wildtrout2
Well-known member
That's a great question.
West Branch Delaware @ Deposit
- Thread starter hooker-of-men
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dryflyguy
Well-known member
If you're asking about the sporadic rising experienced - during a good hatch, the fish typically rise well.
On all branches.
Catching them though, is another matter ...........
JimNovo
Well-known member
Amen to that!
I was fishing a long pool with about 8 fishermen in the middle of a great Sulphur hatch with lots of rising fish. Some consistently rising within a rod length. Someone yelled out “I’ll buy a six pack to anyone who catches one”… everyone left thirsty that night.
falcon
Well-known member
I don't seem to have these issues. However I fish the Lower West and Main. If I am going to have a "headscratcher" evening you can bet it is on a Dorothea hatch. The Upper West is more difficult as a result of the fishing pressure and the long duration of the Sulphur hatch.
The Upper East can be very tough and the very clear and generally low water compounds the issues.
The Upper East can be very tough and the very clear and generally low water compounds the issues.
Is it typical for someone to go there for several days and get the skunk? I'd have to say it is pretty typical. Lack of fish? Nope. Lack of bugs? Nope.
Big water, big wild / pressured fish that have natural predators in the area. Some are so skiddish that they won't let you get within 70' before they shutdown or move 20' further away. Other fish will feed within a rod length and spend 30 seconds reviewing your fly before they refuse it. In stilesville, we've had fish post up between the boat hull and the oar that's hanging in the water. You can reach down and touch a 21" brown that is eating EVERY bug coming over him. Not bothered by you standing up, casting, slamming the cooler lid, etc. I'll buy you a new rod if you can get that fish to eat your offering. Call them pet fish and take pics of them as they feed.
WB - slightly smaller, more often wadeable, good hatches, higher fish per mile numbers. By mid June, fish have a masters in fake offering identification and it gets tougher as the year goes.
EB- usually crystal clear, extremely spooky fish (1-2 casts and they are done), good hatches and much fewer fish per mile. At low flows, it becomes brutally tough and I mean brutally tough. Fewer access points and less wader friendly except at lower flows.
Main - clarity and flow fluctuates depending on which branch is providing more volume. Good fish numbers in the top 12-15 miles, good hatches, experienced waders have better success because they understand flows / access points. Can cooperate or be as tough as any place.
80% of first timers get their *** handed to them and many guys struggle for the first few trips. Time on the system = knowledge and dues need to be paid before you reap the treasure it holds. Difficulty, frustration and time required often weed out the weak or less committed. Lots of guys I've taken never return. It's an acquired taste for sure. Often you must sift through 2-5 heavy hatches happening at the same time. Figure out what they are eating, what stage of that bug, decipher if it's a trout or chub and then make a perfect presentation (at distance and windy ). After you catch or spook that fish, you wipe the slate clean and start from scratch on the next fish. Almost definite they're eating something totally different. ** Disclaimer ** Going up or down one pool or riff will result in confronting completely different hatches. I've been anchored and catching fish on caddis but the boat 400 below me is having blankets of drakes and march browns.
Older video that sums up the system 🤣
caddisflyer
Well-known member
Enjoyed watching this guy get increasingly desperate and slapping line down and dragging fly over fish as time went on thus ensuring failure.
What I will say is he put it one to two feet above the fish and you typically see too many people casting 15 ft above the fish which will definitely get you drag by the time the fly reaches them. That fish was willing to play as it kept feeding with the fly line connection going smack in the middle of the feeding lane.
hooker-of-men
Well-known member
Made it back to the West Branch for my redemption!
Got a few fish on BWOs and Rusty Spinners Friday:
And then some inebriated, hectic nighttime photography for my best fish of the trip:
Got a few fish on BWOs and Rusty Spinners Friday:
And then some inebriated, hectic nighttime photography for my best fish of the trip:
hooker-of-men
Well-known member
There was definitely quite a bit of steady rain all yesterday. The West Branch didn't come up terribly, but we had to spend pretty much that entire day streamer fishing while it was pouring. I heard the Beaverkill was chocolate milk and messing up the East.
After seeing the character of the river these past few days, I am now fairly certain that what I experienced in the first week of November last year was spawning/pre-spawning activity and those fish were not very catchable at that time. I don't mean to say the fishing was easy this trip, but the fishing was what one would expect. It was fishing that made sense. When I fished streamers, I got plenty of swipes and chases. When it stopped raining, fish rose steadily to bugs and ate them with familiar rise forms. There was none of the insane chest-high jumping and extreme dearth of normal rises that I experienced in November.
Since last year's trip, it also occurred to me that that type of launching out of the water and lockjaw is something I've seen in landlocks when they come up to spawn. Genetically, the similarity would make sense, and the fish just seem impossible when they're in that mode. I won't be making any trips down as late as November in the future. However, I thoroughly enjoyed myself the past few days.
After seeing the character of the river these past few days, I am now fairly certain that what I experienced in the first week of November last year was spawning/pre-spawning activity and those fish were not very catchable at that time. I don't mean to say the fishing was easy this trip, but the fishing was what one would expect. It was fishing that made sense. When I fished streamers, I got plenty of swipes and chases. When it stopped raining, fish rose steadily to bugs and ate them with familiar rise forms. There was none of the insane chest-high jumping and extreme dearth of normal rises that I experienced in November.
Since last year's trip, it also occurred to me that that type of launching out of the water and lockjaw is something I've seen in landlocks when they come up to spawn. Genetically, the similarity would make sense, and the fish just seem impossible when they're in that mode. I won't be making any trips down as late as November in the future. However, I thoroughly enjoyed myself the past few days.
Fly-Swatter
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Yep. I was up this past weekend. Water levels increased 4+ feet on the East and 6+ feet on the Beaverkill. The East above The Jaws was a little less muddy. But, it was well out of its banks. Not fun.
My buddy and I floated from Shehawken to Buckingham this past Thursday. Conditions were the opposite: low, clear, bright & sunny. And there was a canoe hatch at the Junction. Keep in mind, One aluminum canoe with 2 idiots on the paddles rammed into my raft at full speed, completely out of control. I guess my curses could be heard for some distance. I guide we passed downriver a few miles joked about bumper-boats. Good times.
bringthepain
Well-known member
Wow ran all the way into you eh, thats something. Here I was thinking the fall was a beter time to get up there as far as crowds/people go
bringthepain
Well-known member
No desire to be out there at night
MJMFlyfisher
Well-known member
I was up Sunday as well with a buddy..... If you saw 2 guys on fishing style kayaks that was most likely us.
First time fishing it in roughly 25 years so I was a little rusty on the better water. We fished streamers all day as well and probably bit off more than we could chew from Deposit to Balls so we spent more time paddling and taking inventory than actual fishing LOL
I lost one REALLY nice heavy fish that I couldn't do much with on the 7wt. I was trying to get him to some slack water and he got directly below me in some good current and made his move and shook off. Left a hell of a boil in the water and I never got even a glimpse of what it was. I'm telling myself it was just an 18" brown so it doesn't leave as much scar tissue. 🙁
I forgot how much flat water there is in that stretch. Lots of dimply risers when the rain would stop and lots of moss and milky water. I didn't even bring another rod.....it was streamers or bust because it was more of a recon trip. You could get lost for hours on dimples with 7 river miles into a headwind to go!
hooker-of-men
Well-known member
Hey! You probably didn't notice, but we were the group of guys packing up vehicles behind you when you were on the island just upstream from the Gentleman's Club (around 11). We were looking for risers all morning and saw nothing, so we really didn't fish Sunday as we all had somewhat long drives home.
MJMFlyfisher
Well-known member
Not sure?? Did see guys here and there but 25 year old foggy memory about where I was exactly isn't helping! LOL (I guided on the mainstem a long time ago and actually didn't spend much time on the West)
We saw a good number of rising fish later in the afternoon when the sun came out full blast for the most part. The sippiest dimply risers you could imagine....they looked like rain sprinkles on the water they were so gentle. No heads. There were lots of tiny blue winged olives on the water, an occasional Isonychia, what looked like some sort of cahill here and there. .....#14ish and light colored and couldn't catch one to see what the heck they were. And lots of caddis fluttering around but doing nothing for the fishing.
I was in the same boat on getting home. 2.5hr drive so we were beating feet to the take out after flogging a few of the obvious runs.
Not sure if it was the rain or just the nature of the time of year but the green slime was a hoot. Every cast peeling that stuff off the hooks!
hooker-of-men
Well-known member
The kayaks were the only two boats I saw the entire weekend, so seems like a good chance. Who knows...
The snot and leaves were definitely present. Fish on top and deal with snagging leaves. Fish underneath and get the snot 🤷♂️ Snot seemed to get worse later Saturday with more water.
Fly-Swatter
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I had my raft beached when they ran into me. I figured a Thursday in October would be safe. Wrong.
