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Esopus Creek Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Catskills’ big freestone: the Esopus runs rainbows through Phoenicia on water the Shandaken Tunnel keeps cold all summer.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
441 cfs
Air / High
71 / 72 F
Wind
WNW 12 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01362500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Esopus Creek rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 441 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings a mixed sky, wind WNW around 12 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 72. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 66 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Esopus Creek at Coldbrook.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01362500.

325646967441 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low72 / 60 F
WindWNW 12-20 mph
Pressure1010.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain55% cloud, 44%
Sunrise / Sunset06:26 / 19:26
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 72/60 F, wind 13 mph, rain 44%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Esopus Creek: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Esopus Creek calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Esopus Creek today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 75 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 61 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New York requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New York license. Special regulations on the upper river near the portal: check current DEC Region 3 rules for reach-specific limits and seasons.

Access

Public fishing rights along Route 28 from Allaben through Phoenicia to Boiceville; state land parking at multiple pulloffs.

About this water

A major Catskills freestone stream from the high peaks to Ashokan Reservoir, Ulster County, New York, cooled by the Shandaken Tunnel diversion.

Fishing Esopus Creek: the full guide

The tunnel river

The Esopus tumbles out of the high Catskills past Phoenicia to Ashokan Reservoir, and what makes it unique is the Shandaken Tunnel: a diversion from Schoharie Reservoir that dumps cold water into the upper river at Allaben. That artificial cold flow keeps the Esopus fishable through July and August when other Catskill streams go warm, and it built the river’s signature fishery: stream-bred rainbow trout, unusual in the East, plus browns and reservoir-run fish in the fall.

Rainbows in fast water

This is heavy pocket water: boulders, riffles and plunge pools that demand short-line nymphing and heavy attractor dries. Fish the seams behind the big rocks with stonefly nymphs and beadhead patterns, or drift Hendricksons and caddis in April-June. The rainbows fight harder than their size suggests, and the fall Ashokan run brings big browns and rainbows into the lower river from the reservoir: swing streamers through the deeper runs in October and November.

Reading the portal

The tunnel discharge dominates the river’s character: when the portal runs, the upper river turns milky and cold, and fishing improves downstream where it mixes; when it stops, the Esopus drops and clears and fishes like a normal freestone. The Coldbrook gauge below Phoenicia typically runs 100-500 cfs: check both the gauge and the portal status before driving. Summer tubers own the water from Phoenicia down between 11 and 5: fish early or upstream.

Phoenicia access

Public fishing rights and state land line most of the river: parking along Route 28 from Allaben down through Phoenicia and Boiceville. The catch-and-release section near the portal is the technical water; the lower river toward the reservoir holds the biggest fish. Phoenicia’s shops and the Esopus Creek Bridge pools make the natural base, an easy two hours from New York City.

Common questions

Why are there wild rainbows?

Stocked generations ago and self-sustaining since, the Esopus rainbow population is one of the East’s few genuinely wild ones: the cold tunnel water made it possible.

Does the tunnel ruin the fishing?

It changes it: milky water upstream, cold water downstream, and a fishery that survives August. Most anglers learn to fish the mix line.

When is the Ashokan run?

October and November: reservoir browns and rainbows push into the lower river. Swing streamers in the deep runs above the reservoir.

Is fishing good at Esopus Creek right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Willowemoc Creek29 miBeaverkill35 miDelaware River43 miHousatonic River49 miLake Waramaug53 miWest Branch Delaware River55 mi
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