Time to just do it.

 After four days of beautiful, cool, dry weather the rivers are returning to more normal levels. Both the Willowemoc and Beaverkill can be comfortably waded. The water temps there have been fine for fishing but we are in the hottest week (on average) of the year.  If the water levels continue to drop and we get sunshine the temps could quickly rise above the 70 degree cut off point. Look for isos to be hatching late afternoons or in the evening depending on water temps.

The UEB and WB reservoirs are no longer spilling.  The NYDEP has quickly cut back the Pepacton release from 700 cfs to 450 cfs, so much for creating a void for flood mitigation. The UEB level at Harvard is in the 800 cfs range and is dropping. The river can be waded at this level if you are careful.  The Cannonsville release is still maxed out at 1,500 cfs which limits the safe wading opportunities on the WB.

The high water and cooler temperatures may well have resulted in trout leaving their thermal refuges in both the EB and BR. The EB can be fished at current levels but I would suspect that the number of fish in the pools would be limited.  The BR at 4,000 cfs is still above safe wading levels. 

We are in the last week of July, the high water levels and cool water temps have been good for the trout. With the high water there has been no wade fishing on either tail water. It remains to be seen what effect the warmer water temps resulting from both rain water and reservoir spills will have had on the tailwater bugs (sulfurs and olives). The fish are there, the best way to find out about the bugs is to go fishing.

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