Best East Branch Delaware River Fly Fishing

Northwest of Poughkeepsie near Hancock, the East Branch of the Delaware River is best known as an excellent tailwater fishery below Pepacton reservoir. It is best known for brown trout and brook trout. The best East Branch fly fishing is typically from late Spring to Early Summer in the upper section.

The upper section is about 8 miles long from the headwaters at Wawaka Lake in Halcottsville to the Pepacton reservoir. You can expect to find most fish are less than a foot long. There is about 5 miles of public fishing access.

The lower section is about 33 miles from the Pepacton dam down to the confluence with the main Delaware River. This section of the East Branch of the Delaware River for fly fishing is the most popular year-round fishery. It is typically 75 to 200 feet wide. The access can be tough to find since there is mostly private shores. The best access is above the confluence with the Beaverkill River.

Pro Tip: The many of the local fly fisherman access the river via canoe. The blue-winged olive hatch is typically in mid-May.

Overall, East Branch Delaware River is the 19th most popular fly fishing river of all 29 fly fishing spots in New York. Several of the better fly fishing rivers are nearby East Branch Delaware River including Beaverkill River, Esopus Creek, Neversink River, West Branch Delaware River, Willowemoc Creek and Delaware River.