Freestone · Sandstone Shale · New York, US

Esopus Creek

Esopus Creek flowing over a rocky streambed with forested mountains in the background, Catskills, New York.
Today · Not the day for it
Hopper
Forecast · Today
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Hopper
Hopper
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.35 m
Lifting fast
Water temp17.1°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather23°C
WindN 18 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent6.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
17°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Grasshopper (Eastern)

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 74%
Also:Reed Smut40%Trico (Eastern)28%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostDegree-days at peak5 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Grasshopper (Eastern) (Grasshopper (Eastern), Peak emergence window)

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Dette Flies·Beaverkill Angler
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • General season plus artificial-only extension
  • Verify NY DEC.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 4
Neversink River
31 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Brook trout
Willowemoc Creek
47 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Beaverkill
53 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Wappinger Creek
55 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Brook trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Esopus Creek flowing over a rocky streambed with forested mountains in the background, Catskills, New York.
    Esopus Creek
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Esopus Creek, Upper, and minor tribs' (NY1307-0007), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · NY1307-0007

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts