Waters · United States
Cattaraugus Creek (Gowanda) fishing report
Updated Thursday, 15 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
New York's biggest Lake Erie steelhead stream, with fish running up to the Springville dam. Part of the lower creek borders Seneca Nation territory, which sets its own fishing permit — check before you wade in.
Today's report: excellent (87/100)
Brown Trout is the most promising species on Cattaraugus Creek (Gowanda) today. Water temperature at the gauge is 13.8°C (57°F) and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge CATTARAUGUS CREEK AT GOWANDA NY shows the water level rising (2 cm/24h).
Cattaraugus Creek (Gowanda) water temperature and flow
- Water temperature: 13.8°C (57°F)
- Discharge: 3.9 m³/s (138 cfs) — up 13% over 24 hours
- Level trend: rising (2 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge CATTARAUGUS CREEK AT GOWANDA NY · reading 41 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 09:00–11:00 local time — score 76/100
- 16:00–18:00 local time — score 82/100
- 08:00–10:00 local time — score 79/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Thursday 15 Oct | Friday 16 Oct | Saturday 17 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelhead | 72 — good | 78 — good | 69 — good |
| Brown Trout | 87 — excellent | 90 — excellent | 76 — good |
| Smallmouth Bass | 79 — good | 80 — excellent | 44 — fair |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Cattaraugus Creek (Gowanda) rating:
- water temperature: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+1)
- wind: helping (+0.9)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- cloud cover: helping (+0.85)
- pressure trend: helping (+0.8)
Forecast computed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:55:41 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge CATTARAUGUS CREEK AT GOWANDA NY · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- The best time to fish for bass
- Trout stream tactics, read through the forecast
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More steelhead waters
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Nearby waters
- Oak Orchard Creek — New York, USA (91 km away)
- Walnut Creek (Erie) — Pennsylvania, USA (115 km away)
- Genesee River (Rochester) — New York, USA (131 km away)
- Conneaut Creek — Ohio, USA (150 km away)
- Grand River (Painesville) — Ohio, USA (207 km away)
- Chagrin River (Willoughby) — Ohio, USA (224 km away)