Hancock to LordvillePublic
NY/PA border water — NPS corridor, NY DEC / PA FBC
The upper main stem just below the Hancock junction — buffered cold by the two branch releases and the strongest wild-trout reach of the big water, excellent in the right thermal window. A drift-boat river with NPS and public access points; the bank is largely private.
Border water — NY or PA license valid; Delaware border-water trout regulation applies. Strong water-temperature override: trout fishing collapses as it warms, and fish stack at the cold branch confluences — fish the refuge, don't crowd it. Fast, hazardous big water; public water does not mean public bank.
Lordville to CallicoonPublic
NY/PA border water — NPS corridor, NY DEC / PA FBC
Big-water trout in the wild-trout-to-smallmouth transition — excellent in spring and the cool shoulders, but the summer heat risk climbs as you go downstream. A drift-boat reach through the scenic corridor with public access points and mostly private frontage.
Border water with the Delaware trout regulation. Thermal risk rises downstream — trout fishing becomes a temperature question and the reach turns toward smallmouth in the heat. Fast big water; public water, private bank between access points.
Callicoon to NarrowsburgPublic
NY/PA border water — NPS corridor, NY DEC / PA FBC
The warmer lower reach of the upper Delaware — primarily a smallmouth-bass fishery through much of the season, with trout only a realistic target when the water stays cool. Public boat ramps and access through the scenic corridor; treat trout here as conditional, not the headline.
Border water; the Delaware trout regulation still applies, but this reach warms enough that it's smallmouth-dominated in summer — surfaced as informational for trout, not a trout recommendation in the heat. Fast big water with cold-water and current hazards; public water, private bank between access points.
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
