Catskills, New York
Beaverkill-Willowemoc Fishing Report: September 3, 2026
The Beaverkill is high at 1,740 cfs and the Willowemoc is up to 336 cfs after storms, so treat the freestones as a limited edge-water or wait-it-out option today.
- Status
- tough
- Flow trend
- rising
- Best window
- Wait for levels and color to settle; fish only soft edges if storms stay away
- Best methods
- streamers, wet flies, nymphs
Quick Summary
The Beaverkill-Willowemoc system is a tough, safety-first choice after overnight rain. USGS showed the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls at 1,740 cfs, 4.51 feet, and 61.7 F during the 8 AM check, while the Willowemoc near Livingston Manor was 336 cfs, 3.02 feet, and 60.6 F. Both creeks are much higher than earlier this week, and current Upper Delaware context also reported high, off-color water across storm-affected rivers. Fish only if you can stay on soft edge water and avoid crossings; otherwise let the freestones drop and use the colder tailwaters.
Conditions Snapshot
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Status | Tough. The water is cool enough for trout, but flows are high for wading and may carry stain or debris after storms |
| Flow | 1,740 cfs at Beaverkill Cooks Falls; 336 cfs at Willowemoc Livingston Manor during the 8 AM check |
| Gauge Height | 4.51 feet at Cooks Falls; 3.02 feet at Livingston Manor |
| Water Temp | 61.7 F on the Beaverkill; 60.6 F on the Willowemoc |
| Clarity | Not reported by official gauges; storm runoff makes stain likely, especially on the Beaverkill |
| Trend | Rising sharply compared with earlier this week |
| Best Window | Wait for levels and color to settle; fish only soft edges if storms stay away |
| Best Method | Streamers and larger nymphs in soft edge water; wet flies or dries only if clarity and rising fish appear |
| Wadeability | Limited to poor. Avoid crossings, pushy riffles, and unfamiliar banks |
Weather
For Livingston Manor and Roscoe, the National Weather Service forecast calls for a high near 79 F, west wind 3 to 7 mph, and a chance of rain showers with possible thunderstorms today. Tonight has a smaller shower and thunderstorm chance before patchy fog, with Friday turning cooler overnight. Any additional storm cell can bump the freestones quickly, so radar should decide whether you go or wait.
River Notes
The Beaverkill at Cooks Falls is well above the comfortable wading range for most anglers, and the Willowemoc is near the upper end of its better wading window. The water temperatures are not the main issue this morning; current, footing, stain, and changing flow are. If you fish, stay on the bank side of the river, look for softer inside bends, bank cushions, back eddies, and the first slow water below riffles, and do not try to cross to reach a better-looking lane.
Recent Catskills source context has been pointing anglers toward morning and late-evening summer windows, small olives, sulphurs, caddis, Cahills, Isonychias, rusty spinners, and ants. Today's extra water changes that playbook. Streamers and weighted nymphs can be useful while the creeks are colored, but the better dry-fly opportunity will come after the level eases and fish can hold on softer seams again.
Hatch Activity
Official gauges do not report hatches. Recent Catskills context supports Blue Winged Olives, sulphurs, tan caddis, Light Cahills, Isonychias, rusty spinners, and flying ants, but high or stained water may make surface feeding sparse until the streams settle.
| Hatch | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Winged Olive | 16-22 | Most likely under clouds and softer margins after the water clears |
| Sulphur | 16-20 | Late-season activity is possible but not the first plan in high water |
| Tan Caddis | 16-18 | Fish pupa or soft hackles around riffle edges when visibility allows |
| Light Cahill | 14-16 | Carry for evening mixed mayfly activity in softer pools |
| Isonychia | 10-14 | Good high-water profile as a wet fly, nymph, or searching dry |
| Rusty Spinner | 10-22 | Watch slick tails only if flow and light create a real spinner window |
| Flying Ant | 16-20 | Useful along banks once fish are comfortable near the surface again |
Recommended Flies
| Category | Fly | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streamer | Black or olive Woolly Bugger, sculpin, or small articulated streamer | 4-8 | Fish tight to soft banks and inside seams while water carries color |
| Nymph | Isonychia Nymph, Pheasant Tail, Frenchie, or caddis pupa | 10-18 | Use enough weight to tick slower edge water without wading deep |
| Wet | Isonychia Wet, Partridge and Orange, or soft hackle | 10-18 | Swing riffle tails and softer margins when clarity improves |
| Dry | BWO Comparadun or CDC Olive | 16-22 | For small risers in sheltered slicks after flows settle |
| Dry | Flying Ant, rusty spinner, or small beetle | 16-22 | Carry for bank feeders and quiet evening water |
| Dry | Isonychia Parachute, Light Cahill, or sulphur emerger | 10-18 | Match larger evening rise forms if fish are stable on top |
Tactics
Do not start by stepping into the main current. Walk the bank, check clarity at your feet, and fish the first three to six feet of softer water before moving. Streamers should be short-cast and controlled, not stripped through the heaviest push. If you nymph, use a short, close drift in edge buckets and tailouts where a hooked fish can be landed without chasing it into heavy current. Carry a thermometer, and give trout a break if afternoon readings approach 68 F in shallow side water.
Gauge Links
| Gauge | Flow | Temp | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEAVER KILL AT COOKS FALLS NY | 1,740 cfs | 61.7 F | USGS 01420500 |
| WILLOWEMOC CREEK NEAR LIVINGSTON MANOR NY | 336 cfs | 60.6 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, method, clarity, and safety context.