New York Freestone
Esopus Creek Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A big Catskills freestone near Phoenicia, its upper reaches bumped by portal releases from Schoharie Reservoir. Large fish in bold water, with Hendrickson and isonychia the highlight hatches.
Freestone
New York
1,200 ft
Gauge 01362500
Right now
Live conditions
The hatch chart
Esopus Creek hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Esopus Creek by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Quill Gordon Mayfly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #16-20 | ||||||||||||
Hendrickson Mayfly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
March Brown Mayfly, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Light Cahill Mayfly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Sulphur Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant Ant, #12-16 | ||||||||||||
Isonychia / Slate Drake Mayfly, #10-12 |
How it fishes
A New York freestone
A freestone river runs free off snowmelt and rain, so it swings hard with the seasons. It blows out and browns up in spring runoff, then drops and warms into summer. The hatches track the water temperature more than the calendar, so you time your trip to the flow and the thermometer.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Esopus Creek is metered at USGS gauge 01362500. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.