Beaverkill Weekly Fishing Report - June 22, 2025

Anglers were out in droves over “Freedom” weekend beginning Thursday, Juneteenth and going into the first days of Summer. With reports of plenty of water in all our rivers and streams, cars have been lining the banks and Fisherman Parking Areas of both the Willowemoc and Beaverkill with regularity since Thursday afternoon.

Unfortunately the weather hadn’t been the most conducive for fishing after Friday, except for a respite or two in between the rains, alternating with downpours and heavy thunderstorms which were very prevalent most of Sunday.

By Sunday afternoon streams were swollen and colored like cafe-au- lait. The flow on the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was headed straight up the charts; by 1:15 pm it was recorded at 1450 cubic feet per second, almost six times the Median average flow on this date of 247 cfs over 111 years of record-keeping. And the Willowemoc, which had lately been a very popular destination for fly-fishers, was also moving straight up the scale, recorded at 332 cubic feet per second, again well above the average flow of 64 cfs based on 39 years of record-keeping. Mark Sturtevant, who hails from Hancock, reported that the West Branch got the brunt of the region's flash flooding, peaking in the range of 6,550 cfs at Hale Eddy - where the river raised 5 feet! (fortunately, flows are slowly decreasing as of Monday morning, with the Beaverkill registering at 956 cfs.) Although the trout fishers are grumbling a bit, all this water does bode well for the trout, and will provide a bit of a respite heading into the heat of summer.

Water temperatures this past week were favorable, despite a few very warm days; ranging from a cool 57 to 67 degrees F on the Willowemoc, to a range of 59 to 69 degrees F on the Beaverkill.

With all the water in the system, fly hatches have been a bit sporadic, although there are an assortment of species to select from. Heading into this last week of June, we’ve seen Sulphurs, Isonychias and Blue Winged Olives on the water, as well as various caddis flies and even Mahogany Duns, as mentioned in a chat with a fly-fisher on Saturday evening while fishing on the lower Beaverkill.

Beaverkill River Weekly Fishing Report - June 17, 2025

A whole host of flies are hatching, from Sulphurs, various Caddis flies and Blue-Winged Olives in the mornings, to Isonychias, more Sulphurs and  Light Cahills in the evenings. Last week while fishing the Willowemoc above Livingston Manor it was heartening to see so many nymph cases/shucks on the rocks in the stream - the prolific insect life a testament to the health of the river. And with so much water in the systems, the trout are growing and faring well, and fishing has been productive. From the Willowemoc to the Beaverkill to the East Branch, local trout fishers have not been disappointed, whether fishing during the mornings, afternoons or evenings. 

Beaverkill River Weekly Fishing Report - June 9, 2024

Recent showers and thunderstorms have added some much-welcomed water to our rivers and streams - although we hope for more to keep up the good flows. On Sunday afternoon, June 9, 2024, the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was flowing at 282 cubic feet per second, which is a hair above the median average flow of 280 cfs over 110 years of record-keeping. The highest flow recorded was 1520 cubic feet per second in 1973; and lowest recorded flow over 110 years was just 96 cfs back in 1936.

It’s been quite a week for trout fishers! Traditionally, the last two weeks of May/ first two weeks of June are anticipated as the best time for trout fishing and catching trout on our Catskill streams. The past week proved to be correct, as scores of cars lined the banks and Fisherman Parking Areas, and reports of good fishing continue to come in.

Even though it’s still early June, fishing seems to be the best in the evenings for dry fly fishing, probably due to temperatures and water levels. Fortunately we’ve had a few cool nights and some replenishing rain. Fly-fishers are reporting numerous types of flies about now, including some remaining Coffin Flies (these are the Spinners of the Green Drakes, and very large, in size #8 and #10) along with medium-sized Isonychias, Light Cahills, and Sulphurs. Tiny Blue-winged Olives are an important hatch, as well as various caddis flies: fly-fishers have a number of flies to choose from.