Catskill JAM 2011, August 12-14, 2011

[krayfish]

Make sure you overlook the part that says.... "several fish in the 4 to 7 pound range"

YOW!

 

[DaveS]

Sure. I could have almost predicted similar results. I was planning to go up this weekend. About mid-week with the flows still pretty elevated, I decided a more central location was in order.

Then, I see the part about... four to seven freekin pounds! :O

Anyway that throwin, big streamers at the bank probably doesn't work anyway.... lol!

 

[afishinado]

Report from Catskill Flies:

FISHING CONDITIONS- Today is Saturday, September 17th, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. with an air temp of 42 degrees with cloudy skies.. All rivers in the Catskills continue to recede slowly. Yesterday surely felt like fall-with a breeze and cool air temps. One needed a sweater or jacket to be outside. Last night was even cooler.. Both the Willowemoc and the Beaverkill are wadeable & fishable. The West Branch is floatable. The other Catskill rivers still remain too high,and/or too dirty especially in light of the fact that some reservoirs are still spilling but that should end soon. Rivers recede slowly partly because trees are no longer sucking up large volumes of water as they do during growing season-they are in their fall mode. Additionally, the ground still holds a lot of moisture from all the rain. Fishing has definitely picked up again on some rivers as water levels get back to more normal flows. .. For those thinking of coming to the Catskills, we are seeing improved fishing (it’s already mid September) as rivers cool and get back to more normal levels.. In general mid September to mid October can be a very good month to fish. By this time we have hatches of Caddis, Isonychias and Olives. We are already seeing some of these hatches. Mid Oct. through mid Nov. offers a chance to catch post spawned Browns. Although Olives are on the water through November, most large Browns at that time of year, are caught on Nymphs and streamers.

The Beaverkill and Willowemoc- Both rivers are now in good shape and are clear.. Yesterday’s early morning water temp was 50.. Fish have been active and a variety of patterns have worked-Caddis,Olives & Isonychias mainly late in the day.. With the current levels, streamers have also been effective. The East Branch is still very high, muddy and wading is impossible…The color extends into the Lower East Branch. The West Branch is too high to wade with just a little color. Cannonsville Reservoir is still spilling and the release is 1501 cfs.Steamers and nymphs have been effective choices. As the levels drop, dry fly fishing will improve. This is a good river for fall Olives hatches. The Neversink is no longer spilling but it remains dirty from the dam all the way downstream. It still is quite muddy making fishing impossible. The Main Stem is still very high but receding.. .The Esopus has receded a great deal but remains off-color. It will probably remain so for quite some time. They are digging in the river and there is machinery in it. The thinking is that this will continue into next year....

Link to source: http://www.catskillflies.com/stream-conditions/

A little more real (above)....nothing's "on fire" and no one's catch 7lbers. "Yow" is right Andy. Where is that report from?

 

[jdaddy]

afishinado wrote:
A little more real (above)....nothing's "on fire" and no one's catch 7lbers. "Yow" is right Andy. Where is that report from?

The eternal optimist at DRC versus the perpetual pessimist at Catskill Fly Shop. A battle of epic proportions. LOL.

 

[krayfish]

The "on fire" was posted on a fishing report and I found it funny. The 4-7 pound fish was from Coz.

Look at this.... report and photo from the 17th by DRC... that's a big fish.


Delaware River Club Blog

Delaware River Report / Conditions September 18,2011
By delawareriverclub,on September 17th,2011
It seems as though the word got out about the fishing over the past couple of days,as this was reflected in the amount of boats on the water yesterday. With all the boats,it made fishing much more difficult,but people were still able to catch fish on both streamers and dry flies! The water levels continue to drop and should remain at 1,500 cfs on the West Branch for some time.

 

[jdaddy]

I would take that fish. Thanks!

 

[krayfish]

Well, still planning on doing the October trip to the Delaware. Conditions have improved since the flooding and there have been reports of decent fishing. The flows on the big rivers might be a little too much for the wading crowd but floating should be an option.

I've contacted the motel and it's actually a slow time for them so setting reservations a few weeks in advance aren't really needed. They are currently filled with FEMA people handling the flood claims but they should be heading out in the next week or so.

Lastly I'd like to get a feel for interest in doing a Catskill Jam in the spring (without clashing w/ the "original JAM"). For over 20 years, you could find me there on May 1st for a week. We tried mid / late April this year and the conditions weren't quite as good. Basically, I'll be there with my buddy Josh. If there's interest in putting together a "jam" or a larger group, let me know. Water levels in the early season can be unpredictable. You'd need to have reservations in by mid March to avoid being on a waiting list for a room. I already ran it past Gene and Ines and they'd love to have us up in May so that everyone can see good hatches and lots of rising fish. PM me if you are interested.

 

[krayfish]

The flows are still "iffy" for wade fisherman unless you are heading to the Beaverkill. I'll see how the rain changes things over the next couple of days. I'll get an update on here 10/2 or 10/3.

 

[krayfish]

Well, if you don't have a boat or aren't renting a boat, you would be VERY limited if you could fish at all. I'd have to say that if you are limited to wading, make other plans and save the gas.

At this time, the rivers are pretty high. I'll need to see the EB get to 3k or less and the WB to get around 2k or less for me to still head up.

CURRENT FLOWS:

EB - 9000+ cfs
WB - 3200 cfs

 

[SBecker]

Keep me updated bud

 

[krayfish]

Current flows.. EB 3500 cfs at fishes eddy and dropping, WB 2050 cfs at hale and holding pretty steady. The WB is slightly off color and should remain that way. The EB should be clear or clearing.

Still heading up on Thursday w/ Josh. Brandon is tagging in on Friday. Becker and Troutmaster may round things out on Saturday. Don't rule out a Jdaddy sighting. It's a little high for the 'toons' but we're going to have a go at it anyhow. What's the worst that could happen? LMAO.

Hoping to see WB around 1900 by Th/Fr and the EB down to 2200-2500 before the weekend. That'll make for some good fishing. (fingers crossed)

 

[krayfish]

FWIW.... it may be semi-blown out but here's a pic from the DRC fishing blog. Taken 10-4-11.

 

[jdaddy]

Muppet baby imo

 

[krayfish]

Our little 'micro mini jam' for October had 5 guys show up. I wanted to say thanks to Becker and Troutmaster for making the trip. We had awesome weather and all fisherman caught fish. Most fish caught were bows on nymphs and dries. We put in 2 pretty intense streamer stripping floats but didn't get anything to net but a whopper of a chub. We had some follows, flashes and one hooked for a second. Water conditions improved each day. We saw lots of ISO's along with sparse caddis and olives. There's still time to get up there before winter!!

The gear is away for the year and maybe I'll actually tie some flies this winter...... maybe.

 

[gochs]

I'm glad fish can be caught without my lucky presence. Glad it went well for you guys. Can't wait til next year!

 

[krayfish]

Bad news gochs.... river will be closed next year.

 

[gochs]

I do not understand.

 

[krayfish]

 

[jdaddy]

I love that bow launching up out of the water. He was giving you hell!

 

[krayfish]

That was his 5th or 6th time! That fish wanted off BAD