Beaverkill Weekly Fishing Report - June 28, 2026

It’s the end of June/beginning of July, and we enjoyed a wonderful two weeks of cool temperatures and some ample rain showers heading into the heat of the summer. Water temperatures on the Willowemoc and Beaverkill had been relatively cool but at this writing, Sunday afternoon, are beginning to creep up toward and into the 70s. Monitoring water temperature before beginning a fishing trip is important during these warmer days. Fishing in the cool of the mornings especially before the sun hits the water, and again in the evenings especially around dark will be most productive. Fly hatches have been spotty, continuing with tiny Blue Winged Olives, some Blue Sedges and tan Caddis flies along with the lighter colored summer flies - Sulphurs and Light Cahills.

Water levels are back to below the historical average on both rivers; after some heavy rain showers, the Willowemoc had reached its historic median average flow on Friday afternoon, but by Sunday afternoon had receded to 33.2 cubic feet per second, which is less than the historic median average of 52 cfs based on 40 years of record-keeping. The Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was flowing at 135 cfs on Saturday afternoon, below its historic median flow of 199 over 112 years of record-keeping. And by this week, with air temperatures predicted to be in the 80s to 90s by week’s end, no doubt flyfishers will best be headed for the tailwaters to try their luck.

Reported hatches on the Neversink have not been heavy, but are consistent in the evenings until dark, about 7:30 pm. In addition to a few Blue Sedge and Tan Caddis flies, there are two types of Sulphurs making up the bulk of the hatches on the Neversink lately: size #14 Invaria Sulphurs mixed in with the main hatch of size #16 Dorotheas.

Reports from the East Branch Delaware are similar to that of the Neversink, however the West Branch Delaware has been getting an afternoon hatch of sulphurs and then a second hatch in the evenings.

Beaverkill Weekly Fishing Report - June 21, 2026

Sunday, Father’s Day as well as the first day of Summer, brought picture-perfect weather - sunny, bright blue skies with puffy white clouds and temperatures in the low 70s, and just enough of a breeze to keep the biting insects at bay. The past couple of weeks have followed suit, which has given our rivers and streams a refreshing spell of cool temperatures; water temperature on the Beaverkill ranging from below 60 degrees last Tuesday to a high of 71 this past week. This bodes well for the trout, heading into the summer season. Although Monday’s predicted heavy rains will raise water levels appreciably, river flows had been below the 112-year historic median average level over the past week. The Willowemoc, although flowing below its 40-year median average level, has enjoyed cooler temperatures in the 50s and 60s all week.

Fly hatches for this first day of summer include a variety of caddis flies along with Blue Winged Olives and Sulphurs, in addition to Isonychia and Light Cahills. It’s a good idea to use smaller flies especially when river levels are lower, and follow suit with longer and finer leaders. 5X leaders are fine for flies sizes #12 and #14, but drop down to 6X tippet when fishing small dry flies or nymphs of size #16 - #18. If you’re midging, fishing sizes #20 or smaller, you can get by with 6X but 7X would be better. When in doubt, using a smaller tippet size during the summer can help your fly land more delicately.

Beaverkill Weekly Fishing Report - June 7, 2026

The first week of June arrives with a profound stillness, yet the natural world is bursting with new life. Everywhere around us we are reminded of these precious days of June: a newly-born fawn lying still in the grass, an ancient turtle lumbering slowly as it navigates through the meadow. We arrive at our destination, our senses filled by the vibrant green canopy filtering the early morning sun, the banks lush with greenery, the dawn symphony of warbles and melodies, a mother goose and her fuzzy goslings gliding by. Stream flows begin the quiet ebb of their seasonal shift, and beneath the glassy surface the trout await. Standing knee-deep in the cool mountain stream offers a tranquil, meditative environment; witnessing nature at its vibrant yet peaceful state.

These are the days of a rich diversity of aquatic insects that thrive in a healthy ecosystem: the tiny Blue-Winged Olives, large March Browns and giant Green Drakes, the deep dark Blue Sedge caddis flies and light-colored Sulphurs, and Isonychias. The arrival of “Drunella cornutus”, similar in appearance to large Blue-Winged Olives, has been heralded early in the mornings. Flies that may be productive to use, in addition to imitations of those named above, include the Adams, various Caddis imitations, White Wulffs and Coffin Flies, which imitate the Eastern Green Drake (mayflies) in their final, spent stage, referred to as Spinners.

The spinner stage of mayflies, also called the “imago”, is the final mature phase of the adult mayfly’s life cycle, having molted for the last time from its “dun” or “sub-imago” state. Observing the gracefulness of these flies that are now emerging to fulfill their procreative cycle adds to the experience, as spinners are identified by their clear, glass-like wings and elongated body.