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Upper Delaware River pictures with a story!

dcabarle

Administrator
It's not all about catching trout.

A few things that keep me coming back to this river...

Every Friday night I check weather.com. When I see "Scattered T-Storms", I know it's going to be a phenominal day. I then check the flows and water temps because this dictates whether I'll be floating or wade fishing. I prefer to float because I can cover so much more water and there are so many pools I really enjoy fishing. Wading to some of these spots is not possible and the spots that I can wade to would make me get in my car every few hours and drive. I pray to the dam gods to release just enough water whereas I can float!

Some of the challenges of this river are the wind, the algae in the water, and of course choosing the right bug. Also, have you noticed that with every step you take to get yourself closer to a rising trout, that trout will move two steps further away from you! This river aint no Cairns pool!

Are these fish any more educated than other fish? I don't think so. I believe that the delaware has so many different currents flowing along that you really need to know how to cast. A favorite of mine is the puddle cast. The other small item is that there are always so many different insects coming off the river at once. Trying to figure out which one these fish are taking is the key.

Many say the river has become over populated. That's ok too. I'm willing to bet that most people aren't catching a ton of fish just for the reasons I mentioned above. I was skunked last weekend (unless we count the 3-4 6-8" trout I brought to hand). I fished over 1 trout for 5-6 hours straight. I had quite a few refusals on that guy. Then a few times he took my fly and I didn't set the hook on time. I never stung him though which was a good thing because he just kept on rising. I don't think the problem was with my fly or presentation. I think it had everything to do with my sulpher turning into an olive with an olive shuck every time my fly hit the water. I will say that this fish kept me quite busy for a long time! This is my kind of fishing.

Numbers are great but I don't fish for numbers, I fish for the challenge. I have absolutely no interest in going to a stream whereas I'm guaranteed to catch fish with every fly I toss out to the stream. This certainly is not the Delaware river, that's for sure.

There's just something about the Delaware that is so rewarding whether you catch fish or not. You know the big fish are in there and you know you have the chance to top your biggest fish ever. Some people get off playing the lottery. It's a numbers games. You play the pick 6... You get the first 4 numbers and anxiously await the next two! Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't but the rush that runs through your body waiting for the right combination is something that some cannot live without.

Some will return, others wont. Those who do not return simply don't get it and they're better off fishing a place like the Little Lehigh or Cairns on the Beaverkill.

Even a beginner with the right friend or guide can catch fish on this river if you're willing to be patient and give it a shot, but don't be disappointed if you don't catch the trout of a lifetime within your first visit.

Other things to do... Lift up rocks to see the aquatic life. Bring a camera and look for some of the Eagles flying overhead or maybe a deer crossing the stream. Sit on the river bank and listen to the crickets while getting eaten up by black flies. Look for new access spots that you might not have fished. How many people pull up to the same access point everytime you go? There are other access points! Check out a new piece of water. Don't be afraid to walk a mile up/down stream. You might be surprised what you will see.

Watch the water closely and LISTEN! I fish the river with my ears just as much as my eyes. This is probably a skill that comes with time.

So there you have it. That's my take on the Delaware River.

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So there you have it. That's my take on the Delaware River.

What's the Hancock Chamber of Commerce PAYING you? Jeepers, you didn't even mention the mountain lions, grizzlies, Deliverance types, bats and Dobsonflies the size of pterodactyls or the colon eating lampreys!

Beware folks.
 
What's the Hancock Chamber of Commerce PAYING you? Jeepers, you didn't even mention the mountain lions, grizzlies, Deliverance types, bats and Dobsonflies the size of pterodactyls or the colon eating lampreys!

Beware folks.
I figured the word "Challenge" would keep most away. :)
 
Dennis,
I couldn't have said it better myself. There are times when I wonder why I drive the three hours to get up there...and then there comes that magical interval of time when I am in the right time at the right place, and have selected the right fly...and there is no wind, slime,,, and THAT's when I remember why I will be driving up there until I'm in a "home".
OM
 
look for some of the Eagles flying overhead

Anyone ever been fly fishing and in the process actually witnessed an Eagle, Osprey etc.. swoop down and pick a trout off out of the water...that'd definitely be a pretty noteworthy sight
 
Anyone ever been fly fishing and in the process actually witnessed an Eagle, Osprey etc.. swoop down and pick a trout off out of the water...that'd definitely be a pretty noteworthy sight
You see this type of stuff all the time on the D.

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Anyone ever been fly fishing and in the process actually witnessed an Eagle, Osprey etc.. swoop down and pick a trout off out of the water...that'd definitely be a pretty noteworthy sight

Yes, I have seen both a Bald Eagle and an Osprey do it. I've seen it several times with Osprey. I saw it once with a Bald Eagle and that was up on the West Branch as a matter of fact.
 
One day I saw two peregrine falcons catch ducks in a single day! That is far rarer than seeing an osprey or a bald eagle in action. I have seen up to nine ospreys working the Pequest hatchery and adjoining TCA. Since the Gruendyke dam is out in Hackettstown, NJ a bald eagle has stopped by each fall. However, he has an odd MO. When an osprey gets a fish or waterfowl the eagle swoops down and grabs it away from an osprey. After a week or so of this the ospreys leave and the eagle leaves shortly thereafter.

Even the vultures can get in on the act. Dozens of vultures hang on the inside bend of the Delaware Water Gap in June to pick off the dying shad that collect there. In bad drought years (like two years ago) suckers and the odd trout crowd into spring seeps into the Delaware to cool down. I have seen vultures pick off suckers exposed in a shallow spring inflow.
 
Yah know, Joe... it occured to me the other night that I haven't seen a bat all year. I was actually going to ask about this but forgot. Glad you brought it up. They're almost non-existent. Has anyone seen bats?

Just the regular 50 pound 3 foot long blood suckin' ones down at Shehawken.
 
Yah know, Joe... it occured to me the other night that I haven't seen a bat all year. I was actually going to ask about this but forgot. Glad you brought it up. They're almost non-existent. Has anyone seen bats?

Dennis, I've seen at most one bat in an evening. Most nights none. That's over 60 evenings on the river so far this season. Here's a publication from the US Fish & Wildlife Service that explains it: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/white-nosefaqs.pdf and http://www.fws.gov/whitenosesyndrome/pdf/White-nose_mystery.pdf

The hatches should be better next year with more spinners left to breed ;)
 
I sure haven't seen nearly the number of bats you normally expect to see. Maybe one or two in just a few places. I know in PA, the PGC was reporting the White-nose Syndrome has really decimated the state's bat population. Even saw a program on them and they were showing entire colonies they found dead on the snow outside their "dens." They're continuing to research it but they're hoping that the surviving bats have or will develop an immunity to it and rebuild the populations from there.
 
One day I saw two peregrine falcons catch ducks in a single day! That is far rarer than seeing an osprey or a bald eagle in action. I have seen up to nine ospreys working the Pequest hatchery and adjoining TCA. Since the Gruendyke dam is out in Hackettstown, NJ a bald eagle has stopped by each fall. However, he has an odd MO. When an osprey gets a fish or waterfowl the eagle swoops down and grabs it away from an osprey. After a week or so of this the ospreys leave and the eagle leaves shortly thereafter.

Even the vultures can get in on the act. Dozens of vultures hang on the inside bend of the Delaware Water Gap in June to pick off the dying shad that collect there. In bad drought years (like two years ago) suckers and the odd trout crowd into spring seeps into the Delaware to cool down. I have seen vultures pick off suckers exposed in a shallow spring inflow.

That's not an odd MO for bald eagles. That is their standard MO. They're bullies and thieves first, scavengers second and hunters third. They just look cool.
 
Yah know, Joe... it occured to me the other night that I haven't seen a bat all year. I was actually going to ask about this but forgot. Glad you brought it up. They're almost non-existent. Has anyone seen bats?

They are making a comeback in some spots. There is a large cave in upper bucks county that survived fairly well this past winter. I have seen a few up in the poconos this spring.
 
I don't know that I'd call it a comeback, the precious few to be seen in places like the Poconos are just the few that survived this past winter. We have to hope they have developed some sort of immunity and will pass that on to any offspring in the coming breeding seasons. If they haven't developed an immunity and just got lucky another winter of this white-nose syndrome could also kill off most of what's left though. Good to hear about the bats from the cave in Bucks.
 
Saw some bats during the spring, midday but haven't seen any since. I used to have them in my barns and have not seen any this year.
 
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Dennis and all,

You can kiss all the water goodbye thanks to the FFMP. The release as of this morning as per the WATER LINE is 235 CFS release from Cannonsville, USGS gagues are still reading 415 CFS??????. More DRBC propaganda.
The only reason we had good water the past two weeks was to the fact the additional water above the 325 CFS was in preperation of the fall shutdown of cannonsville diversion pipe for fall tunnel construction. It had nothing to do with the FFMP or DRBC giving water out of the goodness of their hearts. Pose your questions to our local FFMP expert BIG SPINNER maybe he can put a positive spin on this as he always does.
Coz
 
Dcabarle - I have a question about your kit. Are you using a WP dry bag like a Dicapac? I don't have a digital P&S and the waterproof P&S make getting a dry bag/case a reasonable option.

I don't trust my footing, wading ability to bring my dSLR on the water.
 
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