Fly-Fishing the Willowemoc and Beaverkill — A Water Guide for Beginners

## The Water The Willowemoc Creek and the Beaverkill River join at Junction Pool in Roscoe and together form the heart of Catskills fly-fishing history. If American dry-fly fishing has a birthplace, it is here — Theodore Gordon lived in Neversink, Lee Wulff guided the Beaverkill, and the opening-day-at-Junction-Pool tradition has carried through since the 1940s. For a first Catskills fishing weekend, the Willowemoc and Beaverkill are the obvious starting water. This piece is a water guide, not a gear guide: where the fishable stretches are, what hatches when, and how the two rivers feed into each other. For the larger framing (gear, dosing, cabin-evening cannabis fit) see the pillar flagship [fly-fishing the Catskills with cannabis beginners guide](/blog/fly-fishing-catskills-cannabis-beginners-guide). ## Willowemoc Creek The Willowemoc runs roughly 25 miles from its headwaters near Willowemoc village down through Livingston Manor and into the Beaverkill at Junction Pool. The upper Willowemoc is small-stream water, good for brook trout and tight-cast presentations. The lower Willowemoc (below Livingston Manor) widens into classic dry-fly water. ### Public Access The Willowemoc has multiple marked public-fishing easements. Key access points from east to west: - **Wulff Run** — upstream of Livingston Manor, one of the most productive stretches. Marked parking. - **Livingston Manor Covered Bridge** — walk-in access just north of the village. - **Cairns Pool** — named for Bill Cairns, a legendary Willowemoc riverkeeper. Roadside access off Old Rt 17. - **Covered Bridge Campsite** — state-maintained; the stretch downstream is public. DEC publishes the Public Fishing Rights (PFR) map; bring printed or downloaded copies, the marked stretches change in small ways. ### Seasonal Hatches Rough calendar (conditions vary year to year): - **April** — early-season stoneflies, Hendricksons by month-end. Opening day April 1. - **May** — Hendricksons continue, March Browns arrive mid-month, Sulphurs by late May. - **June** — Sulphurs through early month, then Green Drakes for 7–10 days of the best dry-fly action of the year. Cahills follow. - **July-August** — terrestrials (ants, beetles, hoppers), tricos in the morning. - **September-October** — blue-winged olives, streamer-fishing for browns. The Green Drake hatch in early June is the signature event on the Willowemoc and draws anglers from out of state. ## Beaverkill The Beaverkill runs roughly 45 miles from Beaverkill Campground in the western Catskills down to its confluence with the East Branch Delaware near Hancock. Junction Pool sits about two-thirds of the way down, where the Willowemoc joins. Upstream of Junction Pool, the Beaverkill is genuine dry-fly water; downstream, the river widens and warms, and trout fishing gives way to smallmouth bass by mid-summer. ### The Upper Beaverkill (Above Junction Pool) This is the ancestral water. Public stretches are marked with PFR signs; parking pullouts along Old Rt 17 and Beaverkill Road give access. Notable stretches include: - **Barnhart's Pool** — just below the Beaverkill campground; accessible from the campground itself (day-use fees apply). - **Hendrickson's Pool** — named after the classic Art Flick pattern, a fly-fishing pilgrimage spot. - **Junction Pool** — where the rivers meet; the literal center of Catskills fly-fishing. ### The Lower Beaverkill (Below Junction Pool) Wider, slower, warmer. Still productive in early-season and late-fall, less reliable in summer. Public access is less dense than on the upper river; private-water day permits (through the fishing lodges and outfitters) cover the best stretches. ### Seasonal Hatches Largely parallel to the Willowemoc. The Green Drake hatch hits the Beaverkill roughly a week after the Willowemoc; the Sulphur hatch is stronger downstream. Blue-winged olives carry fall fishing into November. ## How the Two Rivers Link Most anglers who come to fish the Catskills for the first time start on the Willowemoc, which has easier wading and a denser public-access footprint. After a day or two on the Willowemoc, the Beaverkill is the natural step up. A typical weekend: - **Saturday morning** — Willowemoc near Livingston Manor. - **Saturday afternoon** — Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum (south of Livingston Manor; [see Livingston Manor anchor](/blog/livingston-manor-cannabis-willowemoc-creative-weekend)). - **Sunday morning** — Beaverkill above Junction Pool. - **Sunday late morning** — drive home. ## Compliance, Quickly - **21+ only**, licensed shops only. Verify via OCM QR code at [cannabis.ny.gov](https://cannabis.ny.gov). - **No consumption on the water or the banks.** Public-fishing easements carry the state-land rule; private water carries private rules that exclude cannabis. - **New York state law prohibits cannabis consumption on state-owned land and in public spaces.** - **No consumption in cars**, driver or passenger. - **Start low, go slow** on edibles, at the cabin in the evening only. ## Where to Go Next - [Fly-fishing the Catskills with cannabis, beginners guide](/blog/fly-fishing-catskills-cannabis-beginners-guide) - [Roscoe — Trout Town, USA](/blog/roscoe-trout-town-cannabis-fly-fishing) - [Livingston Manor — Willowemoc and creative weekend](/blog/livingston-manor-cannabis-willowemoc-creative-weekend) - [Best fly shops in the Catskills](/blog/best-fly-shops-catskills) - [Catskills fishing lodges worth booking](/blog/catskills-fishing-lodges-worth-booking) **This is editorial, not legal advice.**