August has brought a taste of autumn weather with its welcoming coolness to the evenings and mornings, and some beautiful sunny days in-between rain showers and storms, filling our rivers and reservoirs. On Sunday afternoon, August 20, 2023, the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was flowing at 1030 cubic feet per second. This is well above the Median average flow for August 20 of 117 cfs over 110 years of record-keeping. The Beaverkill crested at just below 4000 cubic feet per second last Friday. Interestingly, the lowest recorded flow on this date was back in 1962 when just 34 cubic feet of water trickled past the gauging station! Water temperatures over the past week have remained favorable, ranging from 59 to just over 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
As mentioned in last week’s report, the trout have been experiencing a “good water year” and as a result, have been growing well. The cooler water temperatures and increased volume have enabled trout to focus on feeding activity rather than seeking out cooler places in which to reside and limit their movement as they do in hot weather with low water conditions. Being cold-blooded creatures, the temperature of the water has a direct effect on trout growth, reproduction and survival.
With what has turned out to be a relatively cool and rainy summer, maximum trout growth is occurring, and the survival of wild trout is increasing. Anglers have been catching numbers of small wild brook and brown trout, which is a sign of a healthy river with favorable water conditions. Adult fish are growing larger as well, and these conditions may also increase the chances of holdover fish for next year. “Holdovers” are stocked trout that are able survive the winter into the next season – and all of this adds up to better conditions for the fish as well as better fishing.