Freestone · Shale · New York, US

Eighteenmile Creek

Route 5 bridge over Eighteenmile Creek as seen from South Creek Road, Evans, New York - 20220122

A small southtowns Buffalo steelhead creek that fishes hard on every drop through the cold months — shale-bottom, flashy, and accessible, a local favourite when the bigger Cattaraugus is high and dirty.

Prime · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.80 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp11.2°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
0.80 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp11.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindNE 12 km/h
Pressure1030 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
11°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Steelhead Oct–Apr, on the drop
Where
A small southtowns Buffalo steelhead creek that fishes hard on every drop through the cold months — shale-bottom, flashy, and accessible, a local favourite…
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
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; verify NY DEC reach rules
  • Introduced, harvestable sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Gallery · 2
  1. Route 5 bridge over Eighteenmile Creek as seen from South Creek Road, Evans, New York - 20220122
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A small southtowns Buffalo steelhead creek that fishes hard on every drop through the cold months — shale-bottom, flashy, and accessible, a local favourite when the bigger Cattaraugus is high and dirty.

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Eighteenmile Creek, Lower, minor tribs' (NY0104-0030), 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) · NY0104-0030

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time6013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6612% weight
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts