By KenP on 6/29/2009 4:30 PM

Be sure to thank Doug for the outstanding job he has done on the blog in my absence.  I returned from Alaska and the NC beaches overnight and this morning I saw some of the changes all the rain events caused on the WCC.  Trees down in both DE and PA and some new holding water created by the same.  I evaluated some new gear - Cloudveil grippy sole shoes, Hardy Uniqua rod and reel, Blue sky expedition furled leaders and some new fly patterns.  Looking forward to getting these items up on the site so keep checking the tab for fishing destinations alaska 2009 and NC beaches to be posted over the next few days.  I'll be back on the WCC tomorrow with fishing reports so stay tuned.

Ken

By KenP on 6/28/2009 9:05 AM

Well, I hope every enjoyed my three week stint as blogger while Ken was away.   One last word of wisdom I will leave you with is associated with saltwater fishing.  Most reports I've gotten have reported poor fishing on the flats and IRI recently,  However, I do get consistent reports by a few that are very good.  Apparently, a few individuals have figured some things out.  It takes time and experiment and some luck here and there to figure out a particular area.  I think the numbers of fish in these areas are better than we realize, but we are not optimizing our chances.  If you are interested in fluke, use a size 2 hook or less.  Vary your retreive, try more dead drifts and minimum action retrieves for a while.    Try drastic changes in colors of your flies.  And fish areas less visited.  As y ... Read More »

By KenP on 6/27/2009 8:05 AM

This time last week, we had high barely making 80, clouds, intense thunderstorms, and less than perfect fishing conditions (kindly put) in the White Clay Creek.  Today we have blue skys, high well into the 80s, and gin clear water, in most areas.  Time to get back to normal fishing tactics.  After a prolonged period of heavy rains, some fish will have relocated, typically not too far, but may be set up in new locations none the less.  Do not be so quick to just walk by a less than perfect looking area.  If you do, I can garrentee that you'll walk by some nice fish.  Also, some of these rains were heavy and caused some downed trees and high waters.  There will be changes in sections of the stream.  That is, there will be areas that didn't give the fish a good holding spot that might offer prime spots now.  Botom line, keep your eyes open.  This past three weeks of weather als ... Read More »

By KenP on 6/26/2009 10:54 AM

A quick blog entry that is. 

 

A few reports from the Middle Branch of the White Clay Creek. Trout are still active and some surface action.  Smallies and other pans are really active.  I suspect you will have better fishing sooner than later or at least until the cold front gets in.  The pressure might start dropping this afternoon. 

 

Douger 

By KenP on 6/25/2009 10:07 AM

We are pretty much done the late spring fishing and are moving into summer seasons, even though the weather has been a little cool and wet.  So I thought it might be good to rate how our late spring season went.  As you would expect, there are a lot of variables to consider.  I picked a few and applied letter grades to them.

Number of fish:  The number of fish in our White Clay Creek tends to be relatively consistent.  In Delaware, the State put approximately 22,000 fish in this spring.  We had a good hold over population as well.  Consistency usually equates to a B grade.  But, there are two factors to consider: 1) the unanounced DE stocking of those monster trout in addition to the normal stocking; 2) the cooler (true spring) weather we had has prolonged the numbers and activeness of the trou ... Read More »

By KenP on 6/24/2009 1:12 PM

 

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By KenP on 6/23/2009 11:57 AM

I just finished writing a long spurt about pike flies.  The @#$& site didn't pick it up.  Well here we go again.  I hope I am able to regain the flavor of my last effort.

Last night I gave a tying class on pike flies.  Being the responsible teacher that I am, I did a little research on different patterns to select the right ones appropriate for the skill level of my student.  One thing I noticed and read is that pike flies of today have their origins from bass flies and saltwater flies (primarily tarpon flies and striper flies).  Bass flies? no duh.  Striper flies? sure OK.  Tarpon flies? say what? The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.  Figure a powerful, toothy, preditor.  That description could be used for saltwater fish as wel ... Read More »

By KenP on 6/22/2009 1:58 PM

The word of the day is "improvement."  The White Clay Creek is settling down now; flows have come down and the water is starting to really clear up.  It's amaing how quick it does that, especially in the branches.  Despite the weather, you were able to catch browns in the muddy water over the weekend.  And (based on reports), when they were caught, they tended to be the biggers ones.  Hmm, I think I mentioned that about a week ago.  Either way,  there is no excuse not to be fishing.

Something else to be thinking about: we are getting to that part of the season where a lot of the trout fishers are starting to do some other activity or are changing their target species in other directions (despite the fact that there a lot of trout in the water).  This means that most fly shops are at the point where their trying t ... Read More »

By KenP on 6/21/2009 8:02 AM

I went by the DE flyfishing section of the White Clay Creek on the way in this morning.  Judging by the water marks on the banks, the water was up more than three feet as a result of yesterday's storms.  Good news is the the water is down about two to two and one half feet.  Water is chocolate milk heading towards coffee.  We will have coffee by this evening and cloudy water by tomorrow morning in the FF Only Section.  Fishing in the Delaware portion of the White Clay Creek will be tough going today.  Your best bet is to go up to PA.  It might be a good day to explore the East Branch if you haven't done so before.  By this evening you might have decent conditions. As usual, this is all barring any new heavy storming. 

 

Douger ... Read More »

By KenP on 6/20/2009 9:46 AM

This morning when I drove to the store, the water was coffee again headed toward cloudy.  Between 9:30 and 10:30 we easily had 1/2 to one inch of rain in the Newark area.  Recent report indicate the stream rose about a foot or so.  It really came down.  I doubt the Delaware stream will be any good today.  The storming wasn't as sever in PA, so you might be able to fish up there.  They are calling for isolate T-storms later this afternoon, but not like what we had just now.  Sunday might be OK, but the rest of the week looks like good whether.  We will finally get some releif from the rain. 

In the meantime, tie your box of summer flies.  If you're a wooly bugger user, think about some lighter buggers, tan, blond, grizzly, two-tones.  They are often winners once we get into&# ... Read More »