Freestone · Sandstone Shale · New York, US

Willowemoc Creek

Willowemoc Creek — Junction Pool from NY 17

The Beaverkill's sister water and the other half of Junction Pool — a slightly smaller, intimate Catskill freestone running the same calendar of Quill Gordons, Hendricksons and Cahills past the Fly Fishing Center at Livingston Manor.

Tomorrow · A side-water session, not the main event
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
A side-water session, not the main event
A patient day. Fish the cover and stay with it.
65% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.67 m
Lifting fast
Water temp15.4°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather20°C
WindN 15 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent7.2 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
15°C est.ideal 1018°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
Good — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 7am

12pm(now) Reed Smut

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 36%
Also:Flying Ants23%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 7am — Trico (Eastern) (Trico (Eastern), Degree-days at peak)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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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
Beats · 2 · 1 reaches

The Willowemoc is classic Catskill walk-and-wade freestone with a long public-access tradition, but the same honesty applies as on the Beaverkill: much of the bank is private, and New York's Public Fishing Rights are 33-foot easements, not a general right to cross land. Fish the marked access, the PFR water and the NY DEC no-kill stretches, and confirm reach regulations before you go. Treat it as a hatch-and-temperature alternative to the tailwaters, not as cold release water — it warms in midsummer.

Willowemoc Creek · 2 beatsDay rods
Willowemoc at Livingston Manor, Junction Pool context (Roscoe)
The 2 beats
Willowemoc at Livingston ManorPublic
NY DEC public access + private frontage
The classic dry-fly water around Livingston Manor, home of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum — intimate, wadeable freestone running the same hatch calendar as the Beaverkill. Good public access in stretches, with NY DEC no-kill / artificial-only water, threaded between private frontage.
Public water with private bank between access points; PFR easements are 33-ft bank corridors only. Confirm current NY DEC no-kill / artificial-only reach boundaries.
Junction Pool context (Roscoe)Public
NY DEC public access + private frontage
The lower Willowemoc down to Junction Pool at Roscoe, where it joins the Beaverkill — the historic confluence and a natural 'where to go instead' node when the tailwaters are too high, too crowded or out of hatch sync. Public-access water around the village mixed with private frontage.
Public-access node, crowded in season; private bank between access points. Use signed access and PFR corridors; verify reach regulations.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • No-kill / artificial-only sections plus general season
  • Verify NY DEC.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Willowemoc Creek — Junction Pool from NY 17
    Junction Pool from NY 17
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Beaverkill's sister water and the other half of Junction Pool — a slightly smaller, intimate Catskill freestone running the same calendar of Quill Gordons, Hendricksons and Cahills past the Fly Fishing Center at Livingston Manor. The spiritual home of the Catskill dry fly.

  • Sandstone shale
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic lifeNot assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Willowemoc Creek, Lower, and minor tribs' (NY1403-0059), 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) · NY1403-0059

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 75%
How the 79 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity90 × 18%16.2
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity49 × 12%5.9
Conditions total= 79
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April31 December
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts