West Branch Delaware County, Wayne Co. 08/01/14

[mcwillja]

I just got back for fishing the WB from last thursday to monday of this week. If anyone wants to test their skills as a dry-fly enthusiast I would recommend fishing the upper west during this years sulfur hatch. I have been fishing this river hard for the past 8 years and I have never come across more picky fish than I have this year. Me and my friend landed some quality fish for sure but we worked for every one of them and it required the best of the best in presentation, fly selection, and patience. It doesn't get any more challenging yet rewarding in my opinion than this type of fishing.

We fished primarily from stilesville down to below deposit a few miles and the mid-afternoon sulphur hatch was consistent with bugs ranging from 16-20 but mostly size 20s. Water temps and flows were consistent (flow around 660 CFS) during the time spent there and the slime is becoming a factor but still very fishable.

There was also a flush of evening sulphurs and at times were so heavy it was impossible to see your flies among the naturals. I didn't see many fish take bwos, Isos, or cahills but the lower west is reported to seeing more of those bigger bugs.

Fishing a floating sulphur nymph took the better fish and i am sure is what most of the fish are eating when they porpoise.

 

[geebee]

Wow that is some fish !

Was that from wading ???

Thanks for sharing, I have to get up there next year - that is a gorgeous butter belly !

Thanks for sharing

 

[krayfish2]

Looks like you made out pretty good J. Due to your report, I'll probably fish further down as I'm good for about 10 minutes on a fish and then move on. LOL. Unless I can see it's a big boy, I don't hang around too long. Few casts or 1 fly change and on to the next one. The weather up there has kept a ton of water fishable into August. Should be little mortality due to temp stress and some of the fish didn't even need to migrate too far this year. Man, this season flew by and I only got up there a few times this year. Hope to get a hot in late Aug and last Sept.

 

[mcwillja]

yeah i didn't get down there near as much as in the years previous and the fishing was uber challenging this year for some reason. Even the trusty rusty spinners didn't bail me out this year. The fish in the upper west have been beat to death and they aren't taking too many duns on top. Like I said I had to resort to floating nymphs for most of the top action. I think lower down the west they aren't quite as picky from what I heard. I do think the sulphurs are going to continue right through august.

 

[krayfish2]

My boxes contain 10% duns (maybe). Mostly fish floating nymph, 1/2 n 1/2, emergers, etc. I enjoy the early sulphurs but the tiny summ ones can be frustrating. Iso to the rescue!

 

[mcwillja]

yeah some of those sulphurs were approaching the size 22 and you add in the slime and things get really interesting. lower river with Isos sounds about right now

 

[krayfish2]

It's hit and miss but catch it just right and it's like shooting fish in a barrel ..... Ok, at least it's easy for "that river".

 

[mcwillja]

yeah i think those Isos are really localized by pool. I didn't see but a handful of them all weekend. I think there are more of them the farther down from Hale eddy you get.

 

[SBecker]

Plan on fishing the BKill in the morning tomorrow then hitting the west around 2ish. Should be fun.

 

[SBecker]

Lol at the amount of fish rising on the main stem. One of the thickest hatches of black caddis I have ever witnessed. Fish were not on them though. My waders were absolutely covered in eggs.

 

[wbranch]

I went up to the WB last Thursday evening and stayed to Monday morning. Floated the main stem on Friday, Went out early and caught just two 14" rainbows. After that I really didn't see any decent rises but I did see caddis, some Sulfurs, small Baetis, and no Iso's. Was getting bored so I turned the motor on and took out at Buckingham at 4:00.

Friday evening I fished the lower WB and had plenty of rising fish from 6:00 until dark. Not easy at all but did manage one 16" and one 17" brown, Saturday fished around Norbord in Deposit. Just thousands and thousands of #18 dorothea looking mayflies. Only saw nine fish rise in four hours and only two rose steady. I caught neither of them.

Saturday night I again fished the lower WB and again had plenty of rising fish. Used 7X and #18 half & half Sulfur and landed one 13" rainbow and lost one about 18" that put me in the backing twice but ultimately the hook pulled out.

Sunday again fished around Norbord and again lots of #18 Sulfurs but then later big numbers of #16 (even bigger) looked like Ep invaria but am not sure because I thought they were done by late June. Only saw about ten fish rise in three hours. Caught just two little 12" browns. I'm done with the WB until either the flow gets down to around 400 cfs or the water warms up to the mid to high 50's. IMO the lack of bigger fish rising is directly related to the super cold water from Stilesville to Hale Eddy.

Tomorrow going to give Spring Creek a try for Tricos and then nymph the afternoon.

 

[SBecker]

I would like to add that my insane amount of fish rising happened where two rivers join. Honestly, it was non stop pods of fish gorging themselves. Ran into Weamer in the morning up on the Bkill that day and he gave me good info. I did not hook a fish that evening. Missed a bunch. Probably head back up Sunday.

 

[mcwillja]

most of the quality fish eating sulphurs are taking size 20 floating nymphs in the film.

 

[SBecker]

Are you parachuting your pheasant tails, Little foam on the wingcase, greasing your leader, or dry dropping a small trailing nymph?

 

[mcwillja]

My weapon of choice and has been working well is a size 18 (curve hooked - tiemco) which is really about a size 20

woodduck tail
brown biot body
yellow foam wingcase
sulphur yellow/orange thorax
partridge - v-notch for legs

trailed about 6 inches behind a dry

I actually had a big bank feeder explode off the bank with this setup just to take the nymph. My friend pounded this fish with a comparadun and it wouldn't budge and my first cast with the nymph was all it took.

 

[SBecker]

Cool thanks. Are you using razor foam or normal craft store foam?

 

[krayfish2]

DS emerger is similar with poly bubble in place of foam. Works for almost every hatch. Very buggy looking let me know how you do....heading up next Friday- Sunday. If you are on the main, you should see more stenos, cahills, caddis and larger bugs. If you venture to upper wb, bring the little stuff. If you fishtop of river in the eevening, have #22-24 psuedos and patience. It can be frustrating at best.

 

[afishinado]

wbranch wrote:
I went up to the WB last Thursday evening and stayed to Monday morning. Floated the main stem on Friday, Went out early and caught just two 14" rainbows. After that I really didn't see any decent rises but I did see caddis, some Sulfurs, small Baetis, and no Iso's. Was getting bored so I turned the motor on and took out at Buckingham at 4:00.

Friday evening I fished the lower WB and had plenty of rising fish from 6:00 until dark. Not easy at all but did manage one 16" and one 17" brown, Saturday fished around Norbord in Deposit. Just thousands and thousands of #18 dorothea looking mayflies. Only saw nine fish rise in four hours and only two rose steady. I caught neither of them.

Saturday night I again fished the lower WB and again had plenty of rising fish. Used 7X and #18 half & half Sulfur and landed one 13" rainbow and lost one about 18" that put me in the backing twice but ultimately the hook pulled out.

Sunday again fished around Norbord and again lots of #18 Sulfurs but then later big numbers of #16 (even bigger) looked like Ep invaria but am not sure because I thought they were done by late June. Only saw about ten fish rise in three hours. Caught just two little 12" browns. I'm done with the WB until either the flow gets down to around 400 cfs or the water warms up to the mid to high 50's. IMO the lack of bigger fish rising is directly related to the super cold water from Stilesville to Hale Eddy.

Tomorrow going to give Spring Creek a try for Tricos and then nymph the afternoon.

I hit the D on a weekend for the first time in a long time. I usually go up there during the week on my days off, but went up for sponsored a store trip at WBA on the weekend.

The upper D was a real circus with all three rings going at one time...waders and drift boats and tooners and yaks covering every riff, pool and wet spot on the River.

My guess is the fish were keeping their heads down and staying away from the funny looking flies dragging through the water that sting.

The Mainstem was a lot less crowded. The temps are still good at least down to Lordville and this cold snap should have the MS in good shape even further downstream. The flow and temp this whole summer has been great for the River.

If you search around enough, you should be able to find a decent place to fish without participating in the Barnum and Bailey show.

Also, the further up you go on the WB, the worst the slop becomes. Nymphing is pretty much a no-go from Hale Eddy and upstream. The mainstem is clear for the most part.

Good luck to all.

 

[krayfish2]

Matt,
I don't know if the river had major anchor ice over the winter that might have impacted hatches, if the cool spring jacked things up or if the higher flows have hurt things. With the exception of 2-3 days, I'm in agreement with you. The hatches haven't been all that good this year and when you did get a hatch, the fish didn't rise to the insects on the surface. It's been strange. Nymphing hasn't been nearly as good as it was in years prior. Kind of baffling.

Tom,
The circus has been in town and doesn't appear to packing up the tents anytime soon. Last time I floated, we had a minimum of 50 canoes / kayaks go by. Add in the 12-15 drift boats we saw, 6-8 pontoons then add in your waders.....what a mess. Stimey took a picture of the monument pool and I think there were 5-6 boats anchored on fish and 20+ wade fishermen. Never saw anything like that up there. Last May, floated into the Methodist camp and counted 24 wade fishermen and 2 anchored boats. It's to the point where it's busy during the week anymore. Only chance of solitude is to float during December. LOL. Stories always report the numbers of fly anglers are way down. All of them must be coordinating trips to the WB. :lol: :lol:

 

[afishinado]

krayfish2 wrote:
Matt,
I don't know if the river had major anchor ice over the winter that might have impacted hatches, if the cool spring jacked things up or if the higher flows have hurt things. With the exception of 2-3 days, I'm in agreement with you. The hatches haven't been all that good this year and when you did get a hatch, the fish didn't rise to the insects on the surface. It's been strange. Nymphing hasn't been nearly as good as it was in years prior. Kind of baffling.

Tom,
The circus has been in town and doesn't appear to packing up the tents anytime soon. Last time I floated, we had a minimum of 50 canoes / kayaks go by. Add in the 12-15 drift boats we saw, 6-8 pontoons then add in your waders.....what a mess. Stimey took a picture of the monument pool and I think there were 5-6 boats anchored on fish and 20+ wade fishermen. Never saw anything like that up there. Last May, floated into the Methodist camp and counted 24 wade fishermen and 2 anchored boats. It's to the point where it's busy during the week anymore. Only chance of solitude is to float during December. LOL. Stories always report the numbers of fly anglers are way down. All of them must be coordinating trips to the WB. :lol: :lol:

Good summation, above (about the hatches and nymphing)

Snapped the pic below from the Barking Dog Access....