Esopus Fly Fishing Report
9/6/22 - Much needed rain has come to the area which is both cooling the water and filling the feeder streams. While the rain is necessary to fill reservoirs and set the stage for browns to enter the Esopus to spawn, we hope the river remains stable and fishable. The river is up to 800 cfu with increased turbidity and 68 deg.
7/15/22 - The hot weather has broken after the series of recent storms. The river has held up and remains very fishable. Please avoid the middle of the day for stress on the fish and venture out later in the afternoon. Anglers have been catching rainbows and lesser so browns in the upper part of the river. Nymphing and swinging wet flies have been very consistent until the fish start to rise in late afternoon. Standard parachute Adams #16, ISO #14, Brown caddis #14 have been producing in the slower water and larger attractor patterns having been doing well in the faster sections.
6/11/22 - Water clarity has continued to be a nuisance. The clarity while not being helpful for dry fly fishing, has been working for nymphing and the streamer bite. The rainbows have been aggressively been taking nymphs in the lower stretches of the Esopus by the Rail Trail and sizable browns are being caught upstream. Water above the portal is skinny but continues to hold fish in the defined pools and behind rocks in the riffles.
5/5/22 - Winter is finally behind us with the fish looking up to feed. Fish are actively feeding on the surface and reports of good catches of browns and rainbows. Water conditions are perfect at 550 and the weather seems to be cooperating for the time being.
4/20/22 - The river has come down to 800 cfg’s and is running clear and very fishable. Paraleps are now emerging as well as Quill Gordons with the former coming in greater numbers. Midday hatches have not yet created any real risers but nymphing has produced some great results for anglers. Reports of 22+ fallback rainbows have been taken and some beautiful native resident browns. Conditions look promising so now is your shot at some great lake run fish.
4/3/22 - due to the recent rains the Esopus is running high with turbidity up too. Water levels are dropping a bit but rain is in the forecast.
3/15/22 - The Esopus is running clear and very fishable throughout its entirety. Some fishermen have done well in catching some 20+ browns and rainbows but the water is still very cold and the fish are still sluggish. Weighted nymphs is your best bet until the water warms. (small black stones)
2/15/22 - Fishermen have been reporting catching some nice rainbows in the last week, all on nymphs. If you can find some nice weather we suggest getting on the stream and targeting the slower moving softer water.
12/30/21 - The Esopus, now open for year round fishing, is prime for fishing. Low clear water and reports of some good browns being caught in the slower deeper water. Nymphing, egg patterns and streamers have been taking fish.
11/23/21 - The Esopus is clearing up but still slightly off-color but fishable in the middle section from Fox Hollow to Emerson Hotel. It does get clear as you get down to the Five Arcs Bridge. Water level is stable at 500 cfu.
11/15/21 - The river remains high at 1000 cfu and turbidity high.
11/12/21 - The recent rains have really raised water and turbidity levels making the river unfishable fior the coming days. Look to the tribs for some clear water.
9/28/21 -The Esopus is now in great condition for fishing. Turbidity is normalized and levels are prime. ISO’s and caddis are still coming out late in the day with sporadic rises. We suggest ISO parachutes and brown caddis #16. Streamers are a great go to to motivate some of the larger browns now entering the river from the Ashokan.
7/12/21 Recent rains have discolored the water and levels are too high to fish. We are hoping that this all starts to clear by the weekend. Try fishing the tribs or target soft edges, tailouts, and against the banks with streamers until the water returns to its normal level.
5/10/21 The Esopus has lowered a bit to 900 cfu’s but is fishing very well. Just had a few fishermen report back that they had a 40 fish day. A few of the fish over 20”, proof that big fish are still making their way up the river triggered by the higher flow.
5/3/21 The weather has improved with temperatures going back to normal but the streams need a good influx of water which could happen in the next few days. Some big rainbows are being caught in the deeper water and smaller fish continue to rise sporadicly to olives and small dries. The bigger fish have been moving for streamers.
4/26/21 We are seeing Hendricksons in greater quantities now. The cold weather has diminished their emergence but we had reports that fish were still rising during the snow flurries. Small stoneflies seem to be producing fish is the medium currents.
4/15/21 Things are looking up! Reports of many browns and rainbows being caught on the surface and with nymphs. We are seeing small olives emerging and the fish rising to them. Starting to see more bugs on the rocks and algae too. The water is clear and fishable with fisherman moving some large rainbows in the slower moving water.
4/14/21 Great news: We're thrilled to report that as of yesterday, Premium Energy's Ashokan Pumped Storage Project Proposal has been officially withdrawn!
This is a true testament to the power of community organizing, and what can be accomplished when neighbors and friends come together to fight for each other, and to protect our environment. The key reason mentioned for the proposal's withdrawal was "social impact," which means that our coalition's efforts, everyone's comments to FERC, and all the motions to intervene from organizations and individuals alike were heard loud and clear.
For now, our beloved Catskills are safe—but we all must keep an eye out for future threats.
4/8/21 The cold weather is finally behind us but the local waters are still icy cold. The warm temperatures we are now experiencing will heat the rivers quickly which will trigger the fish to start looking up to satisfy their heightened metabolisms. Few fish have been caught but many have been landing browns in the slower moving pieces of water. Several large rainbows have been turned and spotted on the Esopus though. The fish are not moving far to eat so precise presentations with weighted nymphs are the best bet at this point. Try prospecting with tandem rig of stoneflies #8-#12 and smaller (#14- #16) bead head prince nymphs. Nothing to report on any real fly activity yet but soon streamers will be effective once the fish begin to become more active.
3/9/21 With a new fly fishing season upon us it is time to ready the gear, sort the flies, and pray for some good opening day conditions. We all look forward to being back in the stream in and among the surroundings we greatly appreciate.
Wanted to post some info on a new hydro project that affects our fishery and the areas around the Ashokan Reservoir and Woodland Valley stream. It involves creating a power generating station in the mountains above the Ashokan that will pump lake water up and send it back creating electricity. While this project will probably never see the light of day we have to remain vigilant and stop the permit process from progressing. There is very little info at this particular point but there is a FERC link you can click to raise your objection to these projects. Click here to register your concern.
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12/1/20 The fly fishing season is officially closed until April 1st 2021. The great news is that the Esopus Creek will be open for year round fishing starting on April 1st.
11/26/20 Happy Thanksgiving! Surf's up on the Esopus! The last few days have been glorious as low pressure and higher daytime temperatures have brought on the bite. If you are lucky enough to be near the creek today, taking some casts would be a great idea. Good fish have been brought to net of recent with persistence, moderately deeper presentations, and flashy streamers. Water is slightly colored and moderate from last night's rain, but fish are active in holding water. Hatches were on in abundance as of noontime. Sun breaks brought visible rises!
11/20/20 Recent daytime temperature highs have brought late morning olive hatches and stirred terrestrial activity on creekside. Flow has increased moderately as the portal has been discharging increasingly. Turbidity remains low and water is still maintaining lower temperature. This weekend's predicted warmer weather has brought about a rise in action on the creek as fish take advantage of the feed.
11/17/20 Recent precipitation has raised water levels moderately and temperatures continue to be low. Deep presentations of attractive large streamers have brought good fish to net. Dress for success and layer up well as weather has included snow and wind as of today. Late season angling is still on, and large browns are still in the system. Action has been slow but determination is the best pattern in the box during these conditions.
11/14/20 Tread lightly and mind the Redds…the Esopus is Au naturale! Windy gusts, Low water and crystal clear flow demanded total focus and stealth. Moments of sun break and afternoon hatches produced activity in sheltered lays and down deep under ledges and along pool bottoms. Fish are laying low due to exposure to avian predators but holding well in the adequate, cold water. Don't miss this opportunity to spend time on the Esopus in this state. It's stunning and challenging.
11/13/20 Flow rate continues to drop as well as water temperature, which peaked out at 48 degrees today. Water levels are still low, offering access to different holding water in many places. Peak angling times have been just after sunrise and from about 3 til sunset, with isolated blue wing hatches in between. Selective nymphs fished with appropriate weight have been successful.
1/12/20 Due to maintainance, the portal flow has been temporarily diminished. This has resulted in a drop in turbidty and lower water levels. Fish remain active due to cloud cover and water temps in the low 50’s. Use small stream tactics and stealth and be sure to explore new water as the creek topography has changed, opening up new angling opportunities.
11/10/20 Drastic changes in barometric pressure have brought fish back into feeding agressively. Match the hatch is the name of the game as fish are speculative at this point in the season. Rain and fog have provided relief from the solar pressure as of recent. The creek is on!!!
11/8/20 Late Fall Clear, cold, and moderately flowing water is moving larger fish up the system. Mood is very subdued in normally active areas, but persistence is key during this season. Early morning and late midday have been hot as hatches of olives and mayflies could be seen. Larger specimen trout have succumb to large streamers fished low.
10/30/20 Recent precipitation (Snow today!) Has triggered fall fish up into the system. Leaf litter has stabilized somewhat, levels are healthy, clear, cold and in PRIME IDEAL condition. Lots of great fish holding in good water so use small water tactics and stealth, and your best blue wing olive presentation. This is Adams fly weather, so dress well and be careful on the stream approach as wet leaves have changed the trail game.
10/4/20 The Creek's flow has stabilized after the substantial rainfall this past week. Cold autumn nights have pushed stream temps down into the 50’s as of this AM. These factors have triggered larger fish to move up from the Ashokan. Large midday Olive hatches abound. Flashy wets and streamers have been productive in thicker water. Fall is in full swing, but don't forget your terrestrial box. Flying Ants and Hoppers are popping still.
9/28/20 Fall Conditions are optimizing as we swing into season. High temperature sunny days have been balanced with drastically colder portal release. Upper section of creek is holding with the past few days of intermittent rainfall. Visibility on the water has increased dramatically. There have been reports of browns making their way up from the reservoir. Large olive hatches could be seen at 230 pm with good fish rising. October caddis, Classic wet fly patterns and streamers continue to produce.
9/23/20-The creek is still running fast and high but evening hatches are bringing fish to the rise. Isonychia are plentiful below the surface and Caddis can be seen throughout the day. Brown pheasant tail nymphs and classic wet fly droppers have brought a ton of action.
9/7/20 - The river has risen today bringing the turbidity up making it not ideal conditions.
9/6/20 -The action on the Esopus has really stepped up a notch with ISO’s on the stream and some large browns being spotted throughout the system. With all the rain that has fallen it seems to have triggered some of the fall browns to start their migratory trip up river from the Ashokan.