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Delaware River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Upper Delaware: America’s premier wild trout river up top, world-class smallmouth downstream, and no dams for 200 miles.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
7,310 cfs
Air / High
77 / 77 F
Wind
WNW 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01427510, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Delaware River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 7,310 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 77. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 72 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Delaware River at Callicoon.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01427510.

2,3524,3056,2587,310 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low77 / 65 F
WindWNW 11-18 mph
Pressure1011.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 65%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:28
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 77/65 F, wind 11 mph, rain 65%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Delaware River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Delaware River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Delaware River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 81 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 79 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Pennsylvania requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New York or Pennsylvania license covers most boundary water: verify current reciprocity. Special trout regulations on the upper river: check DEC and PFBC rules.

Access

Hancock, Buckingham, Callicoon, Damascus, Narrowsburg and Ten Mile River accesses along the Wild and Scenic corridor.

About this water

The undammed Upper Delaware River along the New York-Pennsylvania border: wild trout above Callicoon, smallmouth bass below.

Fishing Delaware River: the full guide

A river without dams

The Delaware runs 330 miles from Hancock to the sea without a single dam on its main stem, and the upper hundred miles: the Wild and Scenic reach from Hancock through Callicoon to Port Jervis: carry two distinct world-class fisheries. Cold releases from the Cannonsville and Pepacton reservoirs feed wild rainbow and brown trout through the upper river; below Callicoon the water warms and smallmouth bass take over in numbers that rival any river in the East.

Wild trout on big water

The main stem from Hancock down holds wild rainbows: hard-fighting, acrobatic fish found in few eastern rivers: alongside big browns. The hatches match the branches: Hendricksons, sulphurs, drakes, and tricos, with fish rising in enormous flats that demand long leaders and downstream presentations. This is float-fishing water: the drift boat is the standard tool, and the classic runs from Hancock to Buckingham and Buckingham to Callicoon fill guide calendars every June.

Smallmouth country

From Callicoon south the river becomes one of the East’s great smallmouth fisheries: riffle-pool water with endless ledge rock, fished from canoes, rafts and by wading. Topwater at dawn, tubes and Ned rigs through the deeper slots, and crayfish patterns on the fly all summer. Walleye hold the deeper pools, and shad run the river in May: an old regional tradition below Port Jervis.

Reading releases and access

Reservoir releases and thermal conditions rule the trout water: check the Delaware River Basin Commission schedule and the Callicoon gauge before every trip. Access points at Hancock, Buckingham, Callicoon, Damascus and Narrowsburg serve boats and waders on both the New York and Pennsylvania banks. Either state license covers the boundary water in most reaches: confirm current reciprocity terms.

Common questions

Trout or smallmouth?

Both, by geography: above Callicoon the cold releases make wild trout water; below it, smallmouth own the river. Late June is the overlap.

Do I need a drift boat?

For the trout water it helps enormously: the river is wide and the best flats are unreachable on foot. Smallmouth water fishes well from a canoe or by wading.

When do the shad run?

May, through the lower reaches around Port Jervis and downstream: a hard-fighting, historic fishery that predates the trout crowds.

Is fishing good at Delaware River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Beaverkill14 miWillowemoc Creek15 miWest Branch Delaware River23 miLake Wallenpaupack26 miEsopus Creek43 miSwartswood Lake49 mi
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