Esopus - 2018

[jmckinl1]

Nobody reporting as of yet. High, cold water has been the norm for the first few weeks of the season.

I have managed to get out twice. A beautiful 8-9 inch stream born brown on one day. The other day managed to hook up with 6 wild bows in the 8-12in range with 3 in the net.

Always a beautiful river to walk and wade but probably my worst fish days in a few years. Though things are looking up (temp/flows) going forward.

Anyone else having any luck??

 

[AxisMike]

Nobody reporting as of yet. High, cold water has been the norm for the first few weeks of the season.

I have managed to get out twice. A beautiful 8-9 inch stream born brown on one day. The other day managed to hook up with 6 wild bows in the 8-12in range with 3 in the net.

Always a beautiful river to walk and wade but probably my worst fish days in a few years. Though things are looking up (temp/flows) going forward.

Anyone else having any luck??

Sounds like your off to a good start. At least a couple catches is in the right direction.

 

[patrick62]

It will be interesting to see how the portal repair work affects things.

I want to get over to Phoenicia and prowl around the tribs for those rainbows, but I have to wait until I get a new water pump put in the house. It should have happened this week but you know how that goes.

 

[patrick62]

I had a tremendous afternoon catching big rainbows on Hendrickson dries Sunday.

 

[jmckinl1]

Glad fishing has picked up. Conditions look perfect....unfortunately work has take me away for a couple of weeks.

 

[patrick62]

To elaborate:

I went over Saturday. It was cold and wet and awful and the only thing I saw was the a brookie holdover in Woodland who stuck his tongue out at me and said "Nyaah nyaah nyaah" before disappearing.

Sunday, however, was a lot different. Started on Woodland down by Herdman Road, and after nymphing up a few browns started getting some bang-bang on Hendrickson dries.

That pattern held on the Esopus, down at that new access area between Mt Tremper and Boiceville.

I was rigged up for euro-nymphing, with an 11 foot 4 wt switch rod, but fish were smacking something in the film. So I abandoned the nymphs, added about two miles of 5X tippet, and was able, with the long rod, to cast across two currents and get a decent drift.

And for the next two hours I caught at least a dozen absolute hog rainbows. I'm talking 18"-22" fish. They leapt and jumped and wiggled off the hook so expertly that I finally put on a fly without tamping the barb down, just to get the dang thing in the net.

I finally stopped, not because the hatch petered out, but because my arm hurt.

They liked the dark Hendrickson better than the light one. There were some smaller browns who took the fly on the swing too.

It was a remarkable afternoon.

 

[jmckinl1]

After several weeks away and watching the conditions become perfect on the USGS website, anaged to finally get out yesterday in the mist and light rain.

Unfortunately could not find any of those hogs, but netted dozens and dozens of fish. Mostly in the 8-10” range with a couple of bows and browns in the 12-14” range....and quite a few couple in the 3-4” range.

Wildlife was insane. A couple of snakes cruising the river and a smallish Black bear decided to cross the river about 50 feet away right between the only other person on the river and me.

 

[jmckinl1]

Another beautiful day just being out on the E. 10” wild bows and a few browns absolutely smashing Adams and EHC. While this is not particularly a ‘hatch’ river, with a few annual exceptions, there was a steady flow of size 14-16 brown mayflys and light tan caddis coming off. While the fish were not big, exciting and fun nonetheless!!!!

 

[patrick62]

Went over early Sunday morning. Fished between the bridges in Phoenicia. Good wet fly action. Flow is low and on warm side for this time of year. Portal is closed, don't know why. Kayak release next weekend.

This morning Esopus was bam bam action. A lot of recently stocked browns with some decent rainbows and the usual silver bullets. Caddis galore, cahills, March Browns

 

[patrick62]

Portal is running again, so a little bump in flow at Coldbrook and a little drop in water temps. Wish I was there instead of at the office.

 

[czucker]

There's a portal tease this weekend. Is it typically unfishable at these times?

I have a buddy coming up and I'm trying to figure out if we should skip it altogether and hit the Schoharie.

 

[don_p]

As you said, the June 2 & 3 release has been approved, however, the answer to your question depends on the release flow forecast. The NYSDEC website info recommends you contact them for information concerning release flow rates.

Here's the link,
https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/80682.html

and here's the contact information they recommend....
For more information about reservoir releases, please contact Brenan Tarrier at the Division of Water, (518) 402-8086

The local tube rental outfit also has some limited info on their site, included that link as well.
http://www.towntinker.com/whitewater-release-dates/

 

[patrick62]

Had a nice couple of days on the E above the portal, where some decent fish responded to heavy nymphs and occasionally took a whack at a passing wet fly.

The main river was high with the recreational release. But I didn't see many kayakers. They used to come en masse and camp at the old Simpson's ski area by the Woodland Valley bridge in Phoenicia. But Saturday morning there wasn't a soul around, and didn't even see a boat until I was coming back from the Boiceville IGA around 10:30 a.m. and observed a small caravan of vehicles carrying boats.

Sunday morning I took a whack at the big E down along Plank Road, opposite the RV campground, where you can get at the river without death-defying feats of wading. (Stumbling over rocks on shore doesn't count.)

In the soft water out of the main current I managed to coax a couple of browns out of witness protection with mops and a size 10 hare's ear nymph. Nothing terribly exciting.

I also watched a kayaker tie his boat to something on shore, along the rip rap. The something promptly gave way and I was treated to an authentic kayak chase. I have to say, I was impressed. It was cold out, and this fellow dove right in and snagged it. Didn't hesitate.

 

[patrick62]

Spent last two weekends on Esopus and environs. Water nice and cold, 54 to 58 at Shandaken cemetery even when it was broiling hot on Sunday, June 17.

Isos, cahills, partridge and yellows, small caddis emergers and things like Woolies and mops when nothing else seems to get anybody's attention.

My only beef was the quality of fish, not quantity. I seem to have settled into a 8-12 inch brown trout rut. WHere are the silver bullets? WHere are those massive rainbows I was messing with in early May? WHy can't I type words starting with "wh" without messing up the capitalization?

 

[patrick62]

Just returned from three days on the E. Water temps as good as can be expected, getting up over 70 late afternoon. Water temp drops fast once sun is off water, so find places in shade if possible. We're talking difference between 68-72 and 60- 64. Morning is of course best. Go early, like 5 am. You can take a nap aftet lunch. Closer to portal the better. Lots of silver bullets. Isos, cahills, soft hackle all produced. Try a black spider fly or a Tenkara soft hackle. Water is green murky, nothing drastic. Plenty of action. If I didn't have to cover something this afternoon I would have stayed another day.

 

[patrick62]

Looks like I picked the right few days, it's blown out at 2660 cfs this morning.

 

[sjauch]

I was up there Saturday for the first time and had a great day. Level looked a little low so the rain is welcome but man that's up a ton.

 

[stevemcd1956]

Got out last week. The Esopus is my home water, usually there a couple of days a week. Very encouraged this year. Catching a lot of wild bows again, nothing terrific in size, 10 to 11 inches. But that is promising for next year and the future.

 

[jmckinl1]

Have not been out in a long while...work, heat, rains, etc.. but managed to get out today after the heat, but before the holiday rush and rec release. E fished like a dream today. Loads and loads of fish of all sizes but just before noon, the bigger fellas (for the E) came out to play. Half a dozen 12-16” bows and half a dozen 12-16” browns in the stretch of an hour. Had family obligations, but could have enjoyed for hours and hours and hours.

 

[patrick62]

I'm heading over Friday afternoon for a couple of days, I hope