Tailwater · Sandstone Shale · New York

East Branch Delaware River

Road sign reading East Branch Delaware River beside a green steel suspension bridge, with river water visible below, Catskills, New York.

Pepacton's tailwater — colder and a little less famous than its western sister, with strong wild browns up near the dam and a warming gradient as it runs down toward Hancock and the main stem.

Prime · Brown Trout
Trico Spinner · 20-24
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelHeavy rain recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
TS
Trico Spinner20-24
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Heavy rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindE 5 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent25.8 mm
Rain · ahead0.3 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
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
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Brown Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Dette Flies·Beaverkill Angler
Beats · 3 · 1 reaches

The East Branch is a cold tailwater driven by Pepacton Reservoir releases — the release schedule and temperature decide whether it fishes, and like all these rivers the water can rise fast on a release. It runs colder up near Downsville and warms as it heads down toward Hancock and the main stem, so the reach you pick is a temperature decision. 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. Confirm current NY DEC regulations before you go.

East Branch tailwater · 3 beatsDay rods
Downsville (upper East Branch), Shinhopple (middle East Branch), Lower East Branch / Hancock
The 3 beats
Downsville (upper East Branch)Public
NY DEC public access + private frontage (Pepacton release)
The cold-release reach right below Pepacton at Downsville — the most consistently tailwater-cold water on the East Branch, with strong wild browns. Walk-and-wade water with NY DEC access; less famous than the West Branch but fishing the same release-clock logic.
Dam-release dependent — flow, temperature and wading safety follow the Pepacton release; water rises fast on a release. Public water with private bank between access points (PFR 33-ft easements). Verify NY DEC reach regulations.
Shinhopple (middle East Branch)Public
NY DEC public access + private frontage
The transitional middle reach around Shinhopple — good trout water that's release-influenced but warming away from the dam. A mix of public access and private frontage; the access picture here needs checking locally before you rely on it.
Mixed public/private access — verify public-access points and PFR boundaries. Release-influenced and warming downstream; mind water temperature. Public water does not mean public bank.
Lower East Branch / HancockPublic
NY DEC public access + private frontage
The lower reach down to the Hancock confluence with the West Branch — drift-boat and wade water and the link into the main stem. It warms toward the junction, so it's a thermal-risk reach in high summer rather than a sure thing.
Warms toward the junction — strong summer temperature caution; don't crowd fish stacking at the cold confluence. Public water with private bank between access points; verify NY DEC regulations.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Tailwater special regs
  • Verify NY DEC.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Upper Main Stem Delaware River
11 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
West Branch Delaware River
15 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Beaverkill
24 km
30
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Willowemoc Creek
33 km
68
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Neversink River
52 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Brook trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Road sign reading East Branch Delaware River beside a green steel suspension bridge, with river water visible below, Catskills, New York.
    Corbett Suspension Bridge - Delaware County, New York
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Pepacton's tailwater — colder and a little less famous than its western sister, with strong wild browns up near the dam and a warming gradient as it runs down toward Hancock and the main stem. The same release-clock fishing, with its own rhythms.

  • Sandstone shale
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'East Branch Delaware, Lower, Main Stem' (NY1403-0001), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. 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) · NY1403-0001

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 83
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts