Willowemoc Creek Fishing Guides
The birthplace of American dry-fly fishing, a classic Catskill freestone creek meeting the Beaverkill at Junction Pool in Roscoe with wild browns and famous hatches.
Guides on the Willowemoc Creek
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About the Willowemoc Creek
The Willowemoc is where American dry-fly fishing was worked out, and it is still fished in much the same spirit. It rises in the Willowemoc Wild Forest, runs west past Livingston Manor through a mix of hemlock shade and open meadow, and joins the Beaverkill at Junction Pool in Roscoe, the town that calls itself Trout Town USA. Theodore Gordon fished this water and tied the flies that started the American school, and the Catskill Fly Fishing Center sits on the bank a short drive above the junction.
The creek fishes as a wild brown trout stream with stocked fish mixed in on the lower reaches and native brook trout up in the small headwater branches. Rainbows are present through the middle water. The hatches are the reason to come and the reason people plan trips a year out: Hendricksons in April, the March Browns and Green Drakes through May and into June, and reliable evening caddis all summer where the water stays cold. The classic no-kill stretch above Livingston Manor is the most heavily fished water and also the most productive.
The gauge near Livingston Manor reports discharge, stage and water temperature, and the temperature reading is the important one here. This is a freestone creek without a dam to hold it cold, so by mid-summer the lower water can push into the range where fighting a trout kills it, and responsible anglers move up into the shaded headwaters or fish the Delaware system instead. Access is unusually good for the Northeast, with substantial public fishing rights easements marked along the bank and parking pull-offs on the road that follows the valley. Weekends in the heart of the hatch season are genuinely crowded, so anglers who can fish midweek will find far more water to themselves.
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Access
Junction Pool at Roscoe - the confluence with the Beaverkill and the most famous pool on the system.
The no-kill stretch above Livingston Manor - marked catch-and-release water with easement access.
Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum - public bank access and the local hatch information.
Covered Bridge Campsite near Livingston Manor - developed access on the middle creek.
Old Route 17 pull-offs between Livingston Manor and Roscoe - roadside access to the lower water.
Willowemoc Wild Forest - walk-in access to the small cold headwater branches.
DeBruce area easements - public fishing rights on the upper creek above the hatchery.
Seasons
Spring: high, cold water and the Hendrickson and March Brown hatches that define the season.
Summer: low and warm on the lower creek - fish the headwaters early and watch the temperature gauge.
Fall: cooling water, good streamer fishing and spawning browns moving up out of the Beaverkill.
Winter: cold and mostly closed to fishing, with limited season on the lower water only.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Willowemoc Creek?
As of Sep 17, 6:15 am, the USGS gauge WILLOWEMOC CREEK NR LIVINGSTON MANOR NY reads 51 cfs, with water temperature 59.4 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Willowemoc Creek?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Fallfish, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass on the Willowemoc Creek in New York.
Where can you access the Willowemoc Creek?
Junction Pool at Roscoe - the confluence with the Beaverkill and the most famous pool on the system. The no-kill stretch above Livingston Manor - marked catch-and-release water with easement access. Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum - public bank access and the local hatch information. Covered Bridge Campsite near Livingston Manor - developed access on the middle creek. Old Route 17 pull-offs between Livingston Manor and Roscoe - roadside access to the lower water. Willowemoc Wild Forest - walk-in access to the small cold headwater branches. DeBruce area easements - public fishing rights...
When is the best time to fish the Willowemoc Creek?
Spring: high, cold water and the Hendrickson and March Brown hatches that define the season. Summer: low and warm on the lower creek - fish the headwaters early and watch the temperature gauge. Fall: cooling water, good streamer fishing and spawning browns moving up out of the Beaverkill. Winter: cold and mostly closed to fishing, with limited season on the lower water only.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Willowemoc Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New York agency site: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations