Tailwater · Sandstone Shale · New York, US

West Branch Delaware River

Looking upstream from USGS gage at West Branch Delaware River at Hancock
Today · Not the day for it
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.73 m
Lifting fast
Water temp12.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather8°C
WindN 3 km/h
Pressure1035 hPa
Rain · recent9.7 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — conditions well-balanced, with water clarity particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 43%
Peak emergence window3 food groups active

Peak activity at 12 Uhr — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive (Eastern Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Local fly shops: Dette Flies·Beaverkill Angler
Beats · 4 · 1 reaches

The West Branch is a cold tailwater driven entirely by Cannonsville Reservoir releases — the schedule and the release temperature, not the weather, decide whether and how it fishes, and the water can rise fast when a release comes on. It's NY/PA border water from Hale Eddy down: a New York or Pennsylvania license is valid, with the Delaware border-water trout regulation (April 1–Oct 15, one trout daily; Oct 16–Mar 31 catch-and-release, artificial lures only). Public access is real but the frontage is largely private — New York Public Fishing Rights are 33-foot bank easements, not a right to cross land — so use the marked NY DEC access points and launches. Confirm current NY DEC / PA FBC regulations before you go.

West Branch tailwater · 4 beatsDay rods
Deposit / Stilesville (upper West Branch), Hale Eddy, Lower West Branch / Hancock, West Branch Angler Resort (guide & lodging)
The 4 beats
Deposit / Stilesville (upper West Branch)Public
NY DEC public access + private frontage (Cannonsville release)
The cold tailwater core right below Cannonsville — the most release-driven, and often the most reliable summer water on the system, with major hatches and large, selective wild fish. Walk-and-wade and drift-boat water with NY DEC access points; the frontage between them is private.
Dam-release dependent — flow, temperature and wading safety follow the Cannonsville release; water rises fast on a release. Public water with private bank between access points (PFR 33-ft easements). Verify NY DEC reach regulations.
Hale EddyPublic
NY DEC public access + private frontage
A key access node and the main conditions reference for the West Branch, with a NY DEC launch and walk-and-wade water. Cold release water that fishes long and late into the summer, with the same big, educated wild browns and rainbows.
Dam-release dependent — read the Cannonsville release schedule and temperature, not the sky. NY/PA border water from here down: NY or PA license valid; Delaware border-water trout regulation applies. Public water, private bank between access points.
Lower West Branch / HancockPublic
NY/PA border water — NY DEC / PA FBC, mixed access
The transitional lower reach down to the Hancock confluence where the West Branch meets the East Branch — superb in the right window but more temperature-dependent as it warms toward the junction. Drift-boat and wade water; access is mixed public and private.
Border water — NY or PA license valid; Delaware border-water trout regulation (Apr 1–Oct 15 one trout; Oct 16–Mar 31 C&R artificial-only). Warms toward the junction — mind water temperature and don't crowd fish stacking at the cold confluence. Public water, private bank between access points.
West Branch Angler Resort (guide & lodging)Guide / lodge
West Branch Angler Resort
A riverside resort and guide service on the West Branch offering guided fly-fishing trips, lodging and a fly shop — a service and access layer for visiting anglers, not the controller of the public river. Guided trips wade or drift depending on daily conditions.
Resort property is fly-only and zero-limit catch-and-release for trout; guided trips are fly fishing and catch-and-release only. This is a guide/lodging route onto public water, not a private claim over the branch. Verify current services and rates directly.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • NY/PA border tailwater with special regs and licence nuance
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 4
East Branch Delaware River
15 km
85
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Upper Main Stem Delaware River
21 km
86
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Beaverkill
39 km
81
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Willowemoc Creek
47 km
75
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Looking upstream from USGS gage at West Branch Delaware River at Hancock
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'West Branch Delaware, Lower, Main Stem' (NY1404-0002), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. Listed impairment causes: Hydrologic Alteration. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · NY1404-0002

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 79 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature77 × 28%21.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity67 × 12%8.0
Conditions total= 79
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts