Catskills - float em if you got em JAM 9/19/15

krayfish2 wrote:
Pretty fitting....nothing but shiit luck for me up there this year. I'm sure it's pulling so much sediment off the lake bed that it's dirty to Port Jervis. You know damn well what's happening next....they shut it down to 125 cfs just after we launch the boats. Apologies to anyone that got tangled up with me doing this trip. Geeez. Just called the dam and the flow is ramping up to 1071cfs . Could last 8 hours or 8 days. This should be interesting and probably difficult conditions.

At this point, I'm not sure how I'm getting there. I had a ball joint replaced and the garage suggested putting in new cc shaft. That was 3 weeks ago and it's going in today for an OEM shaft (if we can find one). Aftermarket part is 1/2" longer and makes the wheel wobble so bad, it's tough to drive. The garage apologized profusely for having in 3 times in 14 days. They claim that if they can't find the part, they'll rent a new Colorado for the week so I can go. Good luck finding rental pickup with hitch. 2015 has sucked for everything but smallmouth fishing
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Yeah Andy..sounds like this is not your year, at least for the D. Hopefully you guys can get up there and find decent fishing somewhere.

Hey, I spent big bucks for go out to MT and most of the rivers I fished were low, warm and full of hungry whitefish. That's fishing.

 
Auto parts in hand. Looks like the old gal will make it to NY afterr all. You do know that once it's fixed / driving correctly....full on impact with 800# bear will happen on the way up. LOL. Seriously.
 
Andy, you are always such an optimist. lol
 
What a bummer! Now I am kinnda second guessing if it worth a 5and a half hour drive out there to fish high muddy tuff conditions.
 
Not worth it for that, but it may be worth it to meet a few good folks who will not let a release ruin their trip. You know adaptable people who will find the streams and rivers that are fishing well. There has got to be at least two in the area. Maybe leave the boat at home.
 
Mkerr,
High water? 1100 isn't high, its perfect unless you enjoy dragging your boat. Muddy or not, they still have to eat. One of the most amazing days I've had was in water with less than 6" visibility. If in fact 20 miles are dirty, there are still 50+ miles that are low,clear and quite fishable. Not coming up would be your loss. We will have fun. We will catch fish and you get to see a new area.
 
You got that right Norm...now try following that S#!t show to NY. It's gonna be interesting.

High water, low water, dirty water...its fishing boys. Half the fun are the people and the place...a few good fish just make it better!



 
Well, when you put it like that...dosent sound to bad. Plus no work for five days and some new water is a welcome break. I think my drive up will be more like four and a half hours. I am planning on leaving at 6. So I should be at the Capra no later than 11.
 
Mkerr,
Don't get me wrong, it probably not going to be world class fishing this time of the year....but.......it can't be pretty darn good. I'll be up with Fishwagon around 8:15. Hope to get a look at the river and shove off before 10. I believe DaveS sent you a PM about following each other since you only live 10 miles apart. Good idea so if there's a breakdown, someone can assist. I'm going to pace the float so Fishwagon and I can meet you guys around 12:30-1 and fish the evening together. Check your PM's. I'll send my cell #.

Norm,
Tony is following me to gather all the parts that fall off the old gal as I drive. She might have 3-4 trips left on her before I have to start looking for something new. I'll miss 7 yrs without a car payment though.
 
Well...hopefully this flow will drop back to 500 by next thursday. You guys still have the bkill, the main and the upper east to fish
 
Not sure why I am able to send a pm...I an receiving them.
DaveS I will stop at the game commission office on 711 at six thirty. If we can get hooked up then we can ride together if not I will look out for your truck at the Capra. I am driving a gray Nissan xtera.
 
We're on it Kev. All should be ok temps. I doubt the wb is red like it was 3-4 years ago. We still caught fish but it was horrifying to look at. I'll text you any reports we have.

First report: the lager is ice cold.

Edit..... Just saw the release is over 1200! We won't have to worry about avoiding wade fishermen...there won't be any. Mkerr, no worries. We did it when the hale gauge was close to 7000 and did really well. Claritr may be an issue but it also looks like they've run out of cold water. Release is closing in on 60 degrees. Cool nights mean the temps wl drop the further away from the lake you go. Might do some new water this trip. Woohoo.

Afishionado, if made a call so we could have water, thanks. LOL
 
Ill probably fish your 2nd favorite hole. Im not sure if they will drop that realease back. Theres no rain in the forecast for the next 10 days. That flow is gonna come from cannonsville. I just dont get why they dump all thay water out there and let the east branch starve. Why not make if 500 each branch? Stupid DeBlasio.
 
Good luck guys! Give a report for the spectators at home...
 
I'll be at my place on the WB Tuesday through Thursday. There is a new breakfast place opposite the Topp's grocery store in Hancock. I think it is called the Kozy Korner.
 
Haven't been on here in a while. Oddly enough my dad & I will be up from the 20th thru the 22nd. Staying at the West Branch Angler, the old man won a 2 night stay. Hoping to take a guided float on Monday. Might have to stick to the East Br or BeaMoc for wade fishing the rest of the time. Excited to get up there tomorrow. We'll be the two newbies driving around in a tan F150 Crew Cab with PA plates. Good luck to you guys!
 
How did you guys end up doing up there?
 
I'm going let Krayfish give the complete report on the trip, as I had to leave on Monday. I will however, offer this brief teaser;

"FISH ON!"
 
I can't vouch for Saturday or Sunday on the Upper D or its branches as we stayed on the Beaverkill Sunday afternoon, it was slow. However I do know that most every angler or guide we spoke had the same general feeling that overall Monday was mostly slow although there was a small hour of Iso activity on the Main Stem that had some fish up. Tuesday all reports on the Upper Main Stem were that it was like the river was almost devoid of life.

We actually finally got our guided trip on Tuesday and did Shehawkin to Buckingham. It was very slow, almost no bugs or rising fish, but despite that it ended up being my personal breakthrough for the Upper D system. I finally hooked and landed my first wild Delaware River trout. Around 3pm I finally hooked my first Delaware trout when it gulped my Iso dry. It immediately bulldogged and just took line and I was almost into my backing before we finally saw it surface. Darn, it appeared tail-looped and it sure looked like a big brown. After a long fight I got it closer to the boat when it suddenly got off. It would be another 2 hours or so until I hooked another, landing my first Delaware trout, a 14" brown on the Iso. I missed two other fish and then finally after 7pm in fading light I spotted, cast my Sulphur dry to and hooked another trout in my first drift. The fish raced upstream, then down and then leaped about 2ft out of the air. It kept fighting like crazy ultimately going all the way around the boat and leaped again before I was able to steer towards my guide's net. A dandy 17" hen Delaware rainbow trout. We capped off the float by having dinner at Lydia's with our guide. Needless to say I am now absolutely hooked on fishing the Upper Delaware system, everywhere else is now a distant second for me!

How did you guys do?
 
I sorted through photos and have put a little 'project' together that I'll post in the next day or so.

How was it? Good and close to really good. The East system was very low so we didn't fish it. We stuck to the Main and some of the West. The WB was high and cloudy due to lake level. Wading could be done in some sections but only if you knew where you were stepping. Fishwagon almost freaked when he saw me jump out of the boat in what he thought was 5' of water....it was 18" max.

We had great weather...not too hot / cold.... not too much wind..... not too much sun. The cool evenings had kept the water temps in the low 50's to the low 60's. Hatching was spotty at best but we did see some heavy Pseudo hatches and crazy caddis after dark. They covered the boats / oars. We saw low numbers of rising fish.

On Tuesday, we saw wbranch getting ready to start fishing for the day. Forum members to attend: crayfish2, DaveS, Fishwagon, PhilC and Mkerr. It was the first trip for Fishwagon and Mkerr. They got into fish and had a good time (I hope). For those that couldn't make it, you should have. We had 2 boats collecting dust.

Now that the swelling in my had has gone down (we'll call it a failure to launch and leave it at that), I was able to get unloaded and unpacked. I don't have all of the photos from the trip but the movie short I'm wrapping up might have some of you saying... "damn, I should have gone". LOL.

Ryan, did you see to guys in a white boat with a dog wearing a life vest? That were us.
 
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