Classic Catskill Waters


THE BEAVERKILL

The Beaver Kill is a tributary of the East Branch Delaware River, approximately 44 miles long. The river runs through the Catskill Mountains and has long been celebrated as one of the most famous trout streams in the United States. Its preservation helped establish many of the basic conservation principles of rivers in the U.S.

It rises in western Ulster County, flowing south from the col between Graham and Doubletop mountains, approximately 30 miles north of Monticello. It flows generally WNW, past Roscoe, into southern Delaware County. For most of its lower course it forms part the southwestern boundary of Catskill State Park.

"Signs along the Beaver Kill"
Barnhart's Pool Cairn's Pool Covered Bridge Pool Ferdon's EddyHendrickson's Pool 
Horsebrook Run Junction Pool Painter's Bend Wagon Tracks Pool 
(Click for Larger Images)

It joins the East Branch Delaware from the southeast at East Branch, approximately 10 miles northeast of the forks of the Delaware. The river has been popular as a trout stream since the early 19th century, when it became one of the first resort destinations in the United States. The subsequent depletion of the brook trout population by the 1850s led to an early conservation movement to preserve the river, including the introduction of hatcheries for brown trout. Its popularity as a trout stream arises in part from the many cold springs and deep pools in the upper river that keep the water at an even cold temperature. The fly fishing industry is centered around Roscoe, home to several fly-shops and bed and breakfasts catering to fishermen from around the world. More local fly fishing history and information can be found
at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center located in Livingston Manor.

UPPER BEAVER KILL


About 27 miles of good trout waters lie upstream of Roscoe through Lew Beach and beyond. Most of this is private and posted by old-time trout clubs, which, along with the presence of Catskill State Park, has helped to preserve the water quality downstream. The first 2 miles above Roscoe is public water, and so is about 2 miles of stream at the state Beaver Kill Campground far upriver, which is accessible by taking County Road 151 north from Livingston Manor.

LOWER BEAVER KILL

Barnhart's PoolCairn's PoolHendrickson's PoolCairn's PoolCairn's Pool
Cairn's PoolCairn's PoolCairn's PoolCairn's Pool
(click for larger images)

This is the most famous Catskill river, starting at the storied Junction Pool where the upper Beaver Kill and Willowemoc come together (look for the sign on Old Route 17, which parallels the river, as you head west out of Roscoe). For the next 15 miles downstream to the village of East Branch, the river offers a mix of large pools and long riffles. The pools, which are often marked by signs, bear historic names such as Barnhart’s, Hendrickson’s, and Cairn’s, and they are usually populated with dozens of flyfishermen. Avoid the popular no-kill zones, which are clearly posted, and head to less crowded areas. The trout are everywhere, especially in the spring before the falling water levels and increasing temperatures force them to move to cool-water refuges elsewhere in the system.




THE WILLOWEMOC

The Willowemoc extends for about 26 miles east of Roscoe, again a mix of public and private beats. The catch-and-release section starting at the second State Highway 17 bridge east of town and running about 3 1/2 miles upstream is the most popular. Take Old Route 17 east from Roscoe to explore this area, where you’ll also find the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum with its exhibits showcasing flyfishing history and lore. The trout in this no-kill stretch are often worked over by expert anglers and are very tough to fish.

 

EAST BRANCH OF THE DELAWARE

Its upstream reach runs parallel to State Highway 30 from East Branch up to Downsville. The upper section is a tailwater, and it stays cold all spring and summer due to the releases from Pepacton Dam. Lots of brown trout are present, including some very big ones, but the slow flow and clear water make fishing difficult. There’s bigger and faster water on the East Branch from East Branch village, where the Beaver Kill joins it, downstream to Hancock, and rainbow trout are more common here.

WEST BRANCH OF THE DELAWARE

The West Branch contains the system’s other tailwater, starting at Cannonsville Dam in Deposit and heading downstream to its confluence with the East Branch at Hancock. Because it often holds more and larger trout than other areas, the whole section is very popular.The junction pool, where the East and West Delaware branches come together at Hancock (it’s also called Bard Parker,the name of a nearby plant that manufactures medical instruments), is heavily fished and interesting. Often colder than the East Branch, the West Branch enters the pool opposite from the access point. Because the Delaware River flows freely from this point all the way to Delaware Bay, trout frequently share this pool with a few striped bass, shad,and spawning sea lampreys, along with native smallmouths and walleyes.


MAIN STEM of the DELAWARE

This is very big water with pools that are more than 100 yards wide and a half mile long. The tailwater coming from upstream generally keeps the water here cold enough for trout to thrive from Hancock downstream 27 miles to Callicoon. Access is limited, and the best way to get to the river is at the bridge crossings, from which you can hike up- or downstream.


THE ESOPUS CREEK

The Esopus Creek is a small river in southeastern New York.The Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River and joins that river by the Village of Saugerties in the northeast corner of Ulster County. It was named after the Esopus Tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy, who traveled through the area. The Esopus originates at Winnisook Lake in the Catskill Mountains, and flows in a circle around Panther Mountain. It eventually leaves the vicinity of the mountain, and enters the Ashokan Reservoir. It them runs down the spillway on the dam that holds the reservoir back at Olivebridge, and flows southeast until it takes a sharp turn and heads northeast. From there, the creek continues eastward until it flows north into the Hudson in Saugerties.The creek is an implement in New York City's water supply system. Water from the Schoharie Reservoir flows through the Shandaken Tunnel, and empties out into the Esopus at Allaben, New York. This water then flows 11 miles down the Esopus, and empties into the Ashokan Reservoir. The water in the reservoir that doesn't run down the spillway at the Olivebnridge Dam enters the Catskill Aqueduct and enters New York City's water supply distribution system.



THE NEVERSINK RIVER

The Neversink River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 65 miles long,in southeastern New York. The name of the river comes from an Algonquian language phrase meaning "mad river."The Neversink's main flow begins just south of the border between Ulster and Sullivan counties, where the east and west branches of the river join near the hamlet of Claryville. Both begin on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskills. The west branch is joined by several major tributaries, such as Biscuit Brook and Pigeon Creek at Frost Valley YMCA in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County.It flows generally southeast through the mountains and is impounded in the town of Neversink to form the Neversink Reservoir of the New York City Water Supply System. It flows through the town of Fallsburg, the hamlets of Woodbourne, South Fallsburg, and Old Falls. It then enters the town of Thompson near Bridgeville, where it intersects New York State Route 17/Interstate 86 at Exit 107. It runs past Holiday Mountain Ski Area and into western Orange County. At Otisville it is joined from the northeast by Basha Kill, then flows southwest, joining the Delaware at Port Jervis, at Tristate Rock, where New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania converge underneath the Interstate 84 bridge.

In its upper course near Neversink, it is impounded to form the Neversink Reservoir. It is connected by a 5-mile water tunnel to Rondout Reservoir, and subsequently to the Delaware Aqueduct. The Neversink Reservoir resulted in the displacement of many locals as several towns along the river were flooded to make the reservoir. Along much of its length it is a popular trout stream, mostly north of Woodbourne. In addition to rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout, the river is home to other fish species such as smallmouth bass, carp, sucker, bluegill, American eel, and a diverse range of flora and fauna.