Fly Fishing
the Delaware River.
. . . a brief introduction.
The Delaware River, that is of interest to fly fisherman, can
be divided into two distinct sections, the "trout zone" and the marginal
warm water section below .
Throughout the years, fisherman have regarded the section from
Hancock to approx. Callicoon to be the so called "trout zone". This
is how far the water releases from Cannonsville reservoir have a cooling
effect and the trout population is at its highest. The section below
Callicoon is primarily regarded as a warm water fishery for smallmouth
bass, shad and an occasional early season trout. |
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Hancock to Callicoon
(trout
zone)
The Main Stem begins with the confluence of the East and West
Branch in Hancock. Even at its beginning the Delaware is a large
river, most of the pools are 70 to 100 yards wide and up to a half
mile long. The riffle sections, due to the moderate gradient, are
much shorter and run 2 to 4 feet deep.
Water releases from the West Branch usually begin in mid June.
These releases enhance whatever natural flow exists, maintaining good river
levels and cold water temperatures throughout the summer. Prior to
these much anticipated releases, the flows are dependent on rainfall and
fluctuate accordingly with the seasons.
The fishery
The Main Stem trout are almost all "wild" fish, there is no
stocking. The only stocked fish are ones that enter the river from
some of the stocked tributaries. Most of the fish are rainbows that
outnumber the browns by a wide margin. Overall in the Main Stem,
13" to 19" fish make up most of the catch.
This section of the river also has a smallmouth bass population.
This fishery is really overlooked by most of the fly fisherman perusing
trout, due to the rather small size of the fish.
Around late May and into June, shad make their way into this
section of the river. The fish average 3 to 5 lbs. |
 Hatches
The Delaware is a fertile river. Almost all the varieties
of mayfly, caddis and stone fly hatches occur here, many of them
simultaneously. The action usually starts in late April with the
arrival of the Hendrickson hatch and continues through the month of November.
Best time to fish
If dry fly fishing is your objective, the best time to find
surface activity is in the month of May and June. The peak
being somewhere between the last two weeks in May and into the first two
weeks of June. Mornings and evenings are the best time to find
hatching activity.
Although not as fast paced as dry fly fishing, nymph fishing
can be productive at anytime of the season. Many Delaware "regulars"
carry an assortment of mayfly and stone fly imitations,
relying on them when no hatches are present.
Autumn is another great time to fish the Delaware. Cooler
water temperatures create an increase in insect and fish activity.
 Callicoon
to Port Jervis
This section is primarily a warm water fishery. The focus
of attention is the early season shad fishery, smallmouth bass and walleye
fishing.
Good numbers of shad reach this area in late April. The
fish are much fresher than those caught in upper section. The fish
arrive earlier when the water is much colder, putting up a much better
fight. The fishing is usually good to the middle of June, when the
water really warms up.
After the shad run is over, most of the fishing is for smallmouth
bass. The majority of the fish are 9" to 13", but there are plenty
of them. Almost any pool or run will produce good catches.
Streamers and big nymphs take most of the fish. |
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