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West Branch Delaware River

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Special regulations for West Branch Delaware River, as the state words them

PA County · River · PA

Has its own special rules
How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion

Today's rule hereParsed

Season
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Gear
There is no restriction on the number of hooks used on each fishing line. All rods, lines and hooks shall be under the immediate control of the person using them.Statewide
Bait
Legally taken gamefish may be used as bait. It is unlawful to use or possess goldfish, comets, koi and Common Carp as baitfish while fishing.Statewide
Poles
An angler may use a maximum of three lines fished either by rod or hand when fishing for gamefish, baitfish or both.Statewide
SpeciesDaily limitSize
ALL SPECIES OF TROUT
5-streams, lakes and ponds (combined species)min. 7 inchesStatewide
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass
5 (combined species)min. 12 inchesStatewide
Muskellunge and Tiger Muskellunge (Hybrids)
1min. 40 inchesStatewide
Northern Pike
2min. 24 inchesStatewide
Pickerel
5min. 12 inchesStatewide
American Shad
2min. No minimumStatewide
American Eel
25min. 9 inchesStatewide
Baitfish/Fishbait
50 (combined species)min. No minimumStatewide
Trout
* A special no-kill season with the use of artificial lures only has been established on the West Branch Delaware River (see Miscellaneous Waters with Special Regulations for details).
2 (combined species)min. West Branch Delaware River *: 12 inchesThis water
American Bullfrog
10 (combined species)-Statewide
Green Frog
10 (combined species)-Statewide
Snapping Turtle
15-Statewide
Amphibian Eggs and Tadpoles
15 (combined species)-Statewide
Timber Rattlesnake
1 annual limitmin. must be at least 42 inches in length, measured lengthwise along the dorsal surface from the snout to the tail, excluding the rattle, and must possess 21 or more subcaudal scalesStatewide
Eastern Copperhead
1 annual limit-Statewide

The official text, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from PA's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.

Whole water
  • Trout
    Daily limit 2 (combined species)Size West Branch Delaware River *: 12 inches
    * A special no-kill season with the use of artificial lures only has been established on the West Branch Delaware River (see Miscellaneous Waters with Special Regulations for details).
  • troutArtificial Lures Only season runs from October 16 until 8 a.m. on the opening day of the trout season. (dates as written)
    Daily limit The daily creel limit of trout is zero (0) during the artificial-lures-only season.Gear Fishing may be done with artificial lures only, constructed of metal, plastic, rubber or wood, or with flies and streamers constructed of natural or synthetic materials. All lures may be used with spinning or fly fishing gear.
    (see additional regulations for the Delaware River )

How this answer was assembled

  1. StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
  2. This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
  3. Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.

Where this stretch begins and ends

Loading map…

The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.

Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.

At the water nowContext

Overnight
61°F
Areas Of Fog
Wind 0 mph · 28% precip
Wednesday
73°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
Wind 0 to 6 mph · 79% precip
Wednesday Night
54°F
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
Wind 1 to 5 mph · 71% precip

Streamflow: 31.9 cfs at west branch delaware river at hobart ny (2026-07-29 01:30)

Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.

What are you fishing for here?Advice

Pick from the species named in West Branch Delaware River's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.

Receipts

Statewide rules
Statewide
Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.
Special rules - West Branch Delaware River
This water
Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.

Local services near West Branch Delaware River

Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.

Run a shop or guide service on West Branch Delaware River? Get listed.