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August 27, 2001 |
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Fishing the East Branch Delaware
River
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Anyone wandering around outdoors in the northeast right now is sure to notice how very low most of our major streams and their smaller tributaries are due to a lack of significant rain. This of course is the time of year when trout are stressed by higher water temperatures, lower oxygen, and limited areas where they can survive. Many fishermen turn away from the renowned trout streams for other pursuits at this time, giving the fish a chance to survive.
But in the Catskills we are fortunate to have a handful of good tailwater streams where we can still spend an evening casting flies during the hottest parts of summer. A tailwater stream is a stream flowing out of a reservoir, draining the cold bottom layer (called the hypolimnion) and keeping fish and fishermen happy. Three of New York City's six Catskill/Delaware water supply reservoirs have well established tailwater fisheries; the West Branch Delaware River (from Cannonsville Reservoir), the East Branch Delaware River (from Pepacton Reservoir); and the Neversink River (from Neversink Reservoir) (there are also trout in the Rondout River, below Rondout Reservoir, but releases are much lower).
Last week my friend Tom, a fellow Trout Unlimited member, invited me to fish with him after work on the East Branch, below Downsville. While many other streams are over 70° right now, the East Branch was a cool 53°. Mayflies were in the air and on the water; small sulphers and even smaller blue-wing olives. It was another hot day, but the cool water pressing in around my waders felt terrific, as did the light evening breeze that tossed itself around among the riparian trees. At first there were only a few scattered, unpredictable rises, then feeding increased as dusk set in. I'm used to catching little 6" or 7" brookies most of the time, so seeing many large 15"+ fish actively feeding was a thrill. But it was a frustrating thrill, because the fish were very selective and refused to take any of the 20 or 30 different flies I threw at them. Tom didn't catch any fish either, but he had a couple missed strikes. He comes here more often than I though, and I was treated to tales of fish caught on previous days. This was by no means a disappointing trip for me however, as I fully enjoyed seeing the healthy population of fish and insects in the river, watching a young beaver cruise upstream along the far bank, hearing a kingfisher and a nuthatch, having honking Canada geese cruise overhead and squawking mergansers swim by, and fishing among wonderful scenery on a delightful summer evening.
This and the other important tailwater streams are the subject of much contention and concern right now. Trout Unlimited and local fishermen have vocally expressed their concern that these rivers are not getting a reliable, adequate release of cold water from the reservoirs. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for the reservoirs and controls releases. DEP is mandated to release minimum amounts of water to satisfy the fisheries concerns of the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as the out-of-state water supply concerns of Delaware River Basin Commission. But fishermen and conservationists maintain that the minimum releases are not enough, and are too sporadic, to keep the trout, aquatic macro-invertebrates, and other river life in its optimal condition. Indeed, I took my Dad and a couple buddies on a float trip back in May on the main stem Delaware, below Hancock, and we had to drag our rowboats over every single riffle. If someone had told me that the Delaware River could be only three inches deep in spots, I would have laughed at them, but it was true. Now conservation groups, local fishermen, businesses and other stakeholders have banded together to form the 'Delaware Coalition', and they believe that with good planning the NYCDEP can meet both water supply needs and the needs of the cold, tailwater fisheries that are so important to the Delaware region economy.
- Chris and Aaron
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