Fishing Report, July 11th

Greetings Compleat Anglers!  Here is your fishing report for July 11th.

In the Catskills, looks like a mix of clouds with occasional thundershowers for the next few days in the Catskill rivers.  The Delaware West Branch and Upper East Branch are both in good shape temperature-wise, with the West Branch at Hale Eddy a cool 46 degrees and the East Branch at Harvard a nice trout-happy 58 degrees. The lower East Branch (below Fish's Eddy) was already 67 degrees this morning and should push 70 degrees by this afternoon. As well, the Main Stem Delaware (below Buckingham) was at 65 degrees this morning, so it is best to restrict your Main Stem fishing to the upper sections from Junction down to Buckingham.

The Delaware West Branch has Sulphurs (#16-#18), Olives (#18-#20), a few Light Cahills (#14) and sporadic Isos (#10-#12) as well. As usual for this time of year, evenings and mornings can see the most rising fish, but with some clouds and luck, there could be afternoon Sulphurs and Olives as well.

During the day, nymphs fished deep in the riffles and drop-offs have accounted for a good number of fish. Best bets are Caddis Pupa and Larva, Sulphur Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, Princes, Stoneflies, and other small, brownish nymphs and wets.

On the Beaverkill and Willowemoc, fishing has been limited to mornings due to high water temperatures from Livingston manor to East Branch. The upper waters are a bit more cold and fishable. There are currently Isos (#12-#14), Light Cahills (#14), Sulphurs (#16-#18), small Olives (#18-#20) and Tan Caddis (#14-#20).

Catskill Flows are as follows:  

Delaware West Branch at Hale Eddy:    704cfs at 46 degrees;

Delaware East Branch at Harvard:         162cfs at 58 degrees;

Delaware East Branch at Fish's Eddy:    473cfs at 67 degrees;

Delaware Main Stem at Lordville:            1250cfs at 65 degrees;

Beaverkill at Cooks Falls:                         169cfs at 65 degrees;

In Connecticut, the Farmington River West Branch is experiencing water temperatures in the high 50's to low 60's, perfect for fishing. Nymphs have been very effective in the riffle water taking a great mixture of wild and stocked trout - both browns and rainbows. Effective nymph patterns are Stoneflies, Caddis Pupa, smaller Pheasant Tails, Hair's Ear, Sulphur Nymph, and other smaller brownish patterns (#16-#20).

The Farmington has also had some good dry fly action, both in  the pools and the faster water as well. (If it is slow in the pool you are fishing, try finding a nice patch of riffle and take some dry fly shots there as well.)  The trout have been feeding and even slashing at some of the fast fly-emergers that tend to inhabit the riffles, such as Isos (#10-#12), Caddis (#16-#18), Cahills (#14) and BWO/Cornutas (#18-#20).

Water Flows on the Farmington are as follows:

WB Farmington at Riverton:  275cfs at 58 degrees;

Still River at Robertsville:       43cfs

WB Farmington through the TMA:   318cfs at 58-62 degrees

The Housatonic River is running clear at a flow of 575cfs. Water temperatures have been in the mid-60s, so it might be best to restrict trout fishing to early mornings and late evenings. Nymphs have been effective in the riffles (Caddis, Stoneflies, Pheasant Tails, Princes, Hare's Ear) and other small brownish patterns. Best dry flies have been Light Cahill (#14), Tan Caddis (#16-#18), and BWO (#18-#20).  With the river warming bass fishing is picking up nicely, so if you're so inclined, bring along a few poppers and get in on the fun!

In Long Island Sound, the past week has seen some spotty fishing (depending on who you are talking to!)  There are still lots of baitfish, and occasionally (especially early mornings and evenings) some decent-sized bass are on them. Water temperatures are in the mid-70s, and closer in to shore and on the beaches, the bluefish action has waned, although the boaters are still finding Blues further out. There have been some big bass hovering around the Norwalk Islands with reports of some in the 40+ pound range. If you are fly fishing from the beaches, as usual, early mornings (before sun-up) and late evenings will produce the best.

That's it for this week, my friends!  I'll be away for the next two weeks in Africa, fishing for some African Tiger Fish - hoping to come back with all my fingers!  I'll send a picture if I'm lucky enough to hook up!

And Remember - There are some great rod sales in the shop - including the Sage Bolt, the Sage Accel, Loomis, and other iconic brands as well - if you've got a hankerin' for a new rod you can save some BIG money so stop in now and take advantage of this great offer!

Tight Lines!