Spent the better part of the day and well into the evening floating the Delaware. It was my first time in a drift boat. Even with my mediocre casting, we were consistently on fish throughout the day, primarily wild browns. These fish know how to bend a rod and take notice of the slightest imperfection in presentation. But once they are on the line, be prepared to fight them all the way to the boat.
We booked a day trip with Cross Current Guide Service through Whitetail Fly Shop. We met our guide Tim at the shop took a brief ride to the launch. I was expecting to put on waders and boots, but he explained that the river was a little high and we probably wouldn’t touch the water. I stayed in shorts and sandals until dark. It was a warm day and I was comfortable the entire trip.
Tim did exactly what a guide is supposed to do: set expectations for the day, ask us about our skills, put us on fish, pick the right flies, and help us improve our casting and presentation skills. I had some trouble mending from the boat and he demonstrated and then guided me on how to do it. He also navigated around a number of other boats and was spotting fish and positioning us well before we even saw a rise.
We fished dry flies all day. I would call this target angling, because we only cast to rising fish. Most that we caught were in the 14″ – 16″ range, but the one above was 19″. We went well into the darkness and really only stopped because we could no longer see the fish or our flies.
My only complaint is that even after spending over 8 hours on the water and fishing well past sunset, the day seemed too short. If the Delaware is not on your bucket list, add it. I would also recommend Tim and the Cross Current team if you are planning to hire a guide.
Enjoy!