Pepacton Reservoir Fishing Guides
The largest of the New York City Catskill reservoirs, holding brown trout of a size that draws anglers from several states, fished from rowboats under city watershed rules.
Guides on the Pepacton Reservoir
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About the Pepacton Reservoir
Pepacton Reservoir was built in the 1950s on the East Branch of the Delaware, drowning four Catskill villages to supply drinking water to New York City. It is the largest of the city’s Delaware system reservoirs, roughly fifteen miles long and holding more water than any other reservoir in the system. It is also, by a comfortable margin, the best big-brown-trout water in New York State that is not a Great Lake.
The brown trout here grow to remarkable sizes on a forage base of alewife and smelt, and fish in the double digits are landed every year. Lake trout are the second cold-water species and are fished deep through the summer. Smallmouth bass occupy the rocky shoreline and are excellent and almost entirely ignored. The water is cold, deep and infertile-looking, and it fishes like a northern lake rather than a Catskill trout stream, which surprises anglers who arrive expecting the Delaware.
Access is the defining constraint and it is unlike anywhere else in this directory. The reservoir sits inside the New York City watershed, and fishing it requires a free DEP access permit obtained in advance. Boats are restricted: only rowboats are permitted, they must be steam-cleaned and tagged by the DEP, and for most anglers the practical route is to rent one of the boats already registered and stored along the shore. Gasoline motors are prohibited, and electric motors are allowed only under the current permit terms, so a day here means rowing. Shoreline fishing is permitted along much of the reservoir for permit holders willing to walk. None of this is difficult, but all of it has to be arranged before the trip rather than on the morning of it, and a guide familiar with the DEP system is worth the booking on a first visit.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Pepacton Reservoir.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.22 ft ↓ falling
- Water temperature72 F
- For the dateA little above normal for the date
Reading taken 45 min ago at USGS 01414750, PEPACTON RESERVOIR NEAR LEWBEACH NY. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Downsville end - the eastern end near the dam, with the deepest water and shoreline parking areas.
Shavertown Bridge - the mid-reservoir crossing on Route 30, a central reference point and access area.
Lewbeach and Beaverkill Road side - the western arm and the upper end of the reservoir.
DEP-registered rowboat storage sites - the practical way onto the water, arranged in advance.
New York City DEP access permit - required in advance for any fishing, shoreline included.
Route 30 shoreline pull-offs - walk-in bank access at numerous points along the north side.
Downsville and Margaretville - the nearest towns for lodging, tackle and licenses.
Seasons
Spring: the strongest brown trout window, with fish shallow and accessible from shore and rowboat after ice-out.
Summer: trout go deep and the fishery becomes a trolling and jigging game, while smallmouth bass fish the rocky shoreline.
Fall: cooling water brings brown trout shallow again and the reservoir is at its quietest and most productive.
Winter: ice fishing is not permitted under city watershed rules, so the season closes with the cold.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Pepacton Reservoir?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the Pepacton Reservoir in New York.
Where can you access the Pepacton Reservoir?
Downsville end - the eastern end near the dam, with the deepest water and shoreline parking areas. Shavertown Bridge - the mid-reservoir crossing on Route 30, a central reference point and access area. Lewbeach and Beaverkill Road side - the western arm and the upper end of the reservoir. DEP-registered rowboat storage sites - the practical way onto the water, arranged in advance. New York City DEP access permit - required in advance for any fishing, shoreline included. Route 30 shoreline pull-offs - walk-in bank access at numerous points along the north side. Downsville and Margaretville - th...
When is the best time to fish the Pepacton Reservoir?
Spring: the strongest brown trout window, with fish shallow and accessible from shore and rowboat after ice-out. Summer: trout go deep and the fishery becomes a trolling and jigging game, while smallmouth bass fish the rocky shoreline. Fall: cooling water brings brown trout shallow again and the reservoir is at its quietest and most productive. Winter: ice fishing is not permitted under city watershed rules, so the season closes with the cold.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Pepacton Reservoir?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New York agency site: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations