Esopus Creek

Tip of the week: 
Techniques: 

It looks like spring has finally arrived in the Catskills. With the warm up we are starting to see a variety of insects now. This is the time of year that it is difficult to tell which insects the fish are feeding on. Are they feeding on the nymphs on the bottom or the emergers that will soon become winged flies? The answer is all of the above. Your best bet for success right now is to fish a tandem rig made up of two of the predominate insects hatching currently. The most successful of late has been a heavily weighted Black Stonefly leading a Caddis emerger. Start the combo well upstream to get the lead fly deep then allow the rig to swing well downstream to get the emerger close to the surface. Make sure you allow the flies to set in the current for a few seconds before repeating your cast. The fish are still a little sluggish. Give them a chance to eat your flies.

Seven-day forecast: 

The daytime temperatures all week will be in the middle sixties to lower seventies. The water levels are nearly perfect and the hatches are becoming more frequent. There will be some rain showers later in the week keeping conditions ideal.

Conditions: 
Must Have Flies: 
Blue Winged Olive Green #20 Buy from Orvis.com
Bead Head Stonefly Black #14 Buy from Orvis.com
Gray Fox Gray #14 Buy from Orvis.com
Bead Head Prince Green #14 Buy from Orvis.com
Bead Head Woolly Bugger Streamer Black #8 Buy from Orvis.com
Light Hendrickson light Brown #14 Buy from Orvis.com
Hunter Mountain Sports & Expeditions