This year, Mother Nature threw us a few challenges and we only fished the WBD for a day.  The Cannonsville Reservoir  turned over a few days ago, releasing chocolate, turbid water through the West Branch.  The water release also increased from 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1,1oo cfs.  Finally, Hurricane Earl added to the mix by contributing blowing winds all day.  The forecast called for gusts up to 43 mph.

We rented a driftboat from West Branch Angler’s Resort and floated the approximate 7 mile trip from Stilesville (below the wier) to the resort property, below Hale Eddy Bridge.  During our entire float, we didn’t witness another bank fly fisherman.  Our only other company was a fellow drift boat.  Our strategy was to pound the banks w/ streamers the entire float.  We rigged a 7wt and 8wt w/ a sink tip and experimented w/ various streamers all day.  All told, we landed two browns, the largest 21″.  There was a rocky bank that produced several strikes within a 100 yard stretch, but most of the river blanked us.  Sparse streamers, buggy streamers, massive articulated streamers, varying retrieves, dark and light colors, were all part of our arsenal.  Clousers were the fly that produced most interest.  We only observed four rises during the entire float and minimal insect activity.  With the discolored water, the fish had 15″ or so of visibility.  While the wind wasn’t as bad as we expected, we think the turbid water hurt our quality fishing.  If we were to repeat that day under similar conditions, I would increase the length of our float and concentrate streamers on the rocky bottom and prime lies.

Nonetheless, it always a treat to fish the WBD.  Under challenging conditions, we managed to land two fish.  We also witnessed a graceful bald eagle fly a few feet overhead.  It’s such a beautiful fishery with so much promise as a big fish producer.  I doubt that I will have another chance to fish it this year.  Now, it’s time to start gear up for our tributary fishing.  New York State has so much to offer the angler and I’m greateful that another season is quickly upon us!  For those interested and willing to pay your angling dues, the WBD will continue to give up trophy browns over the next month or so.  In my case, Lake Onario tributaries start heating up and these fish are much closer and quicker to target.  Choose your wonderful angling options within the Empire State and remember to take a kid fishing this Fall!

Two friends and I recently enjoyed fishing a quality sulpher and blue winged olive hatch on the West Branch of the Delaware River.  There was a good flow (600 plus cfs) and stable water temperature (50 degrees).  With this heat spell, the Upper West Branch has been one of the more trout friendly fishing venues in New York State.  Even better, it is the most consistent option to enjoy surface mayfly fishing.  You may find blue winged olives any month of the year and the sulpher hatch generally lasts from late May to September.  That said, you are hard pressed to find more selective trout.  With so many naturals, those WBD fish become conditioned to and capable of discriminating against flies.

We arrived on the river at 11 am and immediately spotted rising fish.  Only  yards from our car,  I noticed a nice snout feeding.  Claiming that fish, I eagerly crossed a side channel, crept through tall grasses and positioned myself above the trout.  I stayed low, crept closer to the fish and stripped out sufficient fly line.  I also noticed a few olives on the surface and observed the feeding pattern of this particular fish.  Then, I tied on a #20 blue winged oliver emerger to 7x and checked my 16′ leader.  Again, I observed the feeding patterns of this fish.   Timing my cast, I dropped the fly five feet above the fish and fed out line as it drifted towards the trout.  On my first cast, the trout rose, I saw the white mouth engulf my fly and I gently lifted tight. After some side pressure and patience, a beautiful 18.5″ brown was led  head first into my net.

It’s not always this easy.  Yet, there are a number of aspects to improve your odds.  Selective trout don’t automatically jump on your fly and you need to maximize your chances.  Here are hints that should help you land wily summertime trout:

1. Try staying out of the water and slooowly move into position.  If you have to enter the water, avoid sending a wake and spooking fish.  I prefer an upstream location that allows me to present my fly first, then the leader.  It’s all about the presentation and your stealthy approach helps.
2. Your first few casts are usually your best shot.  Strip out your line in advance and avoid lining (casting over) the fish.
3. Lengthen your leader.  If you can cast a 16′ or longer leader, there are advantages.
4. Mend and continually control your line.
5. If you manage half a dozen more drag free casts that were clearly in the fish’s window and didn’t earn a take, change flies.  Again, observe the water, seine the surface and ascertain what the fish might be consuming.  The rise form, combined with an observation of the surface film should help unlock some of the guessing game.
6. Your next fly should be distinctly different over the past imitation.  Ensure that you are giving the trout something new.  Spinners and cripples always take their share of summertime trout.  Or, sometimes movement is a key trigger.
7. Sometimes the fish are so focused on naturals that you can’t compete.  Consider throwing a tiny attractor (wulff/stimulator/terrestrial) or something beefy to get their attention (streamer/chernobyl/isonychia/drake).  The majority of fish won’t vary, but now and then an opportunistic fish pounces on something different.
8. Patience is a virtue, but know when to leave a fish to find another.  If you have an aggressive fish downstream that is gulping down insects steadily, go for it.  There is great reward in finally hooking that super selective fish.  At the same time, there is  merit in taking a break and restoring your confidence with a fresh fish.
9. Consider fishing until you can’t see any more.  During this last trip to the WBD, I hooked three quality fish between 9:20 pm and 9:40 pm.  Position yourself with the best possible light and cast minimal line.  Lift up when you hear, see or feel anything promising.  Your instincts will guide you.  During the heat of the summer, the best surface fishing may occur the final twenty minutes.  You should be able to get away with an over sized fly at this time.  Surface feeders may also be observed in low light, early morning conditions.
10. Had enough of super selective trout?   No problem, we all need variety now and then.  Head to your local farm pond for some bluegills on poppers or throw some foam/deerhair sliders at  bass!

The mass of sulphers on the water was impressive.  As was the concentrated emergence of olives late afternoon.  The frustrating aspect was that these fish were so selective, they stymied us.  Other than a few smaller fish that we each landed, we couldn’t connect with the larger browns.  I lost one pig brown that buried itself in thick weeds as I was about to net it.  My 7 x tippet survived two spectacular jumps and a decent tug of war, only to part within a foot of the net.  That lost trophy brown (estimated 21″ to 23″) haunted me on the car ride home.  Otherwise, we didn’t land a fish over 13″.  Despite hours of snouts feeding, we couldn’t get a take.  Or, if we managed  a strike, we had so much line out that we managed to miss it.  I’ve fished the WBD sulpher hatch for years and have confidence in my ability to consistently fool fish.  Yesterday’s bag of angling tricks didn’t work (super long 17″ 6x or 7 x flourocarbon leader, stealth approach, accurate casts, drag free drifts, multiple mends, arsenal of cripple/emerger patterns, various sizes of rusty brown spinner, sneaking in a terrestrial, timing the feeder, etc).  The surface film was littered with so much competition that we didn’t land a single big fish.  Great to sight fish large feeding trout for hours, maddeningly aggravating to miss so many opportunities!  Artie and I took some consolation that the two guide boats and other wading anglers didn’t manage a hook up on our stretch.   It probably doesn’t hurt our angling ego to get humbled now and then.  The sulphers will continue to get smaller as the season progresses and I’m already scheming for a rematch!

As anglers, we tend to enjoy all aspects of fly fishing and relish each opportunity to wet a line.  I don’t know where I’d be without my annual dose of crashing bluefish, lazy farm bluegills, fresh tributary chrome, salmon madness in the fall, Thousand Island smallmouth, and so on.  We are blessed with so many fly fishing possibilities.

At the same time, most of us possess favorite fisheries and prefer specific styles of fly fishing.  One of my annual highlights is fishing the sulpher hatch in June on the West Branch of the Delaware River.  Drifting yellow mayflies, intercepted by lazy snouts poking through the surface is a perennial favorite.  Those white mouths breaking the surface, gulping in sulphers provide angling motivation throughout the season.

I invited two friends (Artie and Greg) to join me for Friday afternoon and planned on meeting another friend from North Carolina on Saturday (Bob).  Each of us drove several hours, just to fish the late afternoon and evening hatch.  Fellow blogger Artie Loomis-ADK Trout Bum and I started fishing the PA Gamelands, looking for bank feeders.  He has a smooth cast and it was nice to watch him work two shallow water fish as they periodically fed.  Within minutes he was tight to a 17″ brown that took a sulpher emerger.  Next, we hiked upriver and continued to look for feeders.  It looked like the sulpher hatch recently ended and we were faced with waiting/slow time.   With a bright sun overhead and clear visibility, we managed to spot several shallow water fish on a gravel shelf.  Artie hid in the grass, parallel to the fish while I worked it from above.  He did a great job of letting me know where the fish was and how it responded.  Thirty casts and eight flies later (cripples/spinner/nymphs), another fish pushed it out and they both disappeared.  I worked that fish as well as I could and never managed a take!  Sulphers picked up again  around 6 pm and we managed a few smaller browns, but we didn’t see many quality fish feeding.  I lost one large fish that I didn’t finesse on the take.  Still, it was a slow night for the three of us.  Discussing things at the parking lot, we had more questions than answers regarding our disappointing night and lack of decent fish.

Saturday morning, I hooked my first fish at 5:30 am.  It was a chunky 14″ brown that ate a rusty spinner.  Not much else rising in my stretch of water, so I enjoyed a several hour breakfast and reading break.  After 10 am, I returned to the PA Gamelands and promptly observed risers.  Staying on the bank, sneaking up and crouching low, I managed two dozen casts to a steady fish.  I didn’t like my position and the brown didn’t like my presentation.  So, I dropped back down, crossed the river, walked upstream and gently waded into a better casting position.  There were plenty of # 22 olives on the water and fish apparently enjoying these baetis delights.  I broke off my first fish on the hook set-total angler error!  Minutes later, I relaxed when I saw the white mouth engulf my fly and was soon hooked up to a fiesty 20″ brown.  Over the next six hours, I landed another nine fish, most over 15″.  The two most memorable included a chunky rainbow that cartwheeled downstream and pulled valiantly. The second was a 21″ measured brown that ate my #20 cdc sulpher emerger within 4″ of a large boulder.  That fish was feeding tight to the rock and it was a tricky reach cast w/ plenty of mending to keep the fly in the zone.  It was awesome to watch that fish rise up, turn with the fly and chase it down as it was passing.

The WBD provides superb sight, dry fly fishing for selective, trophy trout.  It will humble an angler and there are some fish that leave you shaking your head in disbelief.  Despite my successes, one larger brown rejected every sulpher and olive imitation that I threw.  Cool, yet aggravating to watch a trophy fish feed on naturals within inches of your fly.  Still, pay your dues and the fish will reward you.  Fishing a 16′ leader, casting to rising fish and wading like a heron improve your odds.  Combine these stealth tactics with patience and an arsenal of flies, and you may experience the thrill of dancing trout on the WBD.  I can’t wait for my next trip to the WBD.

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This year my strategy was to nymph deeper water in the morning then move up the river to catch the mid afternoon sulfur hatches. Reports were telling us that the colder water up towards the damn was producing earlier hatches. Sulphers, BWOs, and caddis were the predominant hatches. This year I was able to land a couple large fish (under 20″) and several smaller fish. None of them disappointed in strength and difficulty. Both large fish caught, jumped several times and took out a lot of line. The West Branch’s wild trout are always a thrill to catch.

The flies that were successful for me were, Prince Nymph, Rusty Spinner, Sulfur Spinner, and Sulfur Emerger.  The spinner flies were the most sucessful when the Cedar Waxwings were in full feeding mode above our heads.  It is always important to have long leaders (12′ plus), wade very slowly, and fish above the rising fish.  Also don’t be surprised to find the largest fish in shallow water.

If you haven’t booked your trip to the West Branch Angler, I recommend you do so.  You will experience one of the most difficult but most rewarding rivers in all of the United States.  Good luck and tight lines.

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Each Spring I host a long weekend trip to the West Branch of the Delaware River.  I offer this trip through The Canandaigua Lake Chapter of Trout Unlimited and to any interested friends.  It is an affordable three night trip, a mere three hour drive from Rochester.  Each year we have a good mix of return anglers, as well as newcomers to the WBD.  It is a good chance to spend quality time on the water, as well as pleasant social time with fellow anglers.  A dozen of us stay at the White House of the West Branch Angler’s Resort.  It’s nice to be able to walk out the front door and spot rising trout in the river.

This year, the WBD didn’t disappoint.  Despite our hot Spring, warm water temperatures, low flows and abundance of floating algae, we enjoyed decent conditions and respectable periods of rising fish. They bumped up the release from Cannonsville Reservoir to 340 cfs.  This reduced the floating algae, helped maintain cooler temps and improved the overall quality of the fishery.   For hatches we witnessed a variety of caddis, sporadic march browns, a few random green drakes, the odd isonychia, several light cahills and consistent sulphers.  Patterns that represented sulpher emergers, sulpher cripples and sulpher spinners/rusty spinners caught the majority of fish.  Nobody experienced a dozen fish day, but a couple of us managed to fool several 18″ to 22″ browns during the trip.  The wily WBD trout were stingy if you waded sloppily,  didn’t fish an extra long leader, didn’t offer a drag free downstream drift or failed to present an attractive pattern related to their insect buffet.  There are so many small presentation details that  put a fish down on this river.

My most memorable fish of the trip was a 21.5 inch brown that I worked for over an hour.  We were fishing the Upper Gamelands and I spotted his snout, hidden in the shade and within inches of a rock.  I was taking a break on the bank.  I likely would have blown that fish out of the shallows.  It took several minutes to stealthily move into position.  The fish held in the slack water behind the rock, feeding on the edge of the minimal current.  Now and then the white mouth would cleanly break the surface, but most rises were imperceptible.  On a 17 foot, 6x fluorocarbon leader I presented a variety of sulpher emergers and cripples.  After ten fly changes, plenty of mending, patient timing and persistence, it took one of my high vis foam rusty spinners.  It’s such a glorious rush to witness the take, celebrate the dry fly hook up and watch a beefy fish rooster tail out of shallow water. It’s also nice to have a friend nearby to snap a few pictures.  Each fish is memorable, while some shine.  This brown, while not my largest WBD trophy, was well earned.  The memory of this fish also supports my fishing ego.  The following day, I couldn’t capitalize on an aggressive snout that gulped down every surface floating fly, ignoring all my offerings.  That’s the way the WBD works.  There are moments of greatness, times of frustration and perpetual angling scenarios to savor.  All this in a beautiful setting.  I can’t wait for my next trip to the WBD!

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Two friends from North Carolina drove up to spend a week fishing the Delaware River System.  Both are semi-retired and enjoy superb Appalachian Trout and Tennessee Tailwater fishing.  One just returned from Chile and it seems like they enjoy exotic  angling trips annually.  It wasn’t a coincidence that they journeyed to the Empire State to take advantage of unparalleled dry fly fishing with hendricksons on the West Branch of the Delaware.  They intend to fish the Delaware River System for over a week, with no departure date established.  Im envious of their semi-retirement state, as my schedule is less flexible and it was a challenge to manage one day off to join them.

Driving to the WBD is a three hour trip and I enjoy company.  It’s also nice to share gas expenses.  I feel less guilty about burning fuel during a long day trip.  In less than three hours we were on the river.  We started nymphing mid-morning at a lower riffle, well known for eager rainbows and their proclivity to swipe at a soft hackle.  Riffles can be great ice breakers for novice fisherman.  Three of us nymphed or swung soft hackles and it was slow!  I managed two average rainbows, but we weren’t impressed.  This was the second time this season that this familiar riffle failed to produce decent fish.

After lunch, we drove upstream of Hale Eddy Bridge and decided to join our NC friends at a large pool.  Walking in, it was fun to recognize a familiar face in the middle of the water, lifting his rod sharply and fighting a 19″ brown.  We thought it a fitting welcoming gift for our Southern brethren.  From noon to 6 pm, in between lightning/rain/hail/gusts and sunshine, we enjoyed fine, technical dry fly fishing.  There were three caddis species on the water, with apple caddis predominant.  We also saw a lesser hatch of hendricksons and some blue winged olives.

Several aspects stood out from this trip.  First, I’ve never witnessed as much angling pressure in this stretch.  While our party numbered five, there were another seven fly fisherman plying this long stretch of water mid-afternoon.  Kayaks, pontoon boats, canoes and drift boats also passed through.  While hendricksons are winding down, word must be out that fishing has been solid. Some of those passing vessels put down spooky, large bank feeders that were just getting comfortable.  I felt like I was scouting, hunting and waiting more than usual to target a decent snout.  River traffic and angling pressure reduced windows of angling opportunity.  Second, we were forced to take shelter on the banks several times during the afternoon.  Thunder, lightning, driving rain, gusty winds drove us off the river.  There’s something special about hunkering underneath a large tree, collectively waiting out a storm.  Sky may crackle above and sheets of rain fall, but there is angling solidarity in waiting out the passing storm.  Third, my usually reliable rusty spinner pattern failed to produce any fish.  My friends did ok w/ spinners, but I struck out.  The hendrickson emergence is waning and wind/rain likely played a factor for the lack of spinners.  Just after a violent storm, things calmed down and I landed two nice browns (18″ and 19.75″) on a rabbit’s foot hendrickson emerger.   These two post storm fish, were my only success with hendricksons.  At the same time, apple caddis were abundant.  My best fish of the day, a 21.5″ brown came on a tan antron cripple caddis pattern.  It was a treat to observe the abundant caddis and fish feeding on emergers, cripples and spent caddis during the day.  That said, I sure need a better sunken, spent caddis pattern.  None of us were able to fool a fish after 8 pm and we still think they were taking spent caddis.  Fourth, we’re glad we didn’t pay attention to the breezy forecast.  We would have missed some fine fishing if we stayed home. It didn’t blow a steady 10 to 20 mph and there was a good mixture of sun during the day.  All in all, it was a wonderful one day escape to the WBD.  Between the five of us, we landed multiple fish between 17″ and 22″. Good fishing, great company and beautiful scenery around us.  It was a treat to share the trip w/ fellow ROC anglers and a blessing to catch up w/ old friends from North Carolina.  I sure hope they enjoy some great fishing the next week or so!

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The forecast called for lower sixties and ten to fifteen mph winds.  The flow at Hale Eddy hovered around 380 cfs and recent reports of dark caddis, blue quills, hendricksons, and dark stoneflies encouraged us.  A visit to the friendly guys at the West Branch Angler Resort confirmed promising conditions.  The only caveats:   heavier angling pressure due to a FUDR One Fly Tournament, hatches later in the day (anytime after 2:30 pm) and the overnight frost cooled off the river.  Not wanting to wait hours for dry fly action, we drove to the Lower WBD and hiked to a well known riffle.  There were already 3 anglers nymphing the upper run.  They were floating the river with a raft and we knew that they wouldn’t spend too much time here.  They talked about how great this riffle fished yesterday, w/ smaller hare’s ear and pheasant tail nymphs.  After a fish less hour, they gave up and rowed downstream.  Greg and I continued to nymph.  We nymphed and nymphed, changing flies, prospecting new water, adjusting weights and basically wore out our arms.  Over the next four plus hours, we determinedly dropper nymphed this riffle and didn’t land a fish.  I lost two after the initial bite, but never managed to solidly hook a fish.  There were plenty of blue quills on the water and sporadic tan caddis, but rising trout were ghostly scarce.   This awesome riffle was frustrating and skunked us!  I can’t recall another time not finding fish here, especially in the Spring or Summer.  My best guess is that the cold overtime temperatures stunned the fishing and set things back.  That, or the ever present wind gusts shut down rising trout.

It was 4:15 and we hadn’t experienced any promising dry fly fishing!  Aargh, what is going on with my beloved WBD?  I decided to move us upriver.  Around 4:45, we found ourselves at a new stretch with one angler present.  As we walked the bank, I predicted to Greg that if we were going to see rising trout, they would be in the shallows, off the first point ahead.  It was at this moment, that our trip to the WBD became a joy.  Within seconds of my prediction, we observed three solid snouts, gliding about as they engulfed blue quills and henricksons.  I dropped to my knees, crawled a few more feet and positioned myself 25′ above the feeding fish.  Next, I stripped out line and cast my #14 rabbit’s foot hendrickson emerger.  The cast landed six feet upstream and I fed line downstream, purposefully placing the fly in the trout’s feeding lane.  The fly appeared to drift in slow motion, as did the large snout and white mouth that absorbed my fly.  It was an ideal presentation and a perfect take. I lifted the rod up, the brown shook it’s head and then bolted to the center of the river. Maintaining side pressure and a tight line, I let the fish run and wear down.  After a few more light charges, I was able to lift up the fish’s head and guide it gently into my waiting net.  This first cast fish measured a legitimate 22″ and was a beauty to admire.  After a celebratory whoop and pics, we pulled back from the point and looked for more risers.  It was Greg’s turn and I wanted him to savor dry fly fishing for large browns.  Soon, he was casting to a brown, twelve feet off the bank.  On his eighth cast, the fish slid over and took his fly.  This fish fought well and minutes later, Greg admired a buttery 18.5″ brown.  It’s always a treat to help a friend unlock some of the secrets to dry fly fishing on the WBD.

Over the next two plus hours, we targeted numerous fish feeding on quill gordons and hendricksons.  If the wind kicked down for more than a minute, the rises increased.  My snowshoe rabbit emerger pattern fooled a few more trout, then I tied on a foam spinner pattern and duped several more.  I wasn’t able to locate another pod of larger fish collectively feeding.  Yet, groups of smaller fish were willing to take a well presented surface imitation.  I must have hooked another six to eight more fish, with a measured 20″ and 17″ as the largest.  Any fishery that provides four wild trout on dry flies between 17″ and 22″ merits special consideration.  Add in several smaller browns and rainbows, and you have a joyful fishery.  The WBD is a fickle and frustrating fishery, not suited for every angler.  I tend to dry fly fish a 16′ leader or longer, cast accurately to feeding fish, impart multiple mends to manage line, wade like a heron and carry an arsenal of fly patterns.  There are no guarantees on this river.  At the same time, there can be wonderful hatches for robust, wild trout.  These fish will bite if you catch the right conditions and bring your A-Game of fly fishing skills.  I can’t wait for my next trip to the WBD.  Happy Spring and remember to take a kid fishing!

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After church on Sunday, I made a motivated drive to the West Branch of the Delaware River.  I was motivated to fish because I liked the conditions.  Over the past week, the cubic feet per second (cfs) discharge from Cannonsville Reservoir dropped below 1,000.  Just three days ago, the cfs was in the 600 range.  As I type this on Wednesday, it is now in the 360 range.  Water flows under 900 cfs make for a wadable river.  Combine 4o degree plus water temperatures with moderate flows and warm air, and you will likely enjoy fine dry fly fishing.

I stopped in to visit my friends at West Branch Angler Resort to catch up on news.  Larry, Sam, Matt, and Ben are friendly when I call or make a visit.  After saying hello and supporting a quality local fly shop,  I decided to head downriver to seek slightly warmer water temperatures.  The weekend cold front cooled off the fishing and lessened surface action.  The first Game Lands Lot was packed with cars, so I kept driving.  The lower Gamelands  Lot was vacant and I quickly geared up.  To my chagrin, there were two guide boats parked on the water, along with three spin fisherman.  The wind was also howling.  I didn’t see any bugs nor rising fish, so I threw a white zonker.  I’m still perplexed that I consistently catch fish nymphing, swinging wet flies and on dries, but struggle to pick up WBD fish on streamers. After flogging a riffle stretch to no avail, I decided to hike downstream and scout for bank feeders.  At this point, the drift boats were gone and the spin fisherman back at their car.  Perhaps the gusting wind  chased them away.

Around 2:30 pm, I noticed the first splashy rises.  Between wind gusts, there were also several bank feeders rising.  Flotillas of quill gordons, blue quills and the odd hendrickson ensued.  It’s such a rite of Spring to savor the first solid mayfly hatches of the season!  I removed my t-14 sink tip, placed a new 5x leader on and tied on a #16 quill gordon emerger pattern (dark trailing shuck/natural goose biot abdomen/gray dubbing/snowshoe rabbit wing).  Unable to ignore the splashy, celebratory rise of a trout 15′ away, I cast to it.  The 12″ brown happily gulped my fly on the first good drift.  Between aggravating wind gusts, the next two hours were part dry fly bliss, part dry fly torture .  Wind gusts shut down all surface action, then it would stop and fish would resume feeding for 1-2 minutes..  When the wind diminished and I saw a rise, a good drift resulted in a fish.  I likely landed 8 trout within a 40 yard stretch of the West Branch.  I lost one pig fish in shallow water, but didn’t see as many larger snouts in this stretch.  Even the close, shallow water bank feeders were fish under 14″.  For those who don’t know the WBD, wind can play a significant factor.  Look for fish feeding out of the wind line, especially closer to the shore.  Protected lanes without wind chop that are close to the shore,  often have an insect buffet that the fish are still able to comfortably feed in.  Even with a steady 15 mph wind and gusts up to 27 mph, I was able to time a few casts and capitalize on the window of opportunity. Eventually, the wind took over, fish stopped feeding and I scouted three other stretches of river.  Talking to other anglers and drift boats, not as many big fish were observed feeding today.  That’s a bit of a surprise, because this river gives up numerous 20″ plus fish to the dry fly.  That said, I couldn’t complain with my nice mix of fiesty rainbows and browns.  My quill gordon emerger caught seven fish, before the turkey biot body broke.  I can’t wait to fish the WBD again and hope that you are enjoying some fine Spring Angling.

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The WBD has been an even tougher fishery these past few weeks w/ irregular air temps, windy days, rain and dropping water.  Inconsistent hatches and marginal surface feeding proved to be the case in both trips.  On Sunday, we arrived at Stilesville, just in time for Deposit’s Annual Raft Race Day.  Emergency crew in their air boat raced up and down the river, escorting 50 enterprising rafters.  Although this was a fun local spectacle to watch, it did little to help fishing conditions.  The afternoon sulpher hatch was slow w/ no good trout snouts visible.  Late afternoon we fished a riffle below Hancock and I managed to lose 5 decent fish.  All taken on tiny sulpher/brassie style nymphs on 6x and I put a clinic on how to lose fish.  Sunday’s evening hatch never materialized and we left the water close to 9:30.  We did manage to see two eagles, a coyote, deer, a turkey and a host of other birds.  However, no decent trout brought to net and no sustained surface feeding.

On Wednesday we experienced a better sulpher hatch from 11 am to 2, but w/ very few decent fish feeding on the surface.  Plenty of 4″ to 8″ feeding in pods, but no big snouts.   Now that we are in summer mode, these larger fish are less likely to feed on the surface and prefer the nymphs/cripples/emergers that lie 2-6″ under the surface.  I fished a 16′ leader w/ 6x, double flies and had very few shots @ decent fish.  Several times  I spooked larger browns handing tight against grassy points, never showing themselves w/ feeding or breaking the surface.  All the while, the 6″ smaller yearling browns are feeding all over the place.  It is nice to see a healthy population of young fish in the system.  There wasn’t enough bug mass on the water to get the larger boys interested.  Late afternoon we nymphed two riffles (including Balls Eddy) and only managed several small rainbows/browns.  To end the night, we fished the Lower Gamelands and again, the hatch/spinner fall never materialized.  The WBD is an awesome fishery, but it sure was stingy w/ us these two recent trips.