Beaverkill and Willowemoc Fishing Report: June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

The Beaverkill and Willowemoc are a skip for trout today. USGS showed the Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls at 128 cfs and 67.1 F during the 9 AM refresh, which leaves almost no buffer before the 68 F trout-stress line. The Willowemoc near Livingston Manor was cooler at 30.7 cfs and 59.9 F, but it is very low and current Catskills guidance is asking anglers to stay off the freestones during the heat. Move to the West Branch, another cold tailwater, reservoirs, lakes, or other warmwater options instead of trying to stretch a marginal trout window.

Conditions Snapshot

Field	Value
Status	Unsafe for trout; the Beaverkill is already near the trout-temperature cutoff, and current Catskills guidance points anglers away from the low freestones during the heat
Flow	128 cfs at Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls; 30.7 cfs at Willowemoc Creek near Livingston Manor
Gauge Height	1.25 feet at Cooks Falls; 1.89 feet near Livingston Manor
Water Temp	67.1 F at Cooks Falls; 59.9 F near Livingston Manor
Clarity	Not reported by official gauges; expect low, clear-water caution unless local visibility says otherwise
Trend	Flows remain low, with warming water now the main safety constraint
Best Window	Not recommended for trout today; choose cold tailwater water or warmwater fishing instead
Best Method	Skip freestone trout fishing; if you stay local, switch to reservoirs, lakes, or other warmwater options
Wadeability	Physical wading may be possible in places, but trout stress makes fishing these freestones the wrong call

Weather

For Roscoe and Livingston Manor, the National Weather Service forecast calls for sunny skies and a high near 84 F. Wind should be light from the east around 2 mph. Tonight is expected to be partly cloudy with a low near 62 F. No active NWS alerts were returned for the Roscoe point during the 9 AM refresh, but the warm sunny forecast and already-warm Beaverkill reading make trout-temperature protection the deciding factor.

River Notes

The Beaverkill reading at Cooks Falls is the safety flag: 67.1 F during the 9 AM refresh is too close to the cutoff to treat the river as fishable trout water. The Willowemoc is cooler at the gauge, but 30.7 cfs is thin water, and the current local Catskills message is to leave the freestones alone during this heat. Do not wait for an afternoon dry-fly window on these streams today. The better trout plan is colder tailwater water; the better local low-impact plan is warmwater fishing on reservoirs, lakes, or non-trout targets.

Hatch Activity

Current Catskills context still includes sulphurs, Isonychias, Blue Winged Olives, Light Cahills, caddis, Yellow Sallies, White Wulffs, and evening spinners. On the Beaverkill and Willowemoc today, the hatch is not a reason to pressure warm, low trout water. Leave rising trout alone when temperatures are near the stress line.

Hatch	Size	Notes
Isonychia	10-12	Regionally active, but save trout tactics for colder tailwater water today
Sulphur	16-18	Carry emergers, duns, and spinners for cold water; do not use the hatch as a reason to work warm freestone trout
Blue Winged Olive	16-22	Less favored under bright sun, and secondary to the temperature decision
Light Cahill	14-16	Good larger pale mayfly in the region, but not a reason to fish these warm freestones today
Tan Caddis	16-18	Pupa and soft hackles remain useful in colder moving water
Yellow Sally	Not reported	Reported in current Catskills context; treat as secondary to the temperature decision
Rusty Spinner	10-20	Last-light option only on water that remains safely cold

Recommended Flies

Category	Fly	Size	Notes
Dry	Sulphur Comparadun or Sparkle Dun	16-18	Carry for colder tailwater water, not for warm Beaverkill-Willowemoc trout today
Dry	BWO Comparadun or CDC Dun	18-22	Keep for small rises on cold water if clouds or shade help
Dry	Light Cahill Parachute or White Wulff	12-16	Covers larger pale mayflies and searching dry opportunities where temperatures are safe
Dry	Rusty Spinner	10-20	Evening option only after another temperature check on cold water
Nymph	Isonychia Nymph	10-12	Use in colder riffles on alternate water rather than stressing warm freestone trout
Nymph	Pheasant Tail or Frenchie	14-18	Compact mayfly dropper for clear water that remains safely cold
Nymph	Caddis Pupa	16-18	Dead drift or swing through colder riffle tails
Wet	Soft Hackle or Flymph	12-16	Efficient on cold moving water when bugs are active but rises are scattered
Other	Stream Thermometer	Not reported	Required gear in the Catskills heat; today's freestone readings point to skipping trout fishing here

Tactics

Skip the Beaverkill and Willowemoc for trout today and move to colder water or a warmwater plan. If you are in the area, the West Branch and other cold tailwater reaches are the safer trout choice. Reservoirs, lakes, and non-trout targets are also a better fit than working low freestone pools during a heat wave. Carry a thermometer for the rest of the week and stop targeting trout whenever readings approach 68 F.

Gauge Links

Gauge	Flow	Temp	Link
BEAVER KILL AT COOKS FALLS NY	128 cfs	67.1 F	USGS 01420500
WILLOWEMOC CREEK NR LIVINGSTON MANOR NY	30.7 cfs	59.9 F	USGS 01419500

Sources

Official sources checked: USGS stations 01420500 and 01419500, plus the National Weather Service forecast for the Livingston Manor and Roscoe, NY area. This report is an original Custom FlyBox summary based on current official gauge and weather data, with local public conditions reports reviewed separately for hatch, access, method, and trout-temperature safety context.