Source: http://www.westbranchresort.com/ourrivers

Fly Fishing The Upper Delaware River

If you haven’t heard, the Delaware River system is considered one of the best technical dry fly fisheries on the East Coast, as well as the world. Our fishing season here starts in early April, goes through the summer and into the fall.

The Delaware River system consists of three rivers, all world-class wild trout fisheries - The East Branch, West Branch and the mainstem of the Delaware after the confluence of the East and West Branches. Our water temps here on the West Branch stay cool throughout the summer due to the cold water release out of Cannonsville Reservoir. Our rivers are also home to a diversity of bug life which leads to some of the finest dry fly fishing East of the Rockies. Nymph and streamer fishing are also very effective methods for trying to outsmart the local browns and rainbows.

The true beauty of our location is in the proximity of our resort to so many great trout rivers within a few minutes drive. So when mother nature throws a curve ball there are very few days when you can't find some excellent water to wet a line. West Branch Resort is also an unparalleled place on the East Coast to host your outdoor-themed event, whether it's a wedding, corporate event or just a relaxing weekend with the family.

The Upper Delaware River System is made up of two tailwater rivers

The West Branch and East Branch, which converge in Hancock, NY forming the Mainstem.

Hatches on Upper Delaware River

April, May, and June

This is by far the most popular time to be here on the Delaware River System, due to the bigger bugs and the fish not being pressured yet. Water flows during early April have a tendency to be a bit higher due to spring rain and snow melt but tend to stabilize was we move into May. Fishing in April can be like rolling the dice as far as weather and water levels go. You may luck out and get some good weather with warmer air temps that will lead to productive fishing. You have about the same chance of running into colder air temps and higher water levels during this time of year.

In the beginning of April, if the weather cooperates, you will have a great opportunity to hook into some hungry fish using stoneflies, Blue Wing Olives and streamers. As we get later into April we will start to see some Hendricksons, Blue Quills, chimarra caddis and some Blue Wing Olives as well. This time of year can be great for fishing due to the fact that the fish haven't been fished to much and these are the first prolific hatches of the year. The spinner falls will also start to become a factor and often will occur mid-day during the warmest air temps.

As we get into May things really start to pick up. The temps are warming up, the bugs are more active and the hatches last longer. We still see Hendricksons and Blue Quills in the early to the middle part of the month. When we get into mid-May, we have March Browns and Grey Fox which are nice big bugs that trout go crazy for. These will usual last to the end of May and into the first few weeks of June. We usually start to see some early Sulphur activity on the main Delaware this time of year as well.

When everyone thinks of the first few weeks of June, the first thing that comes to mind are the drakes, both green and brown. These are gigantic mayflies that hatch for several weeks and really bring up the largest fish in the river. The dralkes aren't very prolific on the West Branch, but the Main or East Branches have much better substrates for these burrowing bugs. Towards the end of these hatches there is a transition period were things are a little slow before the Sulphurs really get started. When the end of the month comes around we then start to see an increase in Sulphur’s, lt. Cahill, Slate Drakes (Iso's) and Blue Wing Olives.

July, August, September and October

Once we get into the summer months water flows are a little more consistent and if you are a fan of technical dry fly fishing this is the time to be here. With a very consistent Sulphur hatch from the middle of June to the the beginning of September, these fish have seen the same bug for months so fishing for them can be technical. This time of year it is always good to carry a large variety of patterns with you, ranging from spinners, emergers, cripple style patterns, to duns and dropper nymphs. Slate Drakes are a good pattern to have around this time of year too. The larger Iso is a good blind casting fly when nothing is going on or if you have tricky fish sipping on some Sulphurs, throwing a Slate Drake or a spinner over them can provoke them to eat.

When the middle of September comes around, the Sulphur’s have come to an end and the only hatches that are around are the Blue Wing Olives, Slate Drakes, Lt. Cahills and Heptagenia hebes . These bugs tend to be more consistent down on the Main or East Branch. The West Branch this time of year and into October is great if you like throwing streamers and finding pockets of rising fish is pretty common. At this point of the year, the NY-only portion of the West Branch and the upper East closes (October 16th-March 31st) to all fishing, but you can still access all the rest of the river system below these areas.

As we move into October the fish are getting into their spawning mode and are tend to get more aggressive. Usually, when the end of October comes around, the fishing slows down quite a bit and that is when our season comes to an end.

As we move into Summer and Fall, our area offers a variety of othing fishing opportunities for you to try. The Lower Delaware is ranked within the top 25 small mouth bass rivers in the country, offering anglers an exceptional opportunity to hook up with the mighty small mouth bass.

November – March

Things slow down drastically in the Winter months. Things are generally slow and there is not much surface activity to be seen. For the hard-core angler it offers an opportunity to fish, especially on warmer days when you can usually have some luck while nymphing and maybe the occasional Blue Winged Olive hatch.

Current Flows on Upper Delaware River

Is Your Upper Delaware River Fishing Guide Legit?

When you hire a guide on the Upper Delaware or anywhere else, don't make assumptions, check to see if your guide is licensed.

On the Upper Delaware guides are required to be licensed by up to three entities.

On water that is 100% in NY, a NY guide license.

On the border water of the West Branch and the Main Stem, a NY guide license is needed, and a PA license is needed to launch or take out on the PA side.

On the main river a National Park Service license is also required.

• National Park Service/Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River: http://www.nps.gov/upde/planyourvisit/fishingguides.htm

• PA Licensed Guides List: http://fishandboat.com/chboat.htm

• NY State Guide Licenses can be checked here: http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/DECLicensedGuide/index.cfm