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.

Beaverkill Weekly Fishing Report May 31, 2026

Despite a weekend that felt more like the last week in April than the last week in May, with 40-degree morning temperatures and gusty blustery winds, area rivers and streams are in excellent shape, and we are now in the midst of those two weeks (last week in May, first week in June) that trout fishers eagerly anticipate. As evidenced by the numbers of both resident and out-of-state vehicles lining the riverbanks and parking areas, trout fishers have been out in droves - and for the most part, flies were hatching and anglers were catching.

This is the time of year where a whole host of fly hatches occur - from the tiny midges (size #20s) and Blue-Winged Olives, to the mid-sized Gray Foxes and the light-colored Sulphurs, to the larger March Browns and very large (size #8 and #10) Green Drakes, the much-beloved mayflies with greenish-tinged wings that tend to bring up the largest fish in the river to feed. In addition, caddis of various sizes and colors are also making their presence known: from the tan caddis to the very dark, almost black Sedge caddis that appeared in waves on Thursday evening while fishing the Willowemoc and Saturday afternoon while on the Beaverkill.