Communities in the watershed of West Branch Fishing Creek include Central and Elk Grove.

The upper reaches of the creek are designated as Class A Wild Trout Waters by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

West Branch Fishing Creek begins in Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 13 and southwestern Davidson Township, Sullivan County on Huckleberry Mountain.

Shortly afterwards, the creek turns east and begins receiving unnamed tributaries from both sides.

Immediately after entering Columbia County, the creek flows through the community of Elk Grove.

[1] Between May 2010 and July 2011, the lowest water temperatures occurred in West Branch Fishing Creek in January and February 2011.

[6] Nearly all of the watershed of West Branch Fishing Creek is in the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province's Deep Valley Section.

However, the lowest reaches of it, south of Pennsylvania Route 118, are in the Susquehanna Lowlands section of the ridge and valley physiographic province.

The Catskill Formation is mostly found in the lower and middle reaches of the watershed, along the creek and its tributaries.

[1] The soils in the watershed of West Branch Fishing Creek are acidic because of a lack of limestone.

[1] There is a small moraine in the valley of Hemlock Run, a tributary of West Branch Fishing Creek.

[7] The valley of the creek is a gorge, which is one of the main features of the western part of Pennsylvania State Game Lands #13.

The vast majority of the watershed is forested, with the only urban areas being the communities of Central and Elk Grove.

[9] Both of these sub-watersheds are on the northern side of West Branch Fishing Creek's main stem.

[10] In September 1864, a thousand soldiers of the United States Army searched the valley of West Branch Fishing Creek as far as the Sullivan County line for an alleged fortress manned by 500 armed deserters and draft evaders.

However, dry stream beds often prevent wild brook trout from migrating up the creek.

[1] The creek is designated by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as Class A Wild Trout Waters from its source to the tributary Hemlock Run, a distance of 2.50 miles (4.02 km).

Most of West Branch Fishing Creek received a rating between 166 and 200, indicating optimal habitat quality.

The lower reaches of the creek, however, received a rating of 113 to 165, indicating suboptimal habitat quality.

[1] The Shannon Diversity Index of West Branch Fishing Creek is between 2.0 and 2.5 at Elk Grove.