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Walnut Creek

Type
Freestone river, New York (East)
Designation
Steelhead / salmon water
USGS gauges
1 live
Guides
3 nearby
Shops
1 nearby

Today on the Walnut Creek

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & access Guides & shops

Walnut Creek is a freestone river in New York, listed as Steelhead / salmon water by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Bureau of Fisheries.

More about the Walnut Creek

1 USGS gauge on the water reports flow; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Bureau of Fisheries lists 1 species. 3 guides and 1 shop nearby are listed here.

Updated · Sources: Steelhead Streams in Western New York (DEC Region 9: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties), Steelhead Streams in Western New York (DEC Region 9: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties), USGS Water Data

Representative photograph of similar water; not a photograph of this place.
Representative photograph, not this water.
Where it is

Walnut Creek is a freestone river in New York.

Flow now at the gauge
Reading the gauges…

Check any river's flow

Follow Walnut Creek for flow alerts

Pick one of its USGS gauges and hear from us when the flow moves into or out of its usual range for the date, or crosses a flow you set. We check the public USGS reading every 2 hours and email only when it crosses, at most once every 6 hours. Flow alone is not a fishing forecast or a safety call.

Follow this water

Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.

Where to fish

About this

Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

New York streams with public fishing rights

Walnut Creek on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of Walnut Creek: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of Walnut Creek with 1 USGS gauge, and shops and guides with an exact address within 40 miles.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near Walnut Creek

Restrooms near Walnut Creek

Restrooms within 2 miles of Walnut Creek in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

No restroom mapped within 2 mi yet — add one you know.

Campgrounds, fishing access sites and boat ramps often have one that isn't on the map yet.

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

More water near Walnut Creek

  • Oatka Creek flowing north through Le RoySteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not Silver Creek
    Photo credit

    Oatka Creek at Le Roy, New York, looking north from the Main Street bridge. Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Silver Creek.

    Silver Creek

    New York · about 1 mi

    Steelhead

  • Anglers wading and fishing from the grassy bank and from drift boats on the wide lower Salmon River in autumnFeatured sport-fishing waterRepresentative photo · not Canadaway Creek
    Photo credit

    Anglers on the lower Salmon River near Port Ontario, New York, in October. Photo: Bill Blevins, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Canadaway Creek.

    Canadaway Creek

    New York · about 11 mi

    Steelhead

  • A road and bridge crossing the West Branch Delaware River at Hale Eddy, with wooded hills behindFeatured sport-fishing waterRepresentative photo · not Cattaraugus Creek
    Photo credit

    The West Branch Delaware River at the Hale Eddy bridge, Deposit, New York. Photo: Mr. Matté, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Cattaraugus Creek.

    Cattaraugus Creek

    New York · about 13 mi

    Steelhead

  • Morning fog over the Upper Delaware River, with a small boat on the waterSteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not North Branch Clear Creek
    Photo credit

    A foggy morning on the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Photo: National Park Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not North Branch Clear Creek.

    North Branch Clear Creek

    New York · about 15 mi

    Steelhead

  • The East Branch Delaware River at its confluence with the Beaverkill, below wooded hillsSteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not South Branch Eighteenmile Creek
    Photo credit

    The East Branch Delaware River at its confluence with the Beaverkill, East Branch, New York. Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not South Branch Eighteenmile Creek.

    South Branch Eighteenmile Creek

    New York · about 18 mi

    Steelhead

  • The Beaverkill in early autumn, rain dimpling a broad pool below wooded hillsFeatured sport-fishing waterRepresentative photo · not Eighteenmile Creek
    Photo credit

    The Beaverkill in autumn rain. Photo: Jack Enright, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Eighteenmile Creek.

    Eighteenmile Creek

    New York · about 20 mi

    Steelhead

Regulations

About this

Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.

Official designation: Steelhead / salmon water

Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under salmon & steelhead.

The water on the map

About this

Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.

Length
17.1 mi (16.1 in NY)
Drains
50.2 sq mi
Drop
1,045 ft · 60.9 ft/mi
Watershed
Chautauqua-Conneaut

Stocking records

About this

From the agency’s own records (Fish Stocking Lists (Actual): Beginning 2011, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), via data.ny.gov, read 2026-11-04), listed as Walnut Creek (Chautauqua County). Check the agency for this season.

Past stockings, not a schedule

  • 2025: Steelhead in Mar (1 stocking, 5,000 fish).

  • 2024: Steelhead in Mar (1 stocking, 5,000 fish).

  • 2023: Steelhead in Mar (1 stocking, 5,000 fish).

Agency records

Guides and shops near Walnut Creek

About this

Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.

Guides

All New York guides

1 shop nearby

All New York shops

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. After them, fly-focused guides within 40 miles whose website does not name it. Distances are straight-line.

Shops: fly shops first. A distance is shown when the shop’s website gives its location (within 60 miles); otherwise the shop is in one of the towns within 25 miles of the water.

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories.

Species and hatches

About this

The species the agency lists here; presence varies by reach and season.

Listed by the state agency

  • Two anglers in rain gear standing in a boat on a grey river, one holding a long rod

    Steelhead

    Species guide

    Photo credit

    Winter steelhead fishing on the Skagit River, Washington (Doug Wilson, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). Photo: Doug Wilson, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When the bugs come off

Regional hatch months: Catskills and the Northeast
About this chart

8 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.

  1. January: no charted hatch
  2. February: no charted hatch
  3. March: no charted hatch
  4. April: 3 charted hatches
  5. May: 2 charted hatches
  6. June: 1 charted hatch
  7. July: 1 charted hatch
  8. August: 1 charted hatch
  9. September: 2 charted hatches
  10. October: 1 charted hatch
  11. November: no charted hatch
  12. December: no charted hatch

Blue Quill (April) · Hendrickson (April) · Quill Gordon (April) · Green drake (May) · Mayflies (best hatches) (May) · Mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies (June to September) · and 2 more on the chart

Plan a trip here

About this

None of our destination hubs is within 40 miles in a straight line. The trip planner builds a trip around the water itself: the guides and shops listed within 40 miles of it, its gauges and its nearest towns and airports.

No hub within 40 miles

Plan a trip here

Fish these abroad

About this

Matched on the fish the agencies list for both waters first, then the same water type, an official designation or flagship listing on both, and a similar mapped size where USGS hydrography covers both.

At most two waters per country. A shared fish is a listing, not a promise: presence varies by reach and season.

Like the Walnut Creek? Same fish, overseas.

  • The wide, milky-green Skeena River between forested slopes, seen from the airFreestone river
    Photo credit

    The Skeena River at Dorreen, from the air. Photo: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Skeena River

    British Columbia, Canada

    Same fish: steelhead · also a freestone river

  • The wide milky-turquoise Santa Cruz River between low, dry Patagonian banksFreestone river
    Photo credit

    The Santa Cruz River from National Route 40, downstream of Lago Argentino. Photo: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons

    Río Santa Cruz

    Santa Cruz, Argentina

    Same fish: steelhead · also a freestone river

  • The turquoise Chilko River curving through pine forest in Lava CanyonFreestone riverRepresentative photo · not Dean River
    Photo credit

    The Chilko River at Lava Canyon. Photo: Kevin Teague, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Dean River.

    Dean River

    British Columbia, Canada

    Same fish: steelhead · also a freestone river

Fish it when it's winter here

Southern seasons open while ours close.

  • Lake Taupō's blue water framed by yellow kōwhai and bush, hills across the lakeFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Lake Taupō. Photo: Ériugena, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Lake Taupō

    Waikato, New Zealand

    Season open all year · DOC

  • Penstock Lagoon's open water below a shoreline of tall eucalyptsFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Penstock Lagoon, Central Highlands, Tasmania. Photo: Mike Cline, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Penstock Lagoon

    Tasmania, Australia

    Season open Aug–May · Inland Fisheries Service

  • The clear turquoise Río Limay flowing past green willows and rock outcropsTailwater
    Photo credit

    The Río Limay, Argentina. Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Río Limay

    Río Negro, Argentina

    Season open Nov–May · Patagonian fishing regulation

  • The broad blue-green Río Puelo between forested banks, mountains beyondFreestone riverRepresentative photo · not Río Petrohué
    Photo credit

    The Río Puelo at Las Gualas, Cochamó. Photo: Nicolás from seno de reloncaví, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Río Petrohué.

    Río Petrohué

    Los Lagos, Chile

    Season open Nov–May · SERNAPESCA

  • The Río Simpson running past the edge of Coyhaique under cliffs and hills in AysénLake or reservoirRepresentative photo · not Lago Llanquihue
    Photo credit

    The Río Simpson passing Coyhaique, Aysén. Photo: Manxuc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Lago Llanquihue.

    Lago Llanquihue

    Los Lagos, Chile

    Season open Nov–May · SERNAPESCA

  • Lago Nahuel Huapi's blue water and wooded islands below snow-capped Andes, framed by conifersLake or reservoir
    Photo credit

    Lago Nahuel Huapi from Llao Llao. Photo: David, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Lago Nahuel Huapi

    Río Negro, Argentina

    Season open Oct–May · Patagonian fishing regulation

  • The braided Oreti River across green farmland, mountains on the horizonFlagship waterRepresentative photo · not Mataura River
    Photo credit

    The Oreti River near Lumsden, Southland. Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons Not Mataura River.

    Mataura River

    Southland, New Zealand

    Season open Oct–Apr · Fish & Game NZ

  • Old timber pilings reflected in the still water of Great Lake, a low wooded shore beyondFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Great Lake, Tasmania. Photo: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Yingina / Great Lake

    Tasmania, Australia

    Season open all year · Inland Fisheries Service

Gear checklist

About this

A practical checklist for fly fishing small mountain trout streams: a short 3–4 weight rod, light line, a few buoyant dries and simple wet-wading gear, with estimated prices and where to buy.

An angler stands on a boulder at the edge of a fast forest stream and fishes the run

Small mountain streams

7′6″–8′6″ rod, 3–4 weight, floating line · Brook, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (5)

Watch: reading a trout stream

About this

Seams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • How I Learned to Read Water (Fly Fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Mad River Outfitters · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • How To Read The Water with Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Reading the Water to Successfully Locate TroutEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on reading water

Watch: nymphing basics

About this

Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • 90° Nymph RigEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Casting with an Indicator & Better Nymphing TechniquesEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on nymphing

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Walnut Creek.

No stories from here yet.

Write the first story Share your day

Sources for this page

Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.

Something wrong?

All 13 sources and dates

A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS gauge WALNUT CREEK AT US ROUTE 20 AT SILVER CREEK NY. Water type is our own classification.