Fly fishing the Catskills

[jwatts]

Im thinking of doing a two day trip sometime around sept.-oct. in The Catskill region. Prob around the Beaverkill river and The willowemoc River near the Catskill museum. Has anyone ever fished out there? I need as much info as i can get. Thank you for your time.

 

[mattwolf]

j,

I have not fished there yet, but plan to within the next few weeks. There are a lot of websites for that area. Check out Rosco New York (Voted Trout Town USA last year).

 

[wbranch]

There are millions of words written about those two rivers. Go to catskillflies.com a neat website based in Roscoe, NY. They are a brick and mortar fly shop with guide service. They also post daily stream conditions for the Beaverkill, Willowemoc, Neversink, and the Delaware system. They also have a forum at the web site where you could probably do a search for info. Just google it and you will probably get thousands of hits.

I used to live in NJ and fished the BK and Willow every weekend for over twenty years. They are both good fisheries but bear in mind you are going when pretty much all of the major, and consistent hatches, are long gone. Also both the BK and Willow are undamned freestone rivers and often in September and October can be very low unless there are significant rains in those months.

You might expect to see some Iso's and some Baetis if you can get cloudy drizzly days. There is a very nice No kill section that begins about 1/2 mile below the fly fishing museum. It is at least three miles long. There are two No Kill sections on the BK. One starts about a mile below Junction Pool and the other is in Horton.

Remember the NYS trout season closes September 30 so the only water on those rivers that is open will be the No Kill sections. Most of both rivers is paralleled by what is locally called "Old Rte 17". There are ample places to park on the BK but far fewer places to park on the Willow.

PM me if you want to know more specifics. I can also tell you the most direct route to get to Roscoe.

 

[jwatts]

Thanks wbranch. I didn't quiet get what you ment by the trout season ending sept. 30. I plan on catch and realease in all areas. Can you still fish other sections after sept. 30 if you C&R? Or are they totally off limits? Thank you

 

[JeffK]

Yes, the streams closed to fishing are closed to all fishing. After 9/30 you limited to the special regs areas. Plenty of good water though. Another warning is that the NYS fishing license goes from 10/1 to 9/30 so if you fish into October you will need a new license. The Delaware branches have parts that are open past 9/30, but the regulations are fairly complex so check carefully.

Fall can be great, can be tough. Water can be low and clear and the fish have been fished over all season, so it isn't generally an easy time to fish.

Love if they hit isos, since they are a bigger bug. Cloudy days will be BWOs, and there are a smattering of peach Cahills, caddis, terrestrials, etc.

One thing I like is that the rainbows move out of the Delaware system up the East branch and into the Beaverkill. Fish the fastest water you can find with a nymph and you may find some decent wild rainbow fishing,

 

[jwatts]

excellent, Thanks jeff. Do you know if the special reg. spots are marked on the stream?

 

[wbranch]

There are large brown wooden signs on both the Willowemoc and Beaverkill indicating the beginning point and end point for the No Kill sections. As I said earlier there is one section on the Willowemoc starting a bit below the museum and continuing down stream to a point below an iron bridge that is behind Harry Darbee's home.

There are two on the BK and both are clearly marked. The non resident fishing license costs $70.00. They do not accept credit cards or checks. You must pay for it with cash. There are a couple of motels in Roscoe, The Roscoe Motel is right at the confluence of the upper Beaverkill and the Willowemoc. There is another place called the Baxter House. You can find good food at the Roscoe Diner and there is a good Italian restaurant on the corner of Main St and old Rte 17.

As JeffK mentioned it is illegal to fish the Beaverkill or Willowemoc after September 30 unless you are fishing in a desinated C&R section. You can fish the WB of the Delaware border waters legally until October 15 as long as one side of the river is PA. Once you get about a mile above what is called Upper Game Lands both banks are in NYS and no fishing is allowed.

 

[jwatts]

Thank you wbranch. So if im understanding this correctly,Trout season is over sept.30 but you can fish the No-Kill zones?? Is there still alot of guys fishing these sections in say nov.-mar.? Would you happen to know when the 2013 trout season opens or close to the date? Sorry for all the questions... I live near the Lackawanna river in NEPA and it can be pretty much fished all year long, there are some trophy trout areas, So i was a bit confused with the NY trout ending on the 30th. Thanks again for the help.

 

[jwatts]

Would you think im wasting my time going out there in the middle of sept? or no.

 

[trout_stalker]

NYS fishing info here.

 

[wbranch]

jwatts wrote;

" So if im understanding this correctly,Trout season is over sept.30 but you can fish the No-Kill zones?? Is there still alot of guys fishing these sections in say nov.-mar.? Would you happen to know when the 2013 trout season opens or close to the date? Sorry for all the questions... I live near the Lackawanna river in NEPA and it can be pretty much fished all year long, there are some trophy trout areas, So i was a bit confused with the NY trout ending on the 30th."

I'm only speaking about my knowledge of the open water on the Beaverkill and Willowemoc. The general trout season on those two rivers ALWAYS begins on April 01 and ends (closes) on September 30. I don't know how to be any clearer that that. The special regulation areas (No Kill) on those rivers permits angling, persuant to the angling regulations for those No Kill sections, to be all year long. If you Google the NYS Fish Commission you will be able to read and print all pertinent data to answer all of your questions.

There are pretty good numbers of guys fishing in September and October but once the weather gets colder and there are no rising fish there are going to be very few guys fishing. Besides the trout kind of hunker down as their metabolism slows down due to the cold water. I've always thought that after November 01 it's nice to give those poor trout a break from the seven months they have been harrassed by every fly known to mankind. Go chase salmon and steelhead up in Pulaski, or in Gowanda, or any one of the streams in NYS that enter Lake Erie or Ontario.

How can a day spent on a famous trout stream ever be a waste of time? It will only be a waste of time if you go there with high expectations and are disappointed if you aren't fully successful.

 

[redietz]

Check the regulations. Much of the Beaverkill and Willowemoc are open until Oct 15 (even the catch & keep parts.)

I've had excellent fishing on the Beaverkill in early October., with lots of caddis, and Cairn's Pool almost to myself. It's well worth going.

Note that the NY license runs from October 1 - October 1. That may be a consideration if you're thinking about a year license.

 

[JeffK]

Here are the NYS special regulations. Look for Delaware and Sullivan counties. Didn't remember, but parts of the lower Beaverkill and Willowemoc are open to Nov. Parts of me like the lower Beaverkill outside the No-Kill better since the fish aren't hammered all year by fly fishermen. Can fish in the E and W branches of the Delaware below the dams til 10/15 - but check the regs because they are moderately complex.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/71546.html

Fall fishing can be good and Sept and Oct can be prime. Some people fish the No-Kill sections all year, but there are much better ways to spend your time IMHO. In a cold winter the Catskill freestones freeze over. Never seen a time in Nov when I thought the Catskills were my best choice.

IMHO, September fishing on the freestones is all about when the water gets back to good temperatures (just like PA). Mid-Late Sept is usually good, but one never knows. If things cool down the whole month can be good. Oct fishing is about avoiding a cold blow. I have been fishing in Oct snowstorms on the Acid Factory pool when I wished I was someplace else, but have also fished to risers on Halloween. When the leaves turn avoiding leaves in the water can be a problem, but it sure is beautiful.

 

[mcwillja]

wbranch wrote:
As JeffK mentioned it is illegal to fish the Beaverkill or Willowemoc after September 30 unless you are fishing in a desinated C&R section. You can fish the WB of the Delaware border waters legally until October 15 as long as one side of the river is PA. Once you get about a mile above what is called Upper Game Lands both banks are in NYS and no fishing is allowed.

WB I am pretty sure you can fish the border waters on the WB all year. It is the upper WB that closes on Oct. 15th. Areas like the gamelands can be fished year round.

 

[jwatts]

Thanks for the heads up boys... Much appriciated.

 

[krayfish]

We have a small group heading up Oct 4, 5 ,6 & 7. You are welcome to join in or stop by the motel, have a beer and shoot the breeze. Dennis at Catskill Flies is a very knowledgeable guy on the area.

 

[jwatts]

Thanks krayfish, maybe I might take you up on that offer. I'll have to see what I'm doing then. Thanks again. What areas do you like to hit while your up there?

 

[krayfish]

You are asking a question that has no answer. I couldn't tell you where we'll fish until closer to that time. Stream flows , water temps and clarity will determine the river we fish.

 

[JeffK]

The Catskills are a great place because of the number of streams and the mix of tailwaters and freestones. In general, the tailwaters are the best choice in very cold or very hot weather when the freestones are not easily fishable. In spring and fall when the stream temperatures are good on the freestones the choice gets tougher.