The Beaverkill is running a little above its late-October norm (~200–270 CFS) after Friday’s rain, and it’s falling and clearing nicely. That’s about as good as fall water gets here. Water temps near 50°F keep trout active, but frosty nights in the low 30s mean the bite won’t really start until the sun is on the water, so 10am–3pm is your window. Swing or strip a #8–10 olive or black Woolly Bugger through the tailouts. Pre-spawn browns are aggressive and territorial right now. Under an indicator, a #14–16 Pheasant Tail or Frenchie with a #18 midge dropper is the reliable choice. Heads up: NY’s statewide catch-and-release, artificial-only season began October 16 and runs through March 31.

The East Branch is still carrying some of last week’s rain. It’s well above its typical ~70 CFS for this time of year, but it’s down from ~190 CFS mid-week and should be closer to normal by Saturday with no rain in the forecast. The extra water is good news for streamer anglers: a little push and color give the fish confidence. Work the deeper runs with a sculpin pattern or a #10 Bugger, then switch to small nymphs (#16–18 Pheasant Tail, #18 Zebra Midge) as the water clears. This is the closest quality trout water to the city, and with weather like this it’ll be busy. An early-afternoon arrival on Sunday is a good bet.

The Housy rose sharply after Friday’s rain and was still sitting around 610 CFS on Monday afternoon, which is pushy for wading. The good news is there’s a full dry week ahead, so expect flows to keep falling toward the 400–500 CFS range by the weekend. That’s very fishable if you pick your spots. Recent stockings below Bull’s Bridge and above the covered bridge in Cornwall add to the appeal, and Compleat Angler reports browns moving in as the water cools. Streamers on a sink-tip are the play in the higher water. Mop flies, Squirmy Worms and #14–18 caddis larvae also work. Check the gauge Friday night before you commit to the drive.

This is the freshly stocked pick of the weekend. NJ Fish & Wildlife’s fall program put roughly 1,280 rainbows in the North Branch and more than 2,000 in the South Branch and Ken Lockwood Gorge last week, and some of the trucks carried 4–6 lb broodstock. Flows are right around normal for late October (the South Branch typically runs ~110 CFS), and the weekend will be the warmest in the region, with Sunday reaching the mid 60s. Freshly stocked fish love a small Woolly Bugger, a #12 Mop Fly or an egg pattern. After a few days in the river they’ll start taking #16 Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears like wild fish. Note the 2-trout, 9-inch minimum limit on fall-stocked waters, and handle those big breeders gently if you release them.

If you own a 9-weight, this is the weekend to use it. On The Water’s Oct. 15 report has false albacore still blitzing close to shore on both forks, and a Montauk captain is posting multiple 30-plus-fish days on small flies, Kinky Muddlers and epoxy baitfish. Along the South Shore, from Brooklyn out to Freeport, stripers are blowing up on thick bunker schools. On the Connecticut side, Compleat Angler says bass are eating peanut bunker and silversides around the islands on moving tides. Hollow flies, Deceivers and Clousers are all working. Calm, sunny weather like this week’s can stretch the run well into November.

Fishing Report · Compleat Angler (Darien, CT) · Oct. 16, 2026

Northeast Fishing Report: Housatonic, Farmington, Delaware & the Sound

This is the most useful weekly read in the region. It covers stocking updates and a complete fly list for the Housatonic, a section-by-section breakdown of the Farmington (“very fishable” from Riverton to Unionville, with BWOs, October Caddis and Isonychia), Cannonsville release info for the Delaware, and saltwater tactics for the Sound, including a smart “bait and switch” tip for wary fall bass.

Saltwater Report · On The Water · Oct. 15, 2026

Long Island & NYC Fishing Report: Albies Holding, South Shore Bass Blitzing

A rundown of the fall run from Brooklyn to Montauk. False albacore are still close to shore in low-to-mid 60s water, stripers are blitzing on bunker along the South Shore, and Long Island Sound is heating up. Includes specific fly patterns that are working at Montauk.

Stocking · The Fisherman · October 2026

NJ Trout Palooza: Fall ’26 Stock Report

Tom Pagliaroli’s water-by-water guide to New Jersey’s fall program: about 29,000 rainbows across 63 waters, including roughly 1,000 three-year-old breeders weighing 4–6 lbs. It also covers this year’s changes. The November winter stocking was folded into the fall program, the daily limit dropped to two fish, and the Black River and upper Big Flat Brook were skipped due to low water.

Official Schedule · NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife

Fall Trout Stocking Schedule 2026

The official day-by-day list of what was stocked and where, running through October 22. There are no closed periods during fall stocking, so waters are open to fishing as soon as the truck pulls away. Bookmark it if you fish the Raritan, Musconetcong or Pequest.

Regulations · NYSDEC

Reminder: New York’s Catch-and-Release Trout Season Is Now Open

Since October 16, most New York trout streams are catch-and-release with artificial lures only, through March 31. That includes the Catskill rivers and the Croton tributaries. Some special-regulation waters have their own rules, so check the specific stream before you go.

Watch Your Step: It’s Spawning Season

Late October is when brown and brook trout build their redds, the shallow gravel nests where the next generation of wild fish begins. A redd looks like a clean, light-colored oval patch of gravel, often at the tail of a pool or in a shallow riffle, sometimes with fish hovering over it. Please don’t wade through them, and don’t cast to fish sitting on them. One careless step can crush thousands of eggs. Instead, fish the deeper water just downstream of spawning areas, where other trout stack up to eat drifting eggs. A #14–16 egg pattern dead-drifted through that slot is deadly, and you’ll be helping the river at the same time.

Expected Hatches: October 19–31, 2026

Blue-Winged Olives are the headline bug of late fall, but they love gray, drizzly days, and we won’t see one this week. Expect sparse, short emergences in the early afternoon. Carry #18–22 Parachute BWOs and CDC emergers anyway, and look for them on slower flats where the sun is off the water.

Midges are the most dependable surface food on every river we cover, especially on bright, calm afternoons like the ones forecast. A #20–22 Griffith’s Gnat or a midge-pupa dropper under a small dry will cover it.

October Caddis and late Isonychia are still showing on the Farmington and the larger Catskill rivers, but they’re tapering off. A #8–10 orange stimulator or a #12 Isonychia nymph is a good searching rig in the afternoon.

Looking ahead: once the leaves are fully down and water temps slip into the low 40s, we shift into winter mode with smaller nymphs, slower drifts and the warmest hours of the day. Until then, enjoy what may be the best weekend of fall fishing we get this year.