The East Branch is a tailwater beginning at Pepacton reservoir and continuing for 27 miles where it joins with the West Branch at the town of Hancock, NY and forms the main stem of the Delaware River. In character this river can be broken into two distinct sections, the upper East Branch and the lower East Branch.

Starting at the reservoir and flowing for 15 miles to its junction with the Beaverkill, ...

the Upper East Branch is a small and narrow river with many spring creek characteristics. Its cold, crystal clear water flows through a shaded narrow valley with long flat pools and intertwining channels formed by the several islands on this stretch of river. This section of river stays cold all summer offering excellent habitat for its mix of wild and hatchery brown trout. There are some wild rainbow trout in this section along with native brook trout but they are less abundant. Hatches of mayflies and caddis are excellent and continue into the fall. In the summer months terrestrial insects like ants and beetles are added to the trout’s diet.

The lower East Branch begins at the junction of the Beaverkill at the town of East Branch and ends where it meets with the West Branch in Hancock, NY. This is a wider river with many deep pools (called eddies on the Delaware system) and swift riffles. This section of river fishes well from April into June. Its distance from the cold-water influence of Pepacton reservoir and the addition of warmer Beaverkill water cause the fish to seek cooler refuge in the upper stretch or in the main stem of the Delaware where colder West Branch water provides thermal relief in most years. Spring hatches of caddis and mayflies are excellent. The river fishes well again in the fall as the water cools and the browns enter on their annual spawning migration. Rainbow trout also emerge from their thermal refuges and actively feed before the onset of winter.

The East Branch is a challenging trout steam with its trophy-sized brown trout the reward for a job well done by the angler.