The Catskill Fly Fishing Report
September 11, 2026
Beaverkill River, Willowemoc Creek, and the Delaware River System
STORE HOURS:
Monday 9am to 5pm
Tuesday 9am to 5pm
Wednesday 9am to 5pm
Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am to 5pm
Saturday 9am to 5pm
Sunday 9am to 5pm
Today will be a high of 68 degrees with sunny skies overhead throughout the day. Saturday and Sunday will be in the low to mid-70s with a chance of rain on both Saturday and Sunday, the latter looking like it could bring some significant precipitation so keep a close eye on the forecast. Depending on how much rain ends up coming down, we may see a spike in river flows so also make sure to be checking the gauges.
As this is being written, the Beaverkill is running at 350 CFS, which is a pretty ideal level for wade fishing. The river is running unseasonably cool; 61 degrees as this is being written. High sun could raise those temperatures into the mid-60s or higher today, but expect that cool overnights, incoming precipitation and mostly cloudy conditions throughout the rest of the weekend should keep water temperatures at a fishable mark. In any case, it’s still a good idea to keep a thermometer on hand just to make extra sure you’re fishing cool enough water, but we don’t foresee it being a huge issue.
Reports indicate modest bug activity at the surface on the Beaverkill. Mornings can be good for tricos and are a good idea now that water levels have receded from last week. Expect the naturals to be small, #22 and smaller. Imitations can be hard to see so it’s often a good idea to trail a trico behind a more visible fly or throw a pattern with a hot spot like our indicator parachute trico. Beyond that, it’s likely that upcoming conditions will bring opportunities for blue winged olive imitation so make sure to have some in the box. BWOs are small at this point in the year, #20 and smaller. For both tricos and BWOs, and really any mayfly imitation, it’ll be a good idea to have imitations of multiple stages of the bug’s life cycle—everything from emergers with bodies that hang low in the film to high floating duns, and spinners in the case of tricos. Lastly, you’ll need to consider tippet strength when throwing such small flies. Heavier tippets can drag tiny bugs around so you may find a need to size down to 6, maybe even 7x, depending on how small you’re going.
Aside from tiny flies, reports indicate some activity from isonychia in the afternoon and cahills later into the evening so it’ll be a good idea to have a few of both in the box. The naturals are around a #14 and, like tricos and BWOs, will be well imitated with an array of presentations representing different stages of the life cycle. When in doubt, consider going more “emergent” with your presentation, meaning lean towards patterns that look vulnerable with bodies/shucks still stuck in the surface meniscus.
All this being said, nymphing tactics will likely yield the most success so be wary of forcing the issue on the surface. There’s a million and one ways to skin the cat when it comes to nymphing. It’s still seasonally appropriate to be throwing a dry dropper which is a simple and efficient approach. Our theory is that even though eats on the dry fly might be few and far between, it will at least serve as an attractor to draw a fish’s attention long enough to notice the nymph drifting below. The reason we like the dry dropper so much is pretty simple: it’s easy to rig, easy to cast, tangles a lot less than other nymphing rigs, and you generally lose less flies on the dry dropper. That said, indicator and tight-line/contact/Euro tactics are also well applied. If you’re going to throw an indicator, we advise that you go as small as you can get away with and consider throwing a yarn/wool indicator, which lands a lot less concussively than a firm body float.
The Willowemoc is running a degree cooler than the Beaverkill, 60 degrees in Livingston Manor as this is being written, and is a great second option next to the Beaverkill. The Willow is running at a pretty ideal flow, just under 60 CFS, we argue prime conditions for wading. As you may have guessed, your approach on the Willow won’t differ too much from the Beaverkill. Hatches will be similar and tactics shouldn’t change much. Prospect with nymph rigs for your best chance at fish and should you run into consistent rising activity, do your best to determine what the fish is eating and go straight at it with a single fly.
The West Branch of the Delaware is fishing solidly at the moment. As far as flow goes, the West is running just a touch high, a hair over 650 CFS as this is being written, but still very approachable for wading and ideal for fishing from a boat. There’s plenty of active fish around but expect that the fishing will be tough and technical. Active fish will likely be working in areas that are difficult to access, often opposite the approachable side of the river. You will need to use long leader systems and downstream presentations to effectively work these fish on the surface. Reports indicate activity from tricos and BWOs, both of which are coming off very small. As we mentioned above, fishing these tiny bugs can get a bit maddening so do yourself a favor and drop your small bug off a slightly larger lead fly or play around with hot spots. In the absence of risers, prospecting with a dry dropper is always a good second guess. The rig we mentioned above for the Beaverkill & Willow will also do fine on the West Branch, but when in doubt, consider sizing things down.
Like the West, the East Branch has come down considerably since we last wrote with a flow of just over 220 CFS as this is being written. We haven’t heard much about the East this week, however, it’s likely that hatch will be similar there as to what’s been laid out above. Remember that the stream is also very technical, demanding long leader systems and dragless downstream presentations. We wouldn’t change too much in terms of approach for the East Branch either. At the end of the day, nymphing and small flies are going to give you your best chance at catching fish right now and if you do run into some rising, expect that fish will likely be feeding on small forage.
Outside the trout fishery, levels have come back down into ideal ranges for both bass and carp in the Delaware River watershed as well as the neighboring Susquehanna River watershed. With the approach of fall, this is a time when behavior will begin to shift dramatically as these fish prepare for colder weather. With regards to bass, see if you can get an eat on a topwater bug before switching to streamers. In terms of patterns, we generally like flies with more subtle action like divers and such, however, a popper is a tried and true classic for a reason.
Carp behavior is already maddeningly difficult to reason out and can get even trickier during the seasonal transition, however, expect that these fish will have very productive windows as they too prepare for winter. Carp are an increasingly popular target for fly anglers and present one of the most challenging yet rewarding eats in all of freshwater fishing. Like bass, rigging up for carp is a much different game than going for trout so reach out if you’re trying to get started.
We are open 7 days a week from 9am-5pm and can be reached by email, phone or on our social media channels. If you have any questions or reports, please feel free to reach out. We wish you luck next time you’re out and hope to see you soon!
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