Delaware River
April 26, 2001

River Level: Water levels have dropped considerably on all three rivers in the Delaware fishery, with near ideal conditions for driftboaters and streamside anglers. The West and East branches at the Delaware are flowing at just under 1,000 cfs, with the Main Stem pumping about 2,500 cfs. Water temperatures have crept into the lower 40s, and with continued sunshine and warm weather, water temps should move into the strike zone zooon.

Hatches: There are some scattered hatches of blue quills, olives and pareleps, although nothing steady yet. We have had some good heatches of little black stoneflies, and have scored some big fish on streamers in both white and black. Alewives are in the West Branch and have put some big trout on the feed.

Fly Patterns: Little black stoneflies, white streamers and black wooly buggers have produced regularly. We've also had some action on top with paraleps in 16. With warmer weather, we should begin to see some big-time hatches soon.

14-Day Forecast: The long-range forecast is for continued fair weather, with warming temperatures by the weekend. Water temperatures on both branches and the Main Stem remain in the low 40s, but with warmer nights and daytime sun, the tenps should be in the mid to high 40s within a few more days. That may be enough to start the Hendricksons, which will be followed in rapid order by the usual smorgasbord of may flies..

Other Information:

Dear Flyfisher:

We've been hooking up with some big trout on streamers, wooly buggers and nymphs. and have also managed to nail a few on dries -- although hatches have been sparse thus far.

I've been on the river every day since arriving at my home pool on the West Branch last week after spending the winter chasing bonefish, permit and tarpon in the Florida Keys. We've been catching plenty of fish -- including some big browns and 'bows -- but most of the action thus far has been below surface. But, with warm, sunny days throughout the week, and more of the same ahead, water temps should move into the high 40s and low 50s over the next several days, and the May hatches should get underway.

For now, though, the real fishing has been subsurface. We have a good number of alewives in the West Branch, which have been spilling over the top of the Cannonsville Dam into ther river. The reservoir remains at about 102 percent of capacity.

With water flows under 1,000 cfs on both the East and West branches, wade fishing is coming into its own. But, that's still plenty of water, and streamsiders should watch their step or they'll find themselves in the wet. Drift fishing has been the way to go. You can cover plenty of water and catch action all along the river, from Deposit to Hancock.

While the number of anglers is steadily increasing with the better weather, you can still find open water fairly easily, although that may be changing this weekend as anglers move in to take advantage of the lower water levels and the warming weather.

All three rivers appear to be in great shape. They came through the long winter without any apparent ice damage, and the bottoms look good. That bodes well for the insect life, and I think we can count on some spectacular hatches over the next couple of weeks. And, of course, that means some great dryfly fishing.

If you're planning a trip to the Delaware or any of the other Catskill rivers, give me a call or drop me an e-mail and we'll see if we can hook up. We should have some great fishing this spring, and -- with good water management -- we can count on great fishing through the summer.
Hope to see you on the river.

-- Capt. Adrian LaSorte