2008 Mid-Summer Fishing Report & Update

The West Branch of the Delaware is still fishing at its technical finest with sulfurs, blue wing olives, isonychias, Cahills and some terrestrials.. The water has been mostly on the low side, except for most Fridays and Saturdays when there have been water releases, with the best fishing concentrated on the upper section of the river. Light tippets are the norm and landing a jumbo brown on 7 or 8X is a very cool experience.

I've added a Dave Scadden Three Man Pontoon Boat to my fleet which has been allowing me to float the West Branch even with the low water flows we've been having. The way this whole water release game goes is that we've been seeing water released on Fridays and Saturdays for reasons too complicated to get into here. So mostly on Friday and Saturday there's been enough water to use a drift boat. On other days the pontoon comes into play.

The Main Stem smallmouth bass fishing has been pretty sweet the past couple of weeks and should stay that way well into October. We've been seeing big numbers of fish and a good number of big ones. As always, the spin rod produces the most fish, while the fly rod produces the most challenge. Either way, it's just plain fun!

Saltwater fishing off Northern New Jersey has been very good with big bluefish leading the way. Fluke fishing has been good too with enough keepers mixed in with the shorts to make for some tasty dining. Stripers are mostly done for the summer, although fish are still hitting baits from time to time. Striper fishing should pick back up again in the fall.

Bluefish on the fly are savage fighters and a great fish for the fly fisherman new to the saltwater. Looking forward to the albies...

Orvis Saltwater Helios 10 wt.

Last Fall I fished a Helios 10 weight in the salt for stripers, bluefish and false albacore. The rod performed beautifully. It's light weight, lighter than many five weights, made casting all day long very easy. Casting this rod is distance made easy.

The wind didn't matter as this rod generated tight loops and line speed to slice through the up to twenty knot winds we encountered. I have to admit that initially I had some reservations about the fish fighting ability of such a light rod. That concern was put to rest after the first fish was hooked. This rod is no light weight, it just doesn't weigh much. With the drag cranked down the rods backbone and muscle were put to the test on big North Carolina false albacore and New Jersey's chopper blues and striped bass.

The five weight Helios spent a whole season with me on trout and smallmouth bass. Scroll down to read about that rod.

Smallmouth Bass

From late June through October the smallmouth bass fishing really turns on in parts of the Upper Delaware. Last July this fishery was placed on Field & Stream magazine's top five list of smallmouth rivers. The section of river I fish is not just loaded with bass, but it's among the most scenic in the system.

Each year this fishery is becoming more and more popular with my clients, so if you've never done it and would like to give it a try call or email me. I'm sure you'll get hooked just like the fish! FlyFishTheDelaware.com

Summer Trout Fishing

Last year we saw some excellent sulfur hatches. With the higher flows this past winter there should be some excellent summer hatches again this season. No anchor ice and bank to bank water in the river means high nymph survival rates not just for the Spring hatches, but for the Summer hatches too.

Now is the time to make plans for this coming season. Drop me an email at crosscurrent@optonline.net or visit www.FlyFishTheDelaware.com

Upper Delaware Current Conditions & Forecast

Upper Delaware Current Conditions & Forecast

The Upper Delaware reservoirs are currently at more than 100% of capacity. Couple that with the remaining snow pack in the higher elevations and the typical spring rains that have yet to come and we should be looking at some normal to above normal river flows for this Spring. The river remained higher than normal all winter due to scheduled water releases form NYC and rain and snow fall. With no anchor ice, it should mean some better than decent bug hatches and a high fish survival rate. The brown trout also had to have had an excellent spawning season with a higher than usual redd survival rate.

America's Sportsmen Take Aim at Congress:

Global Warming Threatens Hunting, Fishing Traditions

More than 670 Groups From All 50 States Call for Cap-and-Trade Climate Legislation To Protect America's Wildlife Legacy


Washington, DC (February 12) – More than 670 hunting and fishing organizations from all 50 states, representing the millions of Americans who share America's sporting tradition, are urging their U.S. Senators and Representatives to target global warming with strong climate legislation.

Read the rest of the article: Click here

Learn more about global warming at targetglobalwarming.org

Walnut Creek Fishing Hours

Erie County, PA, 2/6/08—Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Dr. Douglas Austen, acting under the authority of the Commission, has ordered the immediate closure of fishing on Walnut Creek from Route 5 north to Manchester Road Bridge between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The Executive Director has found that this action is necessary and appropriate to conserve and preserve fishing opportunities in the area. The action reflects the concern of some property owners about the noise levels and unnecessary neighborhood disturbances caused by anglers fishing Walnut Creek during the time period of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Prior to this action, from the day after Labor Day until the opening day of trout season in April, all Lake Erie tributary streams were closed to fishing from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., except for Walnut Creek and Elk Creek north of Route 5. The amendment now prohibits fishing on Walnut Creek from Route 5 north to Manchester Road Bridge between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The modified regulation has been posted and is now fully effective and enforceable. This temporary modification will remain in effect until January 1, 2009, unless the Commission, by appropriate action, adopts the amendment. The Commission, under a separate notice of proposed rulemaking, will seek public comments on a permanent change to the Commission’s fishing regulations.

Fish Factoid

Just a little tid bit of information I find interesting...

In 1883, seven smallmouth bass were traded to Germany in exchange for the first brown trout eggs to be introduced in North America.

Upper Delaware River Gas Exploration

It seems like all the nice places left in this country are continuously under attacks that threaten to degrade the environment.

With on going water, or rather de-watering issues almost a daily threat throughout the early and mid summer, to the eyesore of a proposed high power line along its bank, the Delaware river, the longest un-dammed river in the Eastern US is no stranger to these assaults.

Now add in natural gas exploration. In its January 17, 2008 issue, the Delaware River Reporter reveals the quiet maneuverings of natural gas drilling companies in the Upper Delaware River Basin. Read the whole story at:

Fishing’s Broad Economic and Conservation Impact

Report Highlights Fishing’s Broad Economic and Conservation Impact
by Mary Jane Williamson

January 8, 2008 — Alexandria, VA — Recreational fishing is more than just a getaway for millions of Americans. As an industry, it provides a living for countless people in businesses ranging from fishing tackle and accessories manufacturing to travel and hospitality to boat manufacturing. According to a new report on fishing statistics, published by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), when expenditures are multiplied by America’s nearly 40 million anglers, their dollars have a significant impact on our nation’s economy. Read the rest of the report HERE

Maybe time to buy a 14 weight!

Off Season Reading

Here are two recent books on the Delaware and Catskills that should be mandatory reading for any serious fly fisherman of this historic region.

The first is Fly-Fishing Guide to the Upper Delaware River
by Paul Weamer.

The second book is Ed Van Put's Trout Fishing in the Catskills

Orvis Helios Fly Rod

It was almost three months ago that Tom Rosenbauer sent me a prototype rod simply called the "whisper" rod. Nothing fancy about the prototype. From its plain looks it could easily have been a mid priced rod for the budget conscious angler (the rods that will make it to the consumer are anything but plain!). I initially cast it with the expectation that I indeed held a mid priced rod in my hand. Immediately after the first cast I knew this rod was truly something special, a rod for the serious caster who appreciates the finest tool ever made to ply his craft.

The more I fished the rod, the more I liked it. I put it into as many of my clients hands that I could and found one simple common denominator; everyone who cast it not only liked it, but they cast better with it than with the rod they were currently using.

The extreme light weight and delicate feel of this rod is in stark contrast to the swift power this rod generates to buck the sometimes windy conditions that surround big water trout fishing. The rod I have is a mid flex 8'6" 5 weight that feels like something less in my hand, yet casts like something more. Fighting and playing fish with this rod is incredible. I've used this rod's sensitive tip to protect delicate 7X tippets against twenty inch class brown and rainbow trout while the rods backbone easily handled bringing big fish in fast water to the net. It's hard to believe that such a light rod can do so much.

Steelhead Fishing in Pennsylvania

Steelhead Fishing in Pennsylvania

By: David Alan

With the colder nights and that first frost brings forth the beginning of steelhead season in Pennsylvania. For many anglers the arrival of the steelhead in creeks like Walnut, Elk, and 20 Mile brings a sense of excitement that is unmatched by other forms of fishing in the state. Steelhead Salmon are an extremely powerful fish that can make the drag on a reel scream and push your rod to it's limits.

Now how do you go about fishing for these silver bullets? There are several techniques but the most common forms in Pennsylvania are fly fishing and drift fishing. In this article we'll go into detail on how to fish for steelhead in the Pennsylvania streams and what streams to fish in Pennsylvania.

Fly Fishing

First, lets talk about fly fishing and what type of gear you will need to have to tackle these fish. The following is a list of commonly used fly fishing equipment for fishing for steelhead in the PA streams.

Gear

Fly Rod = 7 to 8 weight rod from 9 to 10 foot

Fly Reel = Any fly reel with a good drag. Large arbor fly reels are preferred, they pick up the fly line a lot faster and tend to have a better drag system.

Fly Line = 7 to 9 weight forward floating fly line

Leader = Taper leader from 20 to 15 to 10 pound test leader material then connect 8 to 6 pound fluorocarbon as a tippet. If water is clear use 6 then 4 pound fluorocarbon as tippet.

Flies

Egg Patterns = Sucker Spawn, Blood Dots, Crystal Meth Flies, Estez Eggs

Sizes - 12, 14, 16 size nymph hooks 2X strong or 8 or 10 live bait (egg hook)

Streamers = Egg Sucking Leech, Wooly Buggers, Crystal Buggers

Sizes - 2, 4, 8, 10 salmon hooks or streamer hooks

Nymphs = Stone Flies, Prince Nymphs, Hairs Ears Nymphs

Sizes - 10, 12, 14 size nymph hooks 2X strong

Fly Fishing Techniques

Dead drifting with an indicator - To dead drift with a indicator simply put on a indicator or small trout bobber about 6 foot up the leader then attach some weight 2 BB sinkers or 1 3/0 sinker about a foot above the fly. You will need to move your indicator up and down your leader to find the depth of the water. To get a true dead drift your indicator should stand straight up and down and not have the appearance of dragging the bottom. (This is easier said then done; there are all types of indicators to help with getting a true dead drift)

Dead Drifting without an indicator - This is my favorite way to fish for steelhead! I use this method on the larger streams of Pennsylvania and New York with great success and you can't beat the strike you get when a steelhead slams your fly while it is swinging or at the end of the drift. You can use this technique whether you are fishing egg patterns, streamers, or nymphs and is extremely versatile in any type of water depth or current.

First, You need to have a leader and tippet any where from 10 to 15 feet depending on the size of the creek you are fishing. If fishing Elk Creek or Walnut creek in Erie, PA you will want to keep your leader around 10 to 11 feet. Next, depending on the depth of the water you want to put a sinker any where from 3 feet to 6 feet up your line. The sinker should be a single 3/0, 7, or 5 depending on the depth and speed of the water. Finally, you should cast your fly upstream at about 1 to 2 o'clock then mend your line upstream immediately then get your fly rod high in the air then let it drift and then swing through to the end of the drift. Don't pull the fly out of the water to quickly to cast again let it hang for a few seconds. Some of the most incredible hits are at the end of the drift. If you prefect this technique you will have some of the most fun days you have ever had fishing for steelhead.

Spin Fishing with a Drift Rod

An effective techniques of fishing the tributaries of Lake Erie is fishing with bait and a dead drift rod. I have seen more fish caught on skein, egg sacs, and minnows than any other technique. Fishing with bait you can consistently catch steelhead and 20 plus fish days are not uncommon when the fish are running.

Gear

Rod
8 to 12 foot spinning rod or 11 to 15 foot Canadian style drift rod. (Canadian style drift rod requires a center pin reel)ReelSpinning - Good spinning reel with a front drag that generally holds 140 yds of 8lb test is standard.Center Pin - Okuma makes a affordable center pin reel that will allow you to get started with this method. Some Center Pin reels will empty your pocket book.Line4 to 8 lb fluorocarbonIndicator / BobberSteelhead style drift bobber (Blackbird and Drennan make excellent floats)

Hooks
Size 4 Salmon or Steelhead hook will work for most circumstances, or a size 8 octopus style.

Split Shot . You will need a variety of split shot from BB to 5's depending on depth and current

Bait
Egg Sacs, Skein, Single Salmon Eggs, Minnows, Shiners, and Worms

How to Rig

First put your drift bobber on first, generally you float will be anywhere from 4 feet to 7 feet depending on depth from your bait. Next stagger your split shots about 12 inches above your bait to 15 inches above your bait. Space your split shots anywhere from 2 to 2 inches apart. Next, tie on a salmon hook or octopus style hook. If fishing skein or egg sacs, use a size 4 hook to hold the skein on the hook. If you are fishing clear water and using single eggs use a 12 to 14 size hook.

Where to fish

Elk Creek - Is the largest creek of the Erie PA streams, I would have to say that I prefer Elk creek to all the other creeks because of it's size and the ability to do some hiking to in the woods to find a place to fish. There are many well-known holes on Elk Creek, including the mouth Elk Creek Access Area, the Legion Hole, and the Conrail Tubes on the lower sections of the creek and Foley's End and Streuchen Flats on the upper end of the creek. At the beginning of the season focus your attention on the lower sections of the creek due to fish not being able to make it to the upper sections. Then in the spring focus on the upper sections where the steelhead will spawn.

Walnut Creek - Is the second largest creek in the Erie PA region most if not all the fishing at Walnut Creek is done at or just above the Walnut Creek Marina. This creek is full of steelhead and fishermen! It is a small stream that runs right beside the parking lot of Walnut Creek Marina and is a great place to take kids and is accessible for all people.

Twenty Mile - Is the largest of the Eastern mile streams to fish Twenty mile you will need to park along route 5 and walk to mouth. Fishing at Twenty Mile can be great when Walnut and Elk creeks are to high and muddy to fish.

Route 5 Streams - There a number of small streams that you can access by using route 5 as your guide these streams include Raccoon, Godfrey, Trout, Cascade, Four Mile, Seven Mile, Twelve Mile, and Sixteen Mile.

Steelhead fishing is one of the most exciting fishing opportunities we have in Pennsylvania plus you have the opportunity to catch a fish that often goes over 10 pounds and fights like no other species of fish known to Pennsylvania waters. My only warning to all those thinking of going steelhead fishing is be prepared to catch the bug then spend endless hours thinking, tying flies, preparing bait and for the next chance to land that silver bullet.

Author Bio

Owner of Penns Ads www.pennsads.com/community which is a community guide for all of central Pennsylvania.

Goodby to Graphite?

"A Scottish company has joined a Las Vegas firm to make fishing rods from carrots.

E21, the American company, is applying the same technology in an attempt to develop golf club shafts that would reduce tendonitis and drive a golf ball farther and straighter than conventional materials would.

Carrot Stix, the veggie-based fishing rods, won the best-in-show award at the American Sportfishing Association’s international trade show..."

The company behind this innovation is CelluComp

Read the whole story at: http://www.projo.com/sports/to....html

The Top Five Smallmouth Bass Rivers

In their July, 2007 issue, Field & Stream Magazine named the Adroscoggin River, Upper Mississippi River, New River, John Day River and the Upper Delaware River as their picks for the best smallmouth bass rivers in the US.

I'm not sure about four of the five, but the Upper Delaware is something I've known about all along. There's about 60 miles of outstanding smallmouth water on this stretch of river holding more than enough fish to provide great fun on fly or light tackle.

The Best Fish of Summer - Smallmouth Bass!

Too many fly fishermen, and spin fishermen for that matter, hang up their rods at the end of each Spring and lament the passing of another fishing season. What many don't realize is the end of trout season is the beginning of another exciting, challenging and rewarding fishing season. It's smallmouth time.

For the trout fisherman this should be a natural progression as these fish live in streams and rivers too warm to hold trout, yet they share many of the same habitat preferences except for water temperature.

There's been a lot written about smallmouth bass, so I'm not going to get into it too deep here. A quick search on the web will yield much information or better yet, reading through one of the many books on the subject

Keep your skills honed, your tackle from getting dusty and most of all, enjoy the great fun these hard fighters will provide through the summer and fall.

Some suggested reading: Fly-Fishing for Smallmouth
Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth Strategies for the Fly Rod
How to Catch Smallmouth Bass

Pennsylvania's Wild Trout

This is brought to you from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission...

Pennsylvania’s trout anglers have high catch rates and high release rates, according to two surveys released last year by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Penn State University. The studies found that most trout caught in the state were released by anglers, in turn extending and improving fishing opportunities for other anglers.
Anglers fishing stocked trout streams in the spring caught, on average, slightly more than one trout per hour fished; 63.1% of those fish were subsequently released. During the course of the legal fishing season on wild trout waters, average catch rates varied from around one fish every two hours for brook and brown trout on large streams to nearly two brook trout per hour on small streams. An amazing 92.7% of wild trout were released.
The PFBC collected angler data through on-the-water interviews and creel surveys. Penn State processed and analyzed the data as well as using an economic model to determine the fiscal benefits associated with Pennsylvania trout fishing. The studies were conducted independently of each other. Data collection for wild trout fishing was collected through the spring and summer of 2004. The stocked trout study focused on stocked streams during the opening weekend of the season and eight subsequent weeks in 2005. Fall and winter fishing for stocked trout and fishing in trout-stocked lakes were not examined in this effort. Pennsylvania stocks about 20% of its adult trout into lakes each year.
An estimated total of 80,098 angler trips were made on Pennsylvania’s wild trout streams during the regular trout season in 2004. By stream size, 57.5% of the angler trips were made on large streams and 42.5% of the angler trips were made on small streams. Over the course of the survey period angler effort averaged 239 angler hours per mile on large streams and 44 hours per mile on small streams.
PFBC sampling work indicates there are approximately 600,000 legal-size wild trout in Pennsylvania waters. Anglers caught an estimated total of 343,240 trout on wild trout streams and released 92.7%. Only about 25,000 trout were harvested on all wild trout streams during the 2004 survey period. Anglers harvested a very small number (9 per mile) of the legal size trout available on wild trout streams (221 per mile).
Both the complete wild trout fishery use study and the entire study on the spring stocked trout fishery use are available on the PFBC’s web site at www.fishandboat.com.

Delaware River System Post Flood Fishing Season

The flood of June, 2006 was devastating to the local communities and the fishing industry on the Delaware. For several weeks the system was unfishable and the personal and the business losses were extreme to everyone in the community.

By the end of July things began to change. There was a tremendous amount of bait washed into the river from the reservoir and the tributaries. As the water receded we found many large and very hungry brown trout in the river more than willing to crush streamers. There were days when you could watch fish slash and boil on bait fish, throw your fly at the "blitz" and hook up to a very nice brown.

It took longer for the insects to come around and seemingly longer for the fish to get on them, but as the season progressed flying ants, olives, isonychias, hebes, and cahills were back on the menu.

Was it as good as normal? Mostly not. It is obvious that the fishery took a hit from the flood, but it is far from destroyed. The changes in the river have rearranged some of the riffles, created others where there weren't any before, and all in all caused a new learning experience for fishermen.

There are still many awesome wild trout in the Delaware system. From the number of small fish around this summer and fall it looks like we'll be okay. I wouldn't expect the banner Spring like we had this past year ( ...who knows?), but you can be sure there are still trout in the river. True, many tributaries have been damaged by the flood and time will tell if the damage will definitely affect future recruitment. I was fearful that we lost a year class of rainbows, but seeing a decent number of baby 'bows in the river has eased that fear some.

As far as next years hatches go, this is something that time will tell. As long as the fish are there they will still have to eat, just what they eat might change. I think we'll see bugs, just not as many as we're used to.

All in all, the resiliency of a wild fishery will prove itself superior to one dependant of domesticated trout.

By the way, the smallmouth bass fishing this summer and fall was truly incredible. Anything less than a thirty fish day was lousy. The fish were big and plentiful and more than willing to eat flies and lures.

Find out more about this fishery at Cross Current Guide Service & Outfitters

VHS Threat to Fisheries

If you have been fishing in the Great Lakes Basin, which includes all tributaries to the Great Lakes, it is important that you clean your equipment, especially waders and watercraft, before you enter any other water bodies.

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) virus is a real and current threat to fresh and salt water fisheries. All anglers should be concerned about this danger that, so far, has been isolated to the Great Lakes Basin in freshwater environments. In saltwater, the virus has been found in the Pacific Northwest and in the North Atlantic.

Here are a few websites where you can get more information about this fish killing virus:

USDA Emerging Disease Notice
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia in the Great Lakes Region
NOAA VHS Factsheet
Michigan DNR Factsheet

I'd like to thank Chuck Murray, Fisheries Biologist, Pennsylvania Fish nad Boat Commission's Lake Erie Resarch Unit who has provided some of the links above and has kept me updated on this disease.