Freestone · Shale · New York, US

Cattaraugus Creek

An overlook view of Cattaraugus Creek winding through the forested Zoar Valley gorge in New York, framed by autumn foliage.

New York's premier Lake Erie steelhead stream — a big creek running partly through the Seneca Nation's land, with a strong wild-and-stocked run and a long season.

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
1.08 m
Lifting fast
Water temp18.1°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather23°C
WindN 6 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.8 mm
Rain · ahead8.5 mm

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

Water temperature for Steelhead
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Steelhead Oct–Apr; slow to clear after big rain
Where
New York's premier Lake Erie steelhead stream — a big creek running partly through the Seneca Nation's land, with a strong wild-and-stocked run and a long…
Why this works
Very poor — time of day is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Grasshopper (Eastern)

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 75%
Also:Reed Smut32%Trico (Eastern)23%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostDegree-days at peak5 food groups active

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

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
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
Steelhead fly box
Local fly shops: Chagrin River Outfitters·East End Angler·Elk Creek Sports Shop
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • New York licence; the reach through Seneca Nation territory requires a tribal permit — confirm before fishing
  • Verify NY DEC rules
  • Introduced/wild sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Eighteenmile Creek
28 km
Steelhead
Gallery · 2
  1. An overlook view of Cattaraugus Creek winding through the forested Zoar Valley gorge in New York, framed by autumn foliage.
    Cattaragus Creek From Pinnacle Point
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

New York's premier Lake Erie steelhead stream — a big creek running partly through the Seneca Nation's land, with a strong wild-and-stocked run and a long season. Clay-influenced, so it takes its time to clear, but it holds a lot of fish and a lot of water.

  • Shale
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Cattaraugus Cr, Middle, Main Stem' (NY0104-0053), 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) · NY0104-0053

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature028% weight
  • Flow3022% weight
  • Clarity1518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity2812% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts