Heavy rains filled area rivers and streams this past week; the Beaverkill crested Friday evening at just below 7000 cubic feet per second, dashing the hopes of all who had planned to celebrate at least part of this past weekend fishing their favorite streams, sunny as it was. Rivers and creeks were dangerously fast and high for the most part, and the tailwater fisheries of the East and West Branches of the Delaware were about at flood stage as the reservoirs were spilling.

By Monday morning the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls had receded to 1500 cfs and water temperatures were back to about 53 degrees Fahrenheit, however the weather forecast for this week looks to be bringing more rain showers and thunderstorms from Tuesday through Saturday!

For those who venture out on the stream, fishing below the surface while the water is high and roily is probably your best bet. Various caddis flies continue to hatch, and it’s about time for the (large) March Browns to appear.

We are at the point where the Hendrickson hatch is finished; hatching charts tend to show Hendriksons and Red Quills hatching from mid-April through mid-May. The Hendrickson hatch was disappointing this year on that river, but more Hendricksons were actually seen on the Willowemoc.

Last week it was mentioned that George W. Cooper (1859 - 1932) was credited with creating the Female Beaverkill, a successful and hugely popular dry fly around the turn of the century. Cooper was the first noted professional fly-tyer in Sullivan County as well as an outstanding and dedicated all-around outdoorsman and advocate whose efforts benefited trout fishing in the Catskills and ultimately across the country. During an era where Americans still fished with English trout flies, at least until the late 1890s, most of the flies tied were of English patterns; and the first “American” trout flies were wet flies that were basically modifications of English patterns. 

However unlikely due to his main profession of blacksmithing, utilizing the strength of his hands and arms in fashioning iron bars over a red-hot forge and shoeing horses, George Cooper, “the Blacksmith from DeBruce,” achieved notoriety for tying fine and delicate flies in the 1870s. He raised his own Rhode Island Reds for their hackle, a fact that was so well-known that a local newspaper once reported that “Mr. Cooper’s Prize Rhode Island Red” is on the sick list.” 

But it was George Cooper’s creation of the Female Beaverkill that cemented his reputation forever. The Female Beaverkill was an early American dry fly that was developed in the Beaverkill watershed and imitated the female Hendrickson, (Ephemerella invaria.) Although the date he first tied the fly is unknown, it was regularly being used by 1913. The Hendrickson hatch is the most anticipated and the most prolific mayfly hatch on the Beaverkill, and is one of the reasons the river is so beloved; and the female of that species is identified by its distinctive yellow egg sac, which is featured in Cooper’s fine fly by the use of one turn of fine yellow chenille. The fly became a popular turn-of-the-century American pattern and is still widely used today.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 24, 2025 - the Roscoe Rockland Chamber of Commerce is holding its 13th Annual Anglers Market.

This exciting event is being held at the Roscoe Community Hall, 1968 Old Route 17, Roscoe, NY from 10 am till 3 pm. There will be lots of fishing items, collectibles, outdoor items and the like, something for everyone. Tables can be reserved (or shared) for $15 each, cash or checks made out to the Roscoe Rockland Chamber of Commerce. There are still tables available - for additional information to reserve your space (tables are provided) please contact Manny Zanger at beamoc@hvc.rr.com or call 607-498-5464. Weather permitting, tables can be outside, and will be set up on Friday night. 

Judy Van Put is a long-time member of the NYS Outdoor Writers Association, and is the recipient of the New York State Council of Trout Unlimited’s Professional Communications Award.