Beaverkill-Willowemoc Fishing Report: August 26, 2026

Quick Summary

The Beaverkill-Willowemoc system is fishable early, but it is not an all-day trout program. USGS showed the Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls at 223 cfs, 1.76 feet, and 62.4 F, while Willowemoc Creek near Livingston Manor was 57.4 cfs, 2.03 feet, and 59.2 F during the morning check. Both gauges are lower than yesterday morning, and the National Weather Service forecast for Roscoe calls for fog lifting to mostly sunny skies with a high near 77 F. Fish the cooler morning, shade, riffles, and pocket water; carry a thermometer, respect the Beaverkill thermal closure, and stop targeting trout if readings approach 68 F.

Conditions Snapshot

Field	Value
Status	Fair. Morning temperatures and wadeable flows are workable, but falling water, bright sun, and late-August warmth shorten the safe trout window
Flow	223 cfs at Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls; 57.4 cfs on Willowemoc Creek near Livingston Manor
Gauge Height	1.76 feet at Cooks Falls; 2.03 feet at Livingston Manor
Water Temp	62.4 F at Cooks Falls; 59.2 F on Willowemoc Creek near Livingston Manor
Clarity	Not reported by official gauges; current local context has not flagged a major stain issue for these freestones
Trend	Falling compared with yesterday morning on both gauges
Best Window	Morning, shaded banks and riffles, then the last hour of light only if water temperatures stay safe
Best Method	Small dries, ants, wet flies, and light nymphs in oxygenated riffles, pocket water, and shaded seams
Wadeability	Good to limited. Many reaches are wadeable, but low clear water means cautious approaches and careful footwork matter

Weather

For Roscoe, the National Weather Service forecast calls for areas of fog before 10 AM, then mostly sunny skies with a high near 77 F. Wind should stay light from the west around 0 to 3 mph. Tonight is forecast to be partly cloudy near 57 F. Presentation conditions are manageable, but sun and afternoon warmth are the main limits for freestone trout water.

River Notes

The Beaver Kill and Willowemoc are both in wadeable shape, with the Willowemoc again starting cooler than the Beaver Kill. The lower flows make it easier to move around, but they also make trout more exposed and reduce the afternoon thermal cushion. Start in riffles, pocket water, shaded banks, and the heads of pools where oxygen and cover overlap.

Current Catskill source context supports a late-August mix rather than one heavy hatch: sulphurs fading, Blue Winged Olives becoming more important, Hebes, white flies, flying ants, Isonychias, Light Cahills, caddis pupa, pheasant-tail-style nymphs, soft hackles, and Frenchies. Also respect the Beaverkill Horton Brook thermal-regulation closure from Iron Bridge at Horton downstream to the first Route 17 overpass through August 31.

Hatch Activity

Official gauges do not report hatches. Current Catskill source context supports Blue Winged Olives, fading sulphurs, Hebes, white flies, flying ants, Isonychias, Light Cahills, caddis, and evening spinner activity. On sunny freestone days, terrestrials and small olives are practical daytime choices, with white flies, spinners, and larger mayflies more likely to matter near dark.

Hatch	Size	Notes
Blue Winged Olive	18-22	Increasingly important in late August, especially in shade, damp seams, and soft evening light
Flying Ant or Hebe	16-24	Useful along banks, foam lines, and quiet tailouts when trout will not commit to mayflies
Isonychia	12-14	Fish dries, wets, or swimming nymphs in faster water, pocket lanes, and riffle edges
Light Cahill	14-16	Good searching dry in riffles and evening mixed activity
White Fly	12-14	Seasonal evening option; watch softer edges and pool tails as light fades
Sulphur	16-18	Fading, but still possible during cooler windows
Caddis	16-20	Fish pupa or soft hackles in riffles and pocket water when no steady rises are showing

Recommended Flies

Category	Fly	Size	Notes
Dry	BWO Comparadun, CDC Olive, or Parachute Adams	18-22	Cover small olives in shaded seams, slicks, and quiet tailouts
Dry	Flying Ant, Hebe, or small beetle	16-24	Use as a late-summer bank and foam-line pattern
Dry	Isonychia Parachute, Light Cahill, White Fly, or Rusty Spinner	10-16	Search riffles and be ready for evening spinner or larger mayfly work
Wet	Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, Partridge and Orange, or Isonychia Wet	12-18	Swing through riffles and pocket seams before or between surface activity
Nymph	Pheasant Tail, Frenchie, Hare's Ear, caddis pupa, or Isonychia Nymph	12-20	Keep rigs light and targeted in oxygenated pocket water
Streamer	Small Woolly Bugger or sculpin	6-10	Only worth a short low-light test along shaded banks or deeper pocket edges

Tactics

Fish early and keep moving until you find oxygenated water with cover. A small olive, ant, soft hackle, or light nymph is a better starting point than a heavy rig in low clear lanes. Stay low, lengthen the leader, and make the first cast count in shallow tailouts. If fish start rising near dark, simplify to one dry or a dry-and-emerger pair. Check water temperature often, stop near 68 F, avoid the closed thermal-refuge reach, and shift to colder tailwater options if the freestones warm too quickly.

Gauge Links

Gauge	Flow	Temp	Link
BEAVER KILL AT COOKS FALLS NY	223 cfs	62.4 F	USGS 01420500
WILLOWEMOC CREEK NR LIVINGSTON MANOR NY	57.4 cfs	59.2 F	USGS 01419500

Sources

Official sources checked: USGS stations 01420500 and 01419500, plus the National Weather Service forecast for the 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, method, clarity, and safety context.