Delaware Fishing Reports for early May

[Big_Spinner]

Hi guys,

I floated from Balls Eddy to Stockport on Saturday the ninth of May.

All of the bugs and fish from previous days seemed to have abandoned the river. We saw very few bugs and not many rising fish. It was really quite surprising how slow the fishing was.

There were a handful of caddis and very few mayflies. I expected to see a few hendricksons on the West Branch.

We did see a few march browns and gray fox on the Main stem later in the day.

Fish rose occasionally, but very sporatic.

We did find a couple of large fish eating anything that floated past their heads and managed to get a really fat 21 inch brown to the boat.

No other hookups all day!!!!

The lower WB may be going through a few days of post hendrickson doldrums.

Still it was great to be on the river!!!!

Jim

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Jim,

I was up there Wed - Saturday and this year's Hendricksons are nearly done. The warm weather and low flows have sped up the hatches about a week, so your analysis of the doldrums between Hendricksons and March Browns is spot on - we thought the same thing. We did very well a little further upstream and our guys who floated the lower WB into the main or just on the main last Friday did fairly well with march browns.

I had blanket caddis hatches 3 of the 4 days, decent Hendricksons on day 1, dropping off to a trickle the next 3 days, some blue quills and olives and plenty of spinners. Never saw so many finicky fish on caddis emergers, it was a tough game at times. Often a perfectly drifted rusty spinner worked if they wouldn't eat the caddis emergers. With 4 different caddis coming off, it was even tougher because some wanted the gray caddis and not the apple or other tan caddis that made up the bulk of the hatches those 4 days other than some mayflies as mentioned.

Brian

 

[darthwader]

Floated Friday from the lower east to Buckingham. Very few bugs, targets were few and far between. Managed a few fish before the rain shut it all down for us. Everything was looking VERY good for our float (no wind, overcast, water temp of 58). Mother nature had a differnt plan however. All in all we only saw two other drift boats; thus we still had a GREAT TIME. I will take fewer fish and fewer people any day. Was told that the WB was a zoo this weekend.

 

[flyI4]

Ive always thought that the lower west was a better place to wade fish during select times(morning/evening) than it is to float, especially after the hendricksons. The fish there just really dont rise as much during the day most of the season unless its cloudy/rainy and rarely do you get a day that stays that way the entire way through. I also find that you dont see as many of the big fish willing to poke their noses up down there until the evening hatch comes off later in the day. There is some better nymphing water down there though that give you something to mess around on during in between hatch situations

 

[AKSkim]

Hi Still it was great to be on the river!!!!

Jim

What were the flows at the time?

 

[Big_Spinner]

Hi AK,

I think the Hale Eddy gauge was measuring about 340 cfs and Lordville was in the 1100 to 1200 range.

Temps were very good. The day warmed up with a bit more sun than we expected.

JIm

 

[Ausable]

When do we think we will see the "Big Sulphers" i.e. Invarias? Should be soon based on what I have seen in the past.

 

[fishrmen]

Hi, Jim I fished the lower game lands Saturday and found it quite frustrating to have to clean off your nymphs every other cast, but hey that's fishing. Later in the morning there was some apple caddis activity and fished appeared to be taking some emergers, but there were alslo a few soft rises. Upon closed inspection I found some spinners floating by and quickly changed over. I hooked three and landed one :crap:, took a break for lunch and then waited and waited.

Later there were a few more risers, but someone had turned on the wind switch and well you know the rest. All in all it was very challenging but worth every minute.

 

[oasis man]

I guess it was my year...after several very sub par years fishing the Hendriksons on the WB...this year I fished two weeks in a row, and caught a ton of really large fish.. I was lucky to fish last week from May 5th through May 7th...conditions were superb...completely overcast, with wading levels perfect for the WB...
That said...I did not find a single good spinner fall...
OM

 

[Big_Spinner]

Here is a picture of that beast from Saturday!!!

Jim

 

[NJFred]

Nice fish. I'm also hoping to see the start of the invarias and maybe a bit later the Dortheas particularly on the Main. Jim... let us know when you start to see one here and there!

 

[Big_Spinner]

Hi,

I saw one (exactly one) dorothea sulphur on Saturday.

There are still lots of hendricksons on the upper West Branch. The water has barely gone above 50 degrees there all Spring.

Jim

 

[NJFred]

Hi,

I saw one (exactly one) dorothea sulphur on Saturday.

There are still lots of hendricksons on the upper West Branch. The water has barely gone above 50 degrees there all Spring.

Jim

:hubbahubba: exactly one sulphur....:hubbahubba: lol

Not surprised about the hendricksons up near the dam with that cold water temp. Heck I've heard from reliable sources of a hendrickson hatch in the summer up there. Believe it or not.

 

[Big_Spinner]

Hi guys,

Windy today, but this evening there were very heavy hendrickson spinners falls from at least the gamelands down to Balls Eddy.

Los of fish up and feeding!!

jim

 

[NJFred]

Thanks for keep us posted on what's going on.

 

[Big_Spinner]

Hi,

The march brown spinners were heavy and huge on the mainstem and East Branch last night too!!!!

They don't call me Big Spinner for nothing!!

Jim

 

[Big_Spinner]

Hi,

Fishing was a bit slow on the West Branch the last couple of days. There were fewer bugs, but lots of fishermen.

There were still targets and enough bugs that some of the big fish were gobbling garbage.

We just had a thunderstorm roll through and it dumped exactly one inch or rain. IT just started to rain again and the radar looks to give us anouther 1/4 inch or so.

With this rain, if you are interested, the west branch should be floatable the next few days.

Beaverkill will probably be high and muddy tomorrow.

Jim

 

[emerger]

WB @ 2380 cfs

 

[theartoflee]

I drema strema :hubbahubba:

:victory:

 

[emerger]

You and I think alike. I wish I was there!

 

[Big_Spinner]

Hi,

Lots of water everywhere!!!

Upper WB is in good shape for a float as is the upper EB.

Interesting change of conditions.

Jim