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The December Fly Box for Catskills Trout

By My Custom FlyBox Team

Fog settling over a cold trout river at dawn
Photo: My Custom FlyBox (All rights reserved)

The December Fly Box for Catskills Trout

December trout fishing in the Catskills is quiet, cold, and narrow. The rivers are not empty, but they do not give up fish the way they can in May or June. A good December day may mean one short feeding window, two careful drifts through the same soft seam, and a trout that barely moves a foot to eat.

That changes the fly box. You do not need a crowded spring box full of Hendricksons, March Browns, sulphurs, caddis adults, and big searching dries. You need a small winter selection that gets down, matches the food still available, and lets you fish slowly without changing flies every ten minutes.

On the Beaverkill, Willowemoc, Neversink, Esopus, and Upper Delaware system, December usually rewards patience over coverage. Freestone water can be cold enough to make fish nearly still. Tailwaters may offer more stable temperature, but the fish are often clear-water selective. Ice on the banks, low sun, and slick ledge rock matter as much as fly choice.

Winter River Checks

The fly box starts before you open the lid. Check the river first. In December, flow trend, water temperature, and safe access matter more than yesterday's hatch note.

A stable or slowly falling river is usually easier to fish than a hard rising one. A small bump after rain or snowmelt can add color and move trout toward softer edges, but a sharp rise can make wading dangerous and push fish into places you cannot reach cleanly. Low clear water after cold nights calls for smaller flies, lighter tippet, longer leaders, and less wading.

If you are headed toward Roscoe, check the current Beaverkill and Willowemoc fly fishing report before you leave. Those freestone streams can change quickly after rain, thaw, or overnight freeze. If you are considering a tailwater day, the West Branch Delaware fly fishing report helps frame the flow, temperature, and wadeability decision before a long drive.

Look at the gauge as a trend, not just a number. A flow that is low but steady may be fishable with care. A flow that looks moderate but is rising hard can be a poor choice. Ice shelves, anchor ice, snow on ledges, and numb feet make a river feel bigger than the gauge suggests.

Cold-Water Trout Behavior

December trout do not stop eating, but they feed differently. Cold water slows metabolism. A trout that would slide into a riffle in June may sit in walking-speed current in December, close to the bottom, close to cover, and close to a lane that carries small food.

The best holding water is usually not the fastest water in the run. Look for inside seams, pool heads with softer cushions, the slow side of a current tongue, gentle tailouts, and deep edges below riffles. On a tailwater, a steady seam beside weed, ledge, or cobble can hold feeding fish even when nothing is rising. On a freestone, a slightly deeper glide with dark bottom may be better than a pretty riffle that looks perfect in May.

Fish your feet before you wade through good water. Winter trout may hold in slower near-bank lanes that seem too plain to bother with during summer. A short cast with a clean drift is better than a long cast that drags across three currents. Put the fly at their level, keep it there, and let the current do the work.

The Core Nymph Row

Most December boxes should start with nymphs because most trout food is below the surface most of the day.

Carry Pheasant Tails in sizes 16 through 20. A size 16 or 18 bead-head version can cover general mayfly nymphs when the water has some push. A size 20 slim Pheasant Tail or unweighted version belongs in clear tailwater and slow freestone pools where fish inspect the fly.

Add Hare's Ears in sizes 14 through 18. The Hare's Ear is a useful winter pattern because it looks alive without being too bright. It can suggest a mayfly nymph, caddis larva, or general bottom food. In cold water, a natural-looking nymph with a little movement often fishes better than a flashy attractor that calls too much attention to itself.

Keep a few Walt's Worms, Sexy Walt's, or similar guide nymphs in sizes 14 through 18. These patterns sink well, cover caddis and larval food, and work as point flies when you need a simple two-nymph rig. Olive, tan, gray, and natural dubbing are enough.

Small stoneflies still deserve a few slots. Carry dark stonefly nymphs in sizes 8 through 12 for higher water, stain, or the first softer edges after a bump. Do not make them the whole plan in low, clear water. A big nymph can move fish when the river has color, but it can also put trout down when the river is skinny and bright.

Midges and Small Olives

Midges are not a backup plan in December. They are often the main event, especially on tailwaters, spring-influenced reaches, and slower glides where small insects collect.

Carry Zebra Midges in black, olive, and red in sizes 18 through 22. Add small thread midges, black midge larvae, and slim silver-ribbed patterns in the same sizes. If you fish the West Branch or other clear water, include a few unweighted or lightly weighted versions so the fly does not drop unnaturally through slow water.

For emergers, carry small RS2s, WD-40s, Top Secret Midges, or similar sparse patterns in sizes 20 through 24. These are not flies you use because they are fun to tie on with cold fingers. You use them because winter trout can key on a food form that is barely visible.

Blue-winged olives can still show in December, especially on gray days when air temperature is steady and the wind stays down. Carry olive dries and emergers in sizes 18 through 22. Parachute olives, CDC comparaduns, sparkle duns, and low-riding emergers are all useful. In flat water, the lower-riding fly often wins. In broken water, a parachute or slightly more visible pattern may be easier to track.

If you cannot see a size 22 dry, use a small visible dry as an indicator and trail the midge emerger behind it. Keep the setup short enough to control drag. A winter rise is often too slow and deliberate for a sloppy downstream belly in the leader.

Streamers for Short Windows

Streamers have a place in the December Catskills box, but they are not a license to fish fast all day. Cold trout may chase less, but a bigger brown can still eat a streamer when the river has color, the light is low, or the water has bumped after rain or thaw.

Carry a small set of streamers rather than a whole meat box. Black and olive Woolly Buggers in sizes 6 through 10 are still useful. Add a small sculpin, a thin marabou streamer, and a white or natural baitfish pattern for stained water or cloudy days. On clear low water, smaller is usually better. A size 10 black bugger worked slowly through a soft bank seam can be more convincing than a giant articulated fly that lands like a rock.

The retrieve should match the water. In slow winter pools, try short strips, pauses, and gentle swings. Let the fly hang near structure. In slightly higher water, cast across and down, mend enough to slow the swing, and let the fly swim through the soft inside edge. A trout may take on the pause, not the strip.

A Lean December Box

A practical December Catskills trout box does not need many patterns. It needs coverage across depth, size, and method.

| Category | Patterns | Sizes | |---|---|---| | Mayfly nymphs | Pheasant Tail, Baetis nymph, Hare's Ear | 14-22 | | Caddis and larva | Walt's Worm, caddis larva, caddis pupa | 14-18 | | Midges | Zebra Midge, black midge larva, RS2, WD-40 | 18-24 | | Stoneflies | Dark stonefly nymph, small Pat's Rubber Legs | 8-12 | | Olives | BWO parachute, CDC olive, olive emerger | 18-22 | | Midge dries | Griffith's Gnat, black midge dry, CDC midge cluster | 18-24 | | Streamers | Woolly Bugger, small sculpin, marabou streamer | 6-10 |

Carry multiples of the flies you lose most often: small nymphs, midges, and any weighted fly fished near bottom. One streamer in each color may be enough. A dozen tiny midge patterns disappears faster than you expect when the wind is cold and your fingers are stiff.

If you use the My Custom FlyBox app to plan boxes by water, build a December Catskills list separate from your spring Catskills list. That keeps the winter box lean and helps you notice what you actually fish. For a broader organization system, use the ideas in How to Create a Fly Box: Organization for Trout Streams and narrow them for the specific river and season.

Wading and Fish Safety

December safety is not separate from fly choice. If you cannot stand safely, you cannot make a good drift. Cold water, shelf ice, snow-covered rocks, and short daylight raise the cost of a mistake.

Wear a wading belt. Use studs or other traction where legal and appropriate. Carry a staff if the river has ledge rock, snow, or pushy flows. Keep extra gloves where they stay dry. Do not wade across water you would not cross twice, because the way back may be colder, darker, and harder.

Fish handling should be quick. Keep trout wet, unhook them fast, and do not lay them on snow or dry bank grass for a photo. Cold air can damage gills and eyes even when the water feels safe. Review water temperature and trout safety before warm spells, and remember that winter has its own handling risks.

If you are fishing during the October 16 through March 31 catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only season on many New York trout streams, confirm the exact regulation for the reach before you fish. Some reaches have special rules all year. Spawning awareness still matters in early winter too. Avoid bright cleaned gravel, shallow riffle tails, and side-channel spawning areas.

Choosing the Day

A good December day often has a modest rise in air temperature, steady or falling flows, limited wind, and water that is not locked in ice. Midday is usually the best starting window. The river may need the sun to touch the valley before insects move and trout slide into feeding lanes.

Cloud cover can help if olives are possible. A light stain can help streamer fishing. A hard overnight freeze followed by bright sun may make the first hour slow, but the middle of the day can still offer a small nymph or midge window. A warm rain on snow can raise flows quickly and make wading unsafe.

Do not force a December trip because the calendar says it is your day off. If the river is high, rising, iced along the edges, or too cold to fish safely, tie flies instead. Refill the midge row. Sharpen hooks. Build a smaller box for the next stable day. Winter trout fishing is better when you choose the right window instead of trying to beat the wrong one.

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