It has been a tough season for me on the Upper Delaware this year. I put in a LOT of time and came away zeroed on several occasions. Anyone who fishes for large, wild trout knows how trying it can be. The casts are long and the drifts can be extremely technical, demanding huge mends and solid line management skills. Only the most impeccable drag-free drift will be considered. Not only will a poorly presented fly be scoffed at, it is a good possibility that the fish will stop feeding altogether or slide over just out of casting range. To be successful here you have to find a consistent feeder, shuffle quietly into position and stay out of sight. Timing the feeding pattern is also another helpful aspect to consider. The bug life is incredible, at any given time there can be as many as a dozen different insects on the water and the fish will be keyed in on one or two of them. It is up to you to figure out what they are taking, not an easy task. There is little doubt that I am mostly to blame for my recent misfortune. I haven’t carried a nymph or a streamer to this river in a very long time. Not that I am against it by any means, it is just my personal preference on this water. I am sure it has something to do with nymphing for steelhead all winter, by the time April rolls around I am ready to dry fly fish for the entire summer. I have heard all the jokes about being a “trout snob” or “purist” but what it really comes down to is visualization, which is the aspect of fishing I find most enjoyable. Needless to say I spend a great amount of time on the bank waiting for the magic to happen. Kranes spotted this fish feeding in a skinny riffle less than a minute after arriving riverside. “Wow did you see that, it was a good one”. I thought to myself that it can’t be that good if it is holding in six inches of water, during high sun. I was certainly mistaken. We waited for a minute and he came up again and sipped something off the surface. I told Kranes to take him, he explained that he wasn’t rigged yet and I should go ahead. I was glad to do the dirty work and took him up on his offer without hesitation. I had a size 18 sulphur emerger, the bug of choice the past couple weeks, it was tied to a long leader with 6x tippet. My first cast was horrible, not even in the ball game. Distance can be really hard to judge on large water bodies and lining a fish here is a show stopper. Kranes walked me through the next one, “four feet further out and six feet upriver”. The fly landed gently on the surface and seconds later the giant was instantly airborne, at eye level no less! He tore line off the reel and my 5 weight was doubled over to the cork. I played the fish for a long time, he used his broad sides and the current of the river to his advantage. After a few nail biting attempts, Kranes managed to fit half of him in the net and we were totally out of our minds. He was as happy as I was. One thing about old fishing buddies is that an achievement is an achievement, no matter who is at the helm. This place never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think you have experienced all the system has to offer, a day like this comes along and blows you away. The Delaware River is often referred to as the finest trout water East of the Rockies. I have a hard time agreeing with that, this place is hands down, one of the best wild trout fisheries in the lower 48.
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget
What a hog! That is all I can say. I remember my first attempt to net him, which was only met with frustration (and fear) because it didn’t seem that it would fit in the net!
Yeah, I agree about the trout water…as long as you enjoy difficult trout, good hatches, and beautiful scenery. Although, you certainly put your time in “on the bank” as you say, when there was not too much going on, the wind was howling, or the water was so low you could spook a trout 300 yards away.
You are absolutely right about the achievement. Glad I was there!
That fish belongs on the cover of the rolling stone. What a beauty. Nice going Whip. Not an easy task especially on a dry. Sweeeeet.
That is a beauty Dave. Great team work you guys put in to land that one. And on a sulphur too. I remember when you were telling me the sulphur hatch is probably the toughest to get the timing and right fly for. And you aren’t kidding about the number of hatches. I was in PA right along the river and counted at least 3 different types of mayflies, 5 types of caddis and a blanket golden stone hatch. That makes for a lot of different fly choices.
Congratulations whippa! I can verify thay you paid your dues big time this season after hearing you on so many Delware trips be all amped up on your way to the river and totally dissapointed on your way back home. What a fish! You raise an interesting point in your article when you say, “It’s not that I am a fish snob ..” I get kind of tired of both the fishermen who accuse someone of being “a fish snob” and the fishermen who act “snobby”. It is a dynamic situation and I feel that the fire is fueld by both the accusers and some of the fly fishermen. I can’t speak for everyone, only what I can summize from the totallity of my experiences. And, for what it’s worth here is my conclusion. Many of fly fishermen I meet are terrible fishermen. They were bad fishermen with bobbers and worms and bad fishermen with spin gear, crank baits and all that stuff. So, when they found fly fishing it was the perfect excuse to justify their lack of fishing skills and use the flies and fly rod as a crutch to convince themselves and even others that somehow what they were doing was “above the rest”. Now, that they were equipped with fly rod and flies they could go to fishing spots and feel comfortable with their lack of fishing skills, even though they may have a textbook cast, and glorify their lack of catching fish as a result of them doing something infinately more difficult like fly fishing. Then, a commons scenerio is that these folks turn to teaching fly casting and even guiding. Now, if I were a bait fishermen or spin fishermen … and encountered fly fishermen with this type of mentality I would think to myself, “What an idiot.” Then there are the fly fishermen that I really like to fish with. First and foremost they are good fishermen. Typically, they began fishing at an early age with bobber worms, spin gear and anything that was available to catch fish. All of those years of fishing tought them how to read water and understand fish; and none of those things can be learned from books. Then, somewhere along the line, and many times when the sport and hobby of fishing itself was losing its luster, they were introduced to fly fishing. Somehow, almost magically, they were re-born and fishing took on a whole new dimension with entirely different concepts to learn and apply to the things they already knew. Suddenly, the same-old-same-old became new and fresh. So, as years pass, the gear used for other types of fishing begin to collect dust as they hone their skills with the fly rod and flies. Now, most of these types that I meet respect all forms of fishing .. because that is where their roots are. And, no matter what, they know they can not forget or deny their true roots. Ok, with that said .. it would be a lie to suggest that all types of fishermen don’t “measure” the “value” of a fish and naturally raise the bar for themselves. A saltwater fishermen, who as a kid enjoyed catching flounder, scup and all sorts of fish with sand worms while sitting on a rock by the ocean goes through his fishing life and naturally raises the bar. He moves on to artificial plugs and striped bass, bluefish, bonito, albacore .. then buys a boat and goes off shore for tuna, swordfish, shark, dorado, marlin and all that stuff. So, regardless of fishing style, it is only natural and human nature to keep pushing the boundaries .. but, without forgetting your roots. And, to be able to come in from an offshore tuna trip and sincerely wave to the guy on the breakwall and shout, “gettin’ any?” So, I personally get kind of tired of having to justify why I choose to fish with the fly rod exclusively but equally tired of the fly fishermen who could probably use a little more time learning how to fish rather than teaching casting lessons or whatnot. For me, if not for fly fishing, I really believe I would not even be fishing anymore. I spent my entire life fishing with rod and reel for everything under the sun and then worked on commercial fishing boats setting thousands of hooks per night and literally slaying 100’s of thousands of pounds of the biggest fish and every fish worth catching in the ocean. So, after fishing commercially from the gulf stream to alaska and catching nearly every sport fish possible with every kind of gear from rods and reels, long lines, gill nets, seining nets, dragging nets, harpoons etc… I got back on land and was done with fishing. Then, I found the fly rod .. and I was dumb founded how the trout in a stocked pond or stream would rise in front of me and i could not catch them. When i finally caught my first stocked trout, I was prouder than the biggest swordfish I ever caught. And, at that time in my journey it was the fish of a lifetime. Then, the first 19″ striped bass I caught on the fly was more meaningful to me than 10,000 50 pound stripers caught with any other method. Then, just last year I caught my first ever Albie from foot. That fish, because of the hard work I put in, was just as meaningful and memorable and rewarding to me as any of the giant swordfish or marlin I caught during 30 day stints 300 miles off shore in the gulf stream. And, today … I have a laundry list of fish I want to catch with the fly rod .. including swordfish and sailfish. And, when I do catch my first sailfish or swordfish on the fly it will be like my first ever!
Bottom Line: In all my years of fishing with bait, lures, nets and flies I have learned that fishing is an individual sport and every fishermen is on his own path. And, if all fishermen were in one big room, they would all agree that each of them have a different “hope” when they go fishing. Maybe its a bigger fish, more fish, a different fish, a fish on a dry fly, a fish on a plug, a fish on a nymph, a wild fish, a big stocked fish, a first trout, a first tarpon … Whatever the case… I believe that all every kind of fishermen is on their own path and has their own goals and aspirations … even it’s just to spend more days floating around on a tin boat with a 6 pack of beer dunking a worm and hoping for the best. More power to ya, and to each his own. So whippa, for all the reasons mentioned above, congratulations for catching a fish that means so much to you in the context of where you are on your own path! The cool thing about you is that I know you still recognize and appreciate that this one fish is meaningful to you within the context of all of the fishing you have done in your life; and you recognize that your friend who just starts fishing and catches his first bluefish on a spinning rod has done an equally impressive thing; in the context of his own path. Awesome fish whip!
That was a high stress situation, especially when he shot between your legs!, oh how I hate being net man sometimes. Thanks again!
Whippa, Nice piggie. Well done. That river can be maddening to say the least; changing water levels, multiple insects, wild fish that feed to thier own rythym, lots of flat water and mobile fish. It is the apex for technical dry fly fishing IMO. If you can catch them on the D , then you can catch them anywhere. This year I had a day that I have been waiting for except the fish were rising so slowly that it threw my timing off and all of my hooksets were early so I was pulling the fly out of thier mouths. I did this to something like 13 fish. Absolutely maddening. I’ll have to get back their to settle the score. Your story has provided the inspiration for the rematch.
Whip, Amazing Fish! I have been waiting for this fish tale for a long time….this fish topped anything that I would have ever thought! 6x and a size 18 dry fly…simply amazing. I totally understand where your coming from about the dry flies. I feel the same way at times, and after a long winter all I really want to do is to see a big caddisfly ontop with big fish smacking it! But then, even that gets old, and as summer comes on I want to nymph again! Congrats, what a beauty!
Wonderful job, that is a world class fish and I agree hardwork and persistence does pay off. I hope our paths cross sooner than later this summer.
Alex
Whippa, fantastic fish! After catching a lot of stocked browns here in Maine, you begin to forget the color variations that these beauties can achieve. That is truely a gorgeous specimen……good work man.
What a toad!
Nice work and just goes to show that perseverance pays off!
man Whippa extremely nice fish!!!! glad you paid the price and stuck with it… long waited rewards are some of the best!!!!
by the way Im the guy you talked to on the phone for the linesides fundraiser…….
Nice fish whip! One of these days I am going to have to head down there and see what all of the fuss is about. Great job and great job!
J-Mac, next time you are down this way you have to hit it with us. Looking forward to chasing metal with you in the fall!
I feel your pain…i broke so many toads off on the hookset this year it is sickening. I guess the only positive way to look at it is at least you are getting them to eat. That timing thing is a yough one…I know exactly what you are referring to. Keep after them!
Still awaiting your arrival. No doubt that you will be able to seal the deal down here. Looking forward to showing you around.
Looking forward to it Alex. Salt or fresh just say the word and I’ll be on the road. Safe travels
Holy Crap! I was going to put up my Brown but have decided to hold that picture for winter. Great fish, How are the crowds, if any?
Thinned out pretty good now greg. Give me a shout if you venture south.
your right on . with that story. I under stand it so well. I did,nt that knows browns grew that big in the delaware. I will have to go there again. uncle dan