West Branch Delaware Fishing Report: August 18, 2026

Quick Summary

The West Branch remains a good New York trout option this morning. USGS showed 684 cfs, 3.11 feet, and 49.6 F at Hale Eddy during the 8 AM check, with Stilesville at 560 cfs, 8.14 feet, and 47.7 F below Cannonsville. The river is in a fishable summer tailwater range with limited wading, so use known bars and edges instead of pushing crossings. Today's local Upper Delaware context points to falling flows, some sun after the recent wet stretch, flying ants, tapering sulphurs, olives, Isonychias, and Cahills; keep the upper river dry-fly focused if algae makes nymphing inefficient.

Conditions Snapshot

Field	Value
Status	Good. Cold tailwater temperatures and moderate flow keep the West Branch fishable, with brightening sun and algae on the upper river the main limitations
Flow	684 cfs at Hale Eddy; 560 cfs at Stilesville during the 8 AM check
Gauge Height	3.11 feet at Hale Eddy; 8.14 feet at Stilesville
Water Temp	49.6 F at Hale Eddy; 47.7 F at Stilesville
Clarity	Not reported by official gauges; current local context describes the system as fishable rather than blown out
Trend	Falling slowly after the last two days of wet weather
Best Window	Midday through afternoon on the colder upper West Branch, then watch the evening light if wind stays manageable
Best Method	Dry flies and emergers on the upper West Branch; nymph the lower West only where algae is not fouling the rig
Wadeability	Limited. Fish edges, bars, and familiar access points, and avoid unnecessary crossings

Weather

For Hancock and Hale Eddy, the National Weather Service forecast calls for morning fog giving way to mostly sunny skies, a high near 79 F, and light northwest wind around 5 mph. Tonight is forecast partly cloudy with patchy fog and a low around 56 F. The dry, calmer forecast is easier to fish than yesterday's storm threat, but the extra sun can make fish selective and move the better dry-fly window toward shaded water, broken current, or lower-light periods.

River Notes

Hale Eddy is almost unchanged from yesterday morning's 689 cfs reading, but the practical trend is slowly down after recent rain. The Stilesville gauge confirms a cold release below Cannonsville, which keeps the upper West Branch well under the 68 F trout-stress threshold at report time. Wading is not wide open at these levels; treat the river as approachable from selected spots rather than crossable everywhere.

The current Upper Delaware local report says the release from Cannonsville is 549 cfs, flows are slowly dropping, and levels are good for both floating and wading. It also notes that upper West Branch algae makes nymphing a poor choice in some spots, so anglers who want a subsurface program should look lower on the West where clean seams are easier to fish. On the colder upper river, spend more time watching riseforms and less time blind-casting heavy rigs.

Hatch Activity

Official gauges do not report hatches. Same-day Upper Delaware source context supports flying ants, spotty but still important midday sulphurs, Blue Winged Olives, a few Isonychias, and Cahills. Sunny periods may make the sulphur work more technical, but cold water gives the West Branch the best daytime dry-fly chance in this target set.

Hatch	Size	Notes
Sulphur	18-20	The hatch is tapering, but it remains the main daytime dry-fly target on the colder West Branch
Blue Winged Olive	18-24	Carry for mixed hatches, soft edges, and any cloudy spells
Flying Ant	16-20	Worth keeping ready after humid weather, especially around banks and foam lines
Isonychia	10-14	Useful as a nymph, wet fly, or searching dry in faster bankside water
Light Cahill or Summer Steno	14-16	Carry for mixed afternoon and evening activity

Recommended Flies

Category	Fly	Size	Notes
Dry	Sulphur Sparkle Dun, CDC Emerger, or Comparadun	18-20	First choice when upper-river fish work steadily to small yellow mayflies
Dry	BWO Comparadun or CDC Olive	18-24	Use for small, quiet riseforms or short cloudy windows
Dry	Flying Ant or Beetle	16-20	Cover banks and slicks when fish ignore mayflies
Dry	Isonychia Parachute or Light Cahill	10-16	Search faster edges and broken current when fish are not locked on tiny bugs
Wet	Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, Soft Hackle Sulphur, or Isonychia Wet	12-18	Swing through riffles and broken seams before the surface bite starts
Nymph	Pheasant Tail, Frenchie, or Perdigon	14-20	Use mainly on the lower West where algae is not making every drift a cleanup job
Nymph	Isonychia Nymph	10-12	Let the drift lift or swing near banks and faster ledges

Tactics

Start with observation on the upper West Branch. If fish are rising, fish a long leader, a single sulphur or olive, or a dry-and-emerger pair, and make the first drift count from downstream or across-and-down. If the upper river is covered with algae, do not force a nymph rig there; switch to dries, emergers, soft hackles, or move lower to cleaner seams. Keep wading conservative at 684 cfs, and use the colder tailwater as the trout-safe option if nearby freestones warm through the afternoon.

Gauge Links

Gauge	Flow	Temp	Link
WEST BRANCH DELAWARE RIVER AT HALE EDDY NY	684 cfs	49.6 F	USGS 01426500
WEST BRANCH DELAWARE RIVER AT STILESVILLE NY	560 cfs	47.7 F	USGS 01425000

Sources

Official sources checked: USGS stations 01426500 and 01425000, plus the National Weather Service forecast for the Hancock and Hale Eddy, NY area. This report is an original Custom FlyBox summary based on current official gauge and weather data, with local public conditions reports reviewed separately for hatch, method, clarity, and safety context.