Beaverkill Stream Report - July 30, 2023

This past week has certainly provided a variety of summer weather – sure to please just about everyone – from those who like “as hot as it gets!” as we experienced on Friday, to the picture-perfect sunny summer day on Sunday, with a refreshingly cool morning, low humidity, blue skies and puffy white clouds. Frequent rains have helped our garden vegetables grow in abundance and have kept river levels quite favorable for trout fishing.

On Sunday afternoon, the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was recorded as flowing at 400 cubic feet per second, well above the 110-year median average flow of 140 cfs. The highest flow recorded over 110 years on this date was 5000 cfs in 2009, while the lowest flow was recorded back in the drought year of 1965 when just 39 cubic feet per second trickled past the gauging station.

Water temperatures have fluctuated as the air temperatures have, ranging this past week from a few mornings of 64 degrees to a peak of almost 76 degrees F on Friday afternoon with much of the week in the high 60s to 70.

Hatches this past week continue to be small Blue-Winged Olives, Caddis in various sizes and colors, small Sulphurs, Light Cahills and Isonychias. Don’t forget to carry along some terrestrial flies which can be useful after a rain shower or thunderstorm, as well as some nymphs if you enjoy fishing below the surface during those periods.

Beaverkill Stream Report - July 16, 2023

Recent rains have kept rivers and streams at a favorable above-average level over the past week, and despite warm temperatures in the high 70s and 80s with lots of humidity, the added volume has kept water temperatures at a fairly decent level registering in the high 60s for much of the week.

The Beaverkill at Cooks Falls crested at 2,630 cubic feet per second at 11:00 am on Sunday morning, which is well above the median average flow on this date of 161 cfs over 109 years of record-keeping.

Thunderstorms have kept most trout fishers out of the river, but in-between showers and storms some hardy anglers were able to get out and catch a few fish. Flies that were hatching during the past week include caddis flies in a variety of sizes and colors, smaller Blue-Winged Olives and Sulphurs as well as Isonychias. However, when flows are high, roily and discolored, as they were on Sunday morning, your best bet is to fish below the surface with nymphs, wet flies and streamers. Larger, dark colored nymphs will show up somewhat in discolored water; and you can use a wet fly as an attractor fly, fishing the duo by lobbing the flies across the stream from where you’re standing and following the leader downstream, then slowly retrieving while ‘twitching’ the flies to provide movement. Be ready to strike when you notice your leader hesitate or stop moving.

It’s a good idea to carry along some terrestrial flies, especially with the rain showers and storms we’ve been experiencing. During the heat of summer, trout will often move toward the shoreline, seeking shade and shelter, especially in areas with undercut banks, overhanging or downed trees or logs. And after a rainstorm or windy weather, they will benefit from feasting on ants, beetles, inchworms, grasshoppers and other terrestrials that will drop or be washed into the water below. Trout fishers will often find success casting their terrestrial flies along the shoreline, and especially near overhanging trees or logs.

Beaverkill Stream Report - July 9, 2023

Recent rains have helped fill our rivers and streams to a more fishable level; on Sunday afternoon, July 9, the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was flowing at 237 cubic feet per second. This is above the average median flow of 192 cfs over 109 years of record-keeping. Last Sunday, July 2, was the first time the Beaverkill exceeded the average daily flow in quite some time. On the 4th of July the river raised to more than 600 cfs and has remained above the average flow all week.

However, the warm and humid weather we’ve experienced during the day as well as at night has caused a spike in water temperatures; over the past week, the lower Beaverkill registered in the 70s each afternoon. And due to anticipated higher temperatures during this time of the summer, the DEC has instituted its thermal refuge law on the section of the Beaverkill near Horton. Fishing is prohibited from the Iron Bridge at Horton downstream to the first Route 17 overpass from July 1 through August 31 to protect thermally stressed trout.

Trout fishers would be wise to carry a water thermometer and plan an alternate place to fish during the afternoons when temperatures reach into the 70s. Smaller streams that are well shaded and those in the higher elevations will be a few degrees cooler; adjusting your fishing trips to early mornings or late evenings should be more productive.

Fly hatches this time of year continue to be Blue-Winged olives, Sulphurs and Light Cahills and Isonychias, as well as various caddis flies. Spinner flies are helpul when fishing during the evenings; and when no rises are noted try an attractor pattern, such as a Royal Wulff.