I began to fish the East Branch of the Delaware River below the Pepacton Reservoir as a teenager, in 1958 or ‘59. That was a long time before the adoption of the water release regulations was implemented. 

At the time, the release from Pepacton Reservoir during the summer was 19 cubic feet per second (CFS); in the winter, it was 6 CFS. Those flows were agreed upon during the discussions that were held with New York City, the New York State Conservation Department, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. There may have been others. Those discussions took place after a 1954 Supreme Court decision, which occurred when New Jersey sued New York State. That lawsuit was instituted by New Jersey to ensure that it would be guaranteed enough water from the Delaware River to meet its water supply needs. The court agreed. In any case, those flows were pitiful, and should never have been agreed upon by the conservation department.

I recall trying to fish the East Branch in the early years, only to find small pools fed by a trickle of bottom release water along with whatever input was provided by the few tributaries. Once in a while, we’d get lucky, and the Pepacton would spill, with just enough water to provide a fishable flow, during the Hendrickson hatch, and we would have some excellent fishing. That, however, was a rare phenomenon, in that a little more rain could make the river unfishable. 

One year—it must’ve been in the early 1970s—is when Ed Van Put and I found the water conditions perfect; the Hendrickson hatch was in full swing. We were at the Airport Pool, and each caught a few nice brown trout that day. Unfortunately, there was more rain during the night, which increased the flow, ending the fishing. 

Once the water releases legislation was passed and implemented in 1976, the flow in the East Branch was increased from 20 CFS to 70 CFS during the summer. That amount was enough to support excellent fly hatches and good fishing. There were plenty of Hendrickson, pale evening duns and sulphur mayfly hatches to keep us all very happy. Plus there was a little fishing pressure, which was an added bonus. 

In the mid-1980s, my friend Frank Mele called one evening and asked if I would like to join him and his friend Alfio at the River Edge Cabin for a season of fishing. The two had rented a cabin from Al Carpenter, who owned Al’s Wild Trout sports store in Shinhopple, NY. I agreed, and we ultimately fished the East Branch from that location until 1989. That’s when Frank, Bill Dorato and I purchased a travel trailer that we kept at the Oxbow campsite, and later at Peaceful Valley. 

When Frank passed away in 1996, our friend Heidi joined Bill and me at Peaceful Valley. When Bill died in 2000, we moved the trailer upriver to the Catskill Mountain Campground. We’ve been there ever since. 

For the last 50 years or so, I’ve seen the East Branch go from a trickle with very little water to a world-class tailwater trout fishery. During that period, in 2007 and after extensive studies, the parties involved with the responsibility of managing Delaware River flows agreed to the Flexible Flow Management Program. That allowed the flow on the East Branch to be increased from 70 CFS in the summer to 140 CFS, during periods of normal rainfall and reservoir storage. Winter releases were reduced to 90 CFS, under the same water conditions.

One might ask, what’s so special about the East Branch? And why do you love that river? There are many reasons.

There was the camaraderie I found during the years at the River’s Edge with Frank, Willie and Alfio, and all the others who stopped in on the weekends to visit, have a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine. 

Those were special times with special people, times that can never be duplicated or replaced. Now mere memories, with a certain amount of sadness, when I think of those times, and those friends, who are all long gone.

Then there is all the work I did while at the DEC to eventually get New York City to release more water from its Catskill reservoirs. That took five years of slide shows and meetings with Trout Unlimited, Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers and County Sportsmen’s Federations to make them aware of the water issues associated with the Delaware system. My efforts, along with the efforts of countless others, resulted in the Water Releases Legislation and increased flows. 

So in a way, the East Branch has been like a child for me. Over the years, I’ve watched it grow from a virtual desert with almost no water into one of the best trout fisheries in the East, if not the country. And I’m proud to say that I played an important role in the transformation process. 

Then of course there’s the fishery and the fishing, legendary in its own right.

 In summary, this is what I wrote at the end of an article, published in Gray’s Sporting Journal, in June 2004: “In the fading light, I look up and down the river and see no one. Except for the birds, the trout and the bats, I’ve had this wonderful river to myself. A rare privilege, in this time of heat, drought and more than enough fishermen.”

Now you know.