Reservoir · New York
Pepacton Reservoir near Lewbeach
Current Lake Rating
Point-in-time lake rating — separate from the trip recommendation below.
Good81
Conditions look good for a Coldwater lake trip. Water temperature is within a preferred coldwater lake range.
Scores are model-specific and are not directly comparable across water types.
Rating confidence: High
Should I Go?
Go
Fishing guidance for this destination based on available lake conditions, weather, and seasonal context. It is not a boating, swimming, ice, or access-safety rating.
Recommendation confidence: High (85)
Guidance uses the shared lake fishing model. It is not destination-specific calibration.
Best window
Sat, 5:00 PM–8:00 PM
Why
- Wind is in a helpful range for lake fishing and boat control
- Cloud cover is favorable for coldwater lake fishing.
Current Readings
- Water level
- 1,268.44 ft
- Change over 24 hours
- -0.02 ft
- Trend
- Falling
- Water temperature
- 15 °C
- Last updated
- 21 min ago
≈ 59 °F
Source: USGS · PEPACTON RESERVOIR NEAR LEWBEACH NY · 01414750 · Elevation, lake/res, NAVD88
Better Nearby Options
Checking nearby StrikeTracks waters…
Weather Near Lake
Current Weather
Clear
Temperature
61°F
Feels like
61°F
Wind
3 mph S
Wind gust
4 mph
Current precipitation
0.00 in
Updated
Sep 5, 2026, 1:30 AM
Recent Rainfall
Estimated precipitation near this lake
Last 6 hours
0.00 in
Last 24 hours
0.00 in
Last 48 hours
0.11 in
Little recent rainfall near this lake.
Next 24 Hours
Sat 4 AM
Clear
Temp 58°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 2 mph
Sat 8 AM
Clear
Temp 60°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 1 mph
Sat 12 PM
Mostly clear
Temp 69°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 8 mph
Sat 4 PM
Mostly clear
Temp 71°F
Chance 4%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 6 mph
Sat 8 PM
Heavy rain
Temp 65°F
Chance 15%
Precip 0.48 in
Wind 5 mph
Sun 12 AM
Overcast
Temp 63°F
Chance 2%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 4 mph
Four-Day Forecast
Sat, Sep 5
Heavy rain
High 71°F / Low 57°F
Chance 15%
Precip 0.48 in
Max gust 15 mph
Sun, Sep 6
Overcast
High 69°F / Low 54°F
Chance 6%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 15 mph
Mon, Sep 7
Overcast
High 73°F / Low 49°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 15 mph
Tue, Sep 8
Overcast
High 77°F / Low 52°F
Chance 1%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 7 mph
Weather and rainfall are estimated for this lake's coordinates. Local conditions can vary, especially in mountainous terrain and during isolated storms.
Recent rainfall can influence lake level and access, but the timing and magnitude depend on watershed size, soil conditions, and reservoir operations where applicable.
Weather data: Open-Meteo
Reservoir Elevation History
Elevation is reported relative to the datum used by this USGS monitoring site. Elevations from different lakes or datums should not be directly compared.
Loading historical elevation…
Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Pepacton Reservoir.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Pepacton Reservoir is a New York City DEP West-of-Hudson drinking-water reservoir. NYSDEC's dedicated Places to Fish page lists brown trout and smallmouth bass as the most popular fisheries, both caught at trophy sizes, and documents annual brown-trout stocking. Rainbow trout are listed on the official species list but are not described as the primary draw. Public fishing requires a current DEP access permit. Live condition class is unchanged by this Fishery surface.
Target species
Brown Trout
Salmo trutta
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
NYSDEC Places to Fish: most popular coldwater fishery; trophy-size fish caught annually; stocked annually with approximately 8,000–9,000 brown trout 8–9 inches. NYC reservoir overview also names Pepacton among the largest brown-trout reservoirs.
Source: NYSDEC
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
NYSDEC Places to Fish: smallmouth bass are listed with brown trout as the most popular Pepacton fisheries, including trophy sizes. Cataloged as common so the existing coldwater recommendation profile is not silently converted to mixed-fishery.
Source: NYSDEC
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
NYSDEC Places to Fish: panfish population is abundant; species list includes black crappie.
Source: NYSDEC
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
NYSDEC Places to Fish: channel catfish are being caught with more consistency in recent years.
Source: NYSDEC
Rainbow Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Unknown
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
NYSDEC Places to Fish species list includes rainbow trout. Not described as the primary Pepacton draw. Existing catalog targetSpecies labels are not copied as verified primaries.
Source: NYSDEC
Yellow Perch
Perca flavescens
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
NYSDEC Places to Fish species list includes yellow perch.
Source: NYSDEC
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Large Catskill drinking-water reservoir with limited rooted aquatic vegetation. Row boats only after DEP registration and inspection; no motors. Shoreline access is through designated DEP land. Morphology fields are intentionally unset and are not thermal evidence.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Fly fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Access and Public Fishing Rights
NYC DEP access permit required. Numerous DEP-designated launches; row boats only and must be registered and inspected by DEP. Ice fishing is prohibited. Catalog coordinates are a USGS monitoring reference, not a verified launch pin.
Stocking information
NYSDEC documents annual stocking of about 8,000–9,000 brown trout (8–9 inches). Confirm the current Delaware County spring trout-stocking schedule; quantities are not hard-coded here.
- Stocked
Brown Trout
Stocked · NYSDEC
Official sources
Special fishing regulations apply, including trout April 1–October 15, 15-inch minimum, daily limit 2 with only 1 over 21 inches. Ice fishing is prohibited. A NYC DEP access permit and a New York fishing license are required. Confirm current NYSDEC and DEP rules before fishing. This Fishery surface does not change Monitoring-Backed, Estimated, or Unavailable class.
Hatch Match
General fly suggestions
- Midge larvaGeneral stillwater midge-style family — not a live Chironomidae Hatch claim.
- Woolly-bugger-style streamerGeneral stillwater streamer family. Not a baitfish or kokanee Hatch event.
- Ant or beetleGeneral shoreline terrestrial family — not a local Hatch calendar.
These are general fishing suggestions, not a report of insects currently hatching at this destination.
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
New York
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
Target Species
Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout
Public Access
Restricted
Boat Launch
Available
Description
Pepacton Reservoir is a New York City DEP drinking-water reservoir trout fishery. Public fishing requires current DEP recreation access rules. Restricted access is not unrestricted public boating.
