that we (humans) design the ecosystem to our own liking. Amen.

 

[krayfish2]

I was up with DaveS and left early. Heat, low water and probably my worst "catching" in 15-20 years. Dave did well though. Conditions were very tough and hope this tropical rain moves over us in the next 24 hrs. Pittsburgh area has been getting a lot of rain while the far eastern / northeastern part of the state is getting pretty dry. Fingers crossed that a fish kill doesn't happen

 

[Shaner]

Was up the 21-25 only landing 2 bows 16-17" and 1 brown 19-20" all caught on the main stem riffles. One on 14 sulphur dry and other 2 on 14 stimulators.

 

[DavidFin]

Had a similar trip around may 9th. Had to work harder than I like to admit for the fish I got. This hasn't been my best year up there, hopefully others are doing better.

I think it's a combination of things, but the pressure sure doesn't help. I hit up the forgotten Catskill river a few times this year and had spectacular days on it.

 

[JohnPowers]

Last Monday and Tuesday at Stockport and the lower SGL it was pretty much as described. Caddis popping and fish jumping but unless you've mastered the leisenring lift it was frustrating. Given the reservoir level a few more CFS would not be outrageous but I've long since given up trying to reason with the flows. That said, I'd blitz up for the Green Drakes should they make an appearance.

 

[wbranch]

Shaner wrote;

only landing 2 bows 16-17" and 1 brown 19-20"

Ha, that Sir is pretty good fishing on the main stem Delaware. Guys who may be telling you they are having 8-10 fish days are likely embellishing their success.

Edit: I didn't read your post properly. 4-5 days yielding just three fish is not a good trip although a 19"-20" wild brown is a nice fish. I can remember days back in the 1960's - to the early 1980's where 5-6 16" - 18" rainbows were pretty much the norm anywhere from Hancock to below Lordville. But to put that kind of success into perspective I should add I might see no other anglers below Lordville for an entire weekend and I didn't see my first drift boat until the early 1980's.

 

[fisherboy3]

I was up the 17-20th. Fishing was okay. Floated the first day shehawken to buckingham. We had heads all day and probably got 10 fish between two of us. All on different flies. A few on a hares ear emerger which looks like a cripple with a henback wing and a hares ear body. A few more on a 3/4 dun with web wing burned in a wing burner, so it looks like either an emerging dun with wings almost fully out or a spinner. Very affective. At night a few on a sulphur emerger and during the day a couple on caddis emergers. Sulphurs popped at dark but not many trout noticed. Next day nymphed up a few. Fished the lower east behind my buddies house and got 7 on sulphur emergers, one on a march brown emerger, and a couple on a sulphur 3/4 dun. I definitely noticed the increase in boat traffic and waders. But we have to remember it is may..

 

[wbranch]

fisherboy wrote;

I was up the 17-20th.

Like any fishery a few days earlier, or later, can have a tremendous impact on one's success. Four - seven days earlier the river may have had more, and cooler, water and the air temperature may have been more seasonal.