Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Brown Trout (Wild and stocked)
Rainbow Trout (Stocked)
Brook Trout (Native)
Size
Small-Medium
Location
Southeastern New York
Nearest Towns
Roscoe New York
Livingston Manor New York
Season
Year-round in No-kill section.
April to Nov otherwise
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of New York
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of California
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 & 12 ft., 5 or 6X, Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Superb Five or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Willowemoc Creek- Fishing Report – December 14, 2024
The stream is flowing well above a normal level and stained. Give it a little time to drop and clear. Very good late season hatches continue to take place.
Stream Conditions:
Rate: 284 cfs
Level: 2.89 ft Water Temperature: 38
Clarity: clear
USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Data
Weather Forecast: (click the link below to see more detailed weather info)
Recommended Trout Flies:
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Blue-winged Olives: size 16, 18 nymph, emergers, duns and spinners
Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and others
Midges: Cream and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult. Our larva and pupa midge flies, pre-rigged in tandem, are very popular here. You can fish them under a strike indicator keeping the larva fly near the bottom. https://perfectflystore.com/product/pre-rigged-tandem-midge-larva-pupa-tippet
Winter Stoneflies; size 16/18, nymphs and adults
Perfect Flies are designed and tied to to imitate and behave like the natural foods the trout rely on to survive as much as possible. The more your fly looks like and moves through and on the surface of the water like the real things, the higher your odds of success.
Fly Fishing Willowemoc Creek New York: The Catskill Mountains in New York have several good trout streams and Willowemoc Creek is one of the most popular ones. It is actually a tributary of the Beaver Kill but its a rather large stream over twenty-six miles long. One reason it is a popular destination is that is has more public access than the Beaver Kill. All in all, it is probably easier to catch trout in Willowemoc Creek than it is in the Beaver Kill.The lower sections of the Willowemoc is a fairly large stream, more like a river than a creek. It is one of a few streams in New York that does not have a dam located somewhere on it. It has been a fly fishing destination since the 1800s. At one time there were large resorts in the area where anglers would stay and fish. That has changed over the last fifty years. The upper section is a small brook trout stream. You have a basic choice of fishing a small stream for small fish or the larger section near the Beaver Kill with larger trout. Some areas of the creek offers both opportunities. The fish probably only average from nine to twelve inches but there are plenty of them and there are some larger ones mixed in. Browns are occasionally caught up to 18 inches. I don’t think you could necessarily count on catching one that large, but you always have the opportunity. Willowemoc Creek is a beautiful trout stream in a lovely area of the Catskills. I doubt anyone visiting for first time would only choose to fish Willowemoc. Most everyone would at least add the Beaver Kill to their list of places to fish. It is just around the corner so to speak. Willowemoc Creek Fly Fishing Guide: The methods, strategies and techniques used to fly fish the Willowemoc will vary depending on which part of the stream you are fishing and of course, with the seasons and hatches. The upper section of the Willowemoc, from Fir Village down to the little village of Willowemoc, is a small brook trout stream. It has several small tributaries that also hold brook trout. They are very plentiful and fun to catch but the stream probably only averages about ten to fifteen feet wide. It is very clear and is feed by several small springs that help keep it cool.What is normally called the middle section, flows from Willowemoc down to The lower section from Livingston Manor to the Beaver Kill at Roscoe, is larger water, and as I said above, more like a river. It has a lot of large pools with riffles and runs between them and gets up to eighty feet wide in places. It has a no-kill section about two and one-half miles long. Most anglers consider this section the best. Livingston Manor. There is a great deal of public water in this section along with private water. You have to pay attention to where you are fishing. There is also a “no kill” section. The fish here are a mixture of brown and brook trout. This part of the stream ranges from twenty to fifty foot wide and has some faster areas of water. It has several small tributaries. It is the pool, run, riffle type of water with rocks and small boulders but not what you would call fast, pocket water by any means.
Willowemoc Creek Hatches and Trout Flies: Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in Willowemoc Creek and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726. Willowemoc Creek has just about all of the Catskill hatches of mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies. Blue-winged Olive hatch from mid March to the end of May and then again from about the first of July to the month of November. Blue Quills and Quill Gordons also start the middle of April. The Blue Quills and last for about a month and a half and the Quill Gordons less than a month.From just past the middle of April to about the middle of May, the Hendricksons and the Red Quills make their appearance. Gray Drakes hatch for about three weeks starting near the end of April. March Browns and Eastern Pale Evening Duns, both clinger mayflies hatch about the middle of May and last at least a month. Sulphurs appear about the middle of May and last through June. Slate Drakes hatch off and on from the first of June until October. There are also some Light Cahill hatches that occur from June into October. Tricos show up in the slower parts of the creek in August. The Little Brown Stoneflies hatch from the first of April until around the middle of May. The caddisfly hatches are not quite as plentiful as the mayflies. Little Black Caddisflies start hatching near the first of April and three weeks to a month. From May until the first of July, you will probably see some Green Sedges. Various species of Cinnamon Caddis and Spotted Sedges hatch from around the middle of May until mid July. Their Little Sisters hatch about the last of May for a couple of weeks. The Dark Blue Sedge hatch from mid May to mid June. Hoppers, ants and beetles become important about the first of October. You should have some streamers that imitate the minnows and sculpin. They come in handy when the water becomes stained and when you are fishing for big browns in low light situations. Don’t forget the midges. You can catch trout throughout the year on them but they are especially important during the cold months of the year.
Stream Report Archive:
01/19/20 The stream levels are okay at this time but there is heavy snow and rain in the
forecast everyday for the coming week. There’s still plenty of insects hatching but nymphs and streamers is your best bet.
02/10/2020 The stream levels are low and the water clear. You have to be careful to not spook the trout. We are still getting good reports from customers.
02/25/22020 The river is still running below average with good numbers of trout being caught by our customers. There are some hatches taking place and some trout are being caught on the surface. Send us an email for a recommended fly list.
04/27/20 Stream levels are in good shape and the water clear. There are lots of insects
hatching. The warm weather has them a couple of weeks ahead of schedule.This coming week should be a good one.
05/09/20 Stream levels are very low now but there is rain forecast for everyday this coming week. Conditions should be good. There are some good hatches underway and you should be able to catch plenty trout.
05/22/20 Conditions are very good with good stream levels and lots of hatching insects. You should be able to catch good numbers of trout.
06/04/20 The river is still low but there are some great hatches taking place and trout should be able to be caught in good numbers. Make good presentations and stay hidden from the trout as best you can.
06/15/20 The stream levels are low and you have to be careful to not spook the trout, but you should still be able to catch plenty. We continue to get good reports from customers.
06/27/20 The stream levels are still well below normal but our customers are still catching trout in good numbers. Stay low and as hidden from the trout as possible,. make good presentations and use Perfect flies which look very much like the real things.
07/10/20 The stream levels are quite low and you should use extra caution to stay hidden from the trout. There are lots of insects hatching, terrestrials are working, and our customers are still sending in some good reports.
07/23/20 Stream levels are fine and we continue to get good catch reports from customers. There are still a lot of insects hatching and terrestrial imitations are working fine as well. This coming week should be a good one.
08/06/20 The river is a little below normal but in good shape. You do need to use strealth and stay as hidden from the trout as you can. Dress to match the background. Using Perfect Flies, which look much like the naturals, is a big help.
08/29/20 The stream is running at a normal level but normal this time of the season is a little low, so you still need to use caution to stay as hidden as you can. There are still some good hatches and our terrestrial imitations are working good as well.
09/16/20 The stream levels are in good shape and the water clear. There are still a lot of
hatching insects and our terrestrial imitations like the Japanese beetle, Carpenter ants and Sandwich hoppers are also working good.
10/09/20 The river is in good shape with good stream levels and clear water. We recommend fishing the upper section above Dunsmuir. There are still some good hatches taking place and our Sculpin streamers are catching some nice ones.
10/28/20 Conditions are good. There are still some good hatches taking place and our
sculpin streamers are catching some nice trout. The stream levels are fine and this coming week should be a good one.
Note: We are discontinuing posting of the archive due to the large number of
reports we already have.