Freestone · Shale · New York, US

Cattaraugus Creek

An overlook view of Cattaraugus Creek winding through the forested Zoar Valley gorge in New York, framed by autumn foliage.

New York's premier Lake Erie steelhead stream — a big creek running partly through the Seneca Nation's land, with a strong wild-and-stocked run and a long season.

Prime · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.37 mLast reading 11 min ago
  • Water temp11.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Egg pattern
Egg pattern12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.37 m
Last reading 11 min ago
Water temp11.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindNE 9 km/h
Pressure1029 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
11.9°Cideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Steelhead Oct–Apr; slow to clear after big rain
Where
New York's premier Lake Erie steelhead stream — a big creek running partly through the Seneca Nation's land, with a strong wild-and-stocked run and a long…
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 9pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Steelhead fly box
Local fly shops: Chagrin River Outfitters·East End Angler·Elk Creek Sports Shop
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • New York licence; the reach through Seneca Nation territory requires a tribal permit — confirm before fishing
  • Verify NY DEC rules
  • Introduced/wild sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Eighteenmile Creek
28 km
84
Steelhead
Gallery · 2
  1. An overlook view of Cattaraugus Creek winding through the forested Zoar Valley gorge in New York, framed by autumn foliage.
    Cattaragus Creek From Pinnacle Point
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

New York's premier Lake Erie steelhead stream — a big creek running partly through the Seneca Nation's land, with a strong wild-and-stocked run and a long season. Clay-influenced, so it takes its time to clear, but it holds a lot of fish and a lot of water.

  • Shale
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Cattaraugus Cr, Middle, Main Stem' (NY0104-0053), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · NY0104-0053

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6512% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts