The Catskill Fly Fishing Report
September 18, 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 70 degrees with mostly sunny skies overhead throughout the day. Saturday and Sunday will be cooler, in the low to mid-60s with clouds and a chance of rain on Saturday and what appears to be a significant amount of rain headed our way on Sunday. Keep a close eye on the forecast and the flow gauges; depending on how much rain ends up coming down, we may see a spike in river flows.
As this is being written, the Beaverkill is running just over 250 CFS which is an ideal water level for most. The river continues to run unseasonably cool; 61 degrees as this is being written. Today’s sunny conditions and slightly warmer temperatures could raise water temps into the mid-60s, but we are guessing it won’t get high enough to eliminate fishing opportunities. Very cool overnights, incoming precipitation and mostly cloudy conditions throughout the rest of the weekend should keep water temperatures at a relatively ideal 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 much of an issue.
On the Beaverkill, things haven’t changed much since we last reported. Bug activity is modest with tricos (#22 and smaller) coming off in the morning. Trico imitations can be hard to see so it’s often a good idea to trail one behind a more visible fly or throw a pattern with a hot spot like our indicator parachute trico.
As has been the case, it’s likely that upcoming conditions will keep blue winged olives in play so make sure to have some in the box. BWOs are small at this point in the year, #20 and smaller. Like we said last week, for both tricos and BWOs—and really any dry mayfly pattern—it’s 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. Keep in mind that trout in this fishery tend to be pretty selective and will pass on even the most accurate and drag-less presentations if they are keyed in on a specific bug at a specific stage of the life cycle. Lastly, remember that heavier tippets can drag small patterns around on the surface so you may need to size down to 6, even 7x if the situation calls for it.
Aside from the tiny flies, reports indicate sporadic activity from isonychia into the afternoon and the same from cahills later into the evening. We wouldn’t bank on these hatches but it’s definitely a good idea to keep some imitations in the box, especially if you plan on running a dry dropper rig. The iso naturals are around a #14 at this time of year and the cahills are around a #14-16; like tricos and BWOs, both will be well imitated with an array of presentations representing different stages of the life cycle. When in doubt in front of a rising fish, consider going more “emergent” with your presentation, meaning lean towards patterns that look vulnerable with bodies/shucks still stuck in the surface meniscus.
Like we said in our last report, nymphing tactics will likely yield the most success so be wary of forcing the issue on the surface. A dry dropper is still seasonally appropriate, is a simple enough rig to tie, casts pretty well, and kills two birds with one stone, so it’s likely what we would recommend most for picking up fish on a nymph. 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. In these lower flows, a quiet presentation is usually pretty important.
As per usual, the Willowemoc is running a degree cooler than the Beaverkill—60 degrees in Livingston Manor as this is being written. The Willow is running a little low, just over 50 CFS, but is still fishable especially with these water temperatures. Like we reported last week and 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 680 CFS as this is being written, which eliminates some water for walk and wading but still allows for plenty of access, and sets up pretty ideally for fishing from a boat. Like we reported last week, there’s a lot of active and hungry fish around who, shall we say, have a keen sense for a hair falling out place. That is to say that you can expect fishing to continue to be technical and tricky on the West. Active fish will position themselves in inaccessible areas, often opposite the approachable side of the river. You’ll want to be running a long leader system and keep in mind that the most successful approach to plying the surface will be with downstream presentations. Reports indicate activity from tricos and BWOs, both of which are coming off very small. Like we’ve been talking about, these tiny imitations can be a headache so consider dropping them behind more visible flies (and remember you light tippets). Multiple reports have indicated solid spinner activity into the evening so it’ll be a good idea to have plenty in the box and be willing to stay out a bit later. Rusty spinners in sizes 18-24 should do the trick. 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.
The East Branch appears to be a carbon copy of itself from last week— flows of just over 220 CFS, same temperature, and same tough fishing from the few we’ve talked to who have been out that way this week. Hatch is going to be, you guessed it, tricos and olives with the odd larger mayfly here and there. Like the West Branch, the East is also very technical and demands long leaders and flawless downstream drifts. Again, expect that fish will be well conditioned to put themselves in places that are hard to reach with a fly. 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 stayed at ideal ranges for both bass and carp in the Delaware River watershed as well as the neighboring Susquehanna River watershed. That said, if Sunday’s rain is as significant as it’s forecasted to be, you can likely expect a spike in these systems. In any case, a few leaves have started to change colors and right behind that is a major behavioral shift in both bass and carp. These fish tend to get sluggish and picky towards the end of summer but usually have a significant turnaround with the arrival of fall. Many fish will put on the feed bag in preparation for winter, creating some excellent bite windows.
With regards to your approach, consider that a lot of these fish will be pulling up out of deeper holding water to feed in the shallows. Bass will crash bait and craws against the bank while carp will graze in targetable depths. For now, bass will still take a look at a topwater bug, but expect that streamers will become increasingly more essential as the weather continues to cool off. It’s a fool’s errand to try to forecast what carp want to eat so we suggest going as visible and heavy as you can get away with; keeping in mind that the most “visible” and “heavy” fly they’re willing to take might be a borderline weightless olive damsel nymph. But hey, that’s carp fishing. Rigging up for both bass and carp is a much different game than going for trout so reach out if you’re trying to get started.
Please be aware that we will open late at 12pm on Monday, September 28th. Otherwise, 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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