Reports
8/7/08The time is getting near when the reels will be screaming with lake run fish. July & Aug. are my down times , time to get those household things in order before all heck breaks loose. Sept will bring Kings, Coho's, Steelhead, Browns & even Brookies to the net. Wilderness camping & fishing for brook trout is sure to be fantastic this fall so with all this going on there is little time left (hint). Starting in the next week or so I will be reporting from the Salmon River, giving updates on conditions and what's going on. This much I can say holds true, Pike. Along with learning the river and searching for Kings we will cast to the Pike of the Salmon River. So if you get the chance or would like to be shown the river and all that it holds give me a call.
7/16/08
Not much to report . Trout fishing has slowed to a crawl and for ponds it has become a search and destroy fishery. Find the cold water springs and destroy the fish, something I avoid. Please fish responsibly, with high water temp's the fish are under a great deal of stress. My suggestion is to avoid C & R fishing and if you must , go meat hunting. Then again the Pike & Bass fishery is hot. Trout fishing moves in waves. In the early spring the trout are lethargic due to cold water. Once the water temps rise above 50 degs. they become active. Now it hit's high 60's to 70 degs. , they (bigger trout) become once again lethargic and lay deep & low feeding primarily at night on bait fish needing only small amounts to maintain. Next comes fall and cooler water. Here is where skill becomes the biggest factor of the season. Fish have been highly educated and are looking towards spawning. They will feed but they are selective with a poor presentation turning a fish off. Moral ? Fish hard but fish smart.
Whew!!!! where does time go ? DSR will be opening in less than 5 weeks !!!!!!! My thoughts , Expect a good amount of fish by Labor Day. Salmon fishing will be here before you know and dates are going fast. Now is the time and don't forget about those silver bullets. Hey gas is not cheap so why waste time searching when you can be taught from experience. Let's go way out there and talk Ice... Do you want to spend the day with the cabin fever winter blues ? Come on out and chase some flags or jig up some lake trout & salmon. Hitting the ice on an ATV and staying comfortable in a heated shanty while catching trout. What could be better ?
6/19/08
Sorry for the long gap in report but we spent the last week fishing in the Lake Placid, Saranac & Tupper Lake areas. A good mix of both pond & stream fishing. Starting low and ending high for the Placid area, ponds really started slowing up, meaning the fish are headed to deeper cooler waters. It was a few here and there but nothing impressive. I did not spend a lot of time on that area pond fishing but rather devoted more toward streams. Now the Ausable had some great fishing, we caught 3 rainbows that topped 20" mark in the 2 days spent there. I won't be ashamed to say they all came using spinning gear and artificial lures. We tried very hard to coax the big fish with large streamers but it was just not happening. Any surface action was sparse to say the least, with grey fox's coming off around 2pm but again sparse. The drakes are now making their presence known which is great news. Nymphs still produced the bulk of the action in the pocket waters. A day was spent fishing the Saranac River with many fish taken on attractors & caddis flies. They were small but plenty of surface action. The bulk of my week was spent fishing ponds in the Tupper area. Man there are such great ponds to fish there and it is my favorite area. First off let me say this, if you don't like bugs, you better stay inside. Bugs, black flies, mosquitoes, no se-um & deer flies were out in force, full protection from head to toe is necessary or you'll be scratching like crazy. To me the old saying holds true when the bugs are biting, so are the fish. We used float tubes & inflatable rafts to cast and troll. Brookies & rainbows came to the nets often. Casting or trolling a IV sinking line with a streamer such as a black ghost worked well. For those who don't use fly gear Lake Clear Wobblers in gold with a fly or worm is also a tried & true method for trout.
Just a Quick update :
Plenty of openings left for this years trout season & wilderness camping trips. I will take bookings right up until Oct-15th. Salmon season trips start on Sept.1 and as said I will offer FREE DSR passes the first 2 weeks in Sept. Some dates are being booked now so if Salmon is an experience you'd like to learn and enjoy, Please book early.
This could be you............
Chris, a skilled and devoted fly fisherman with his first ever king salmon
6/7/08
First I will give a current fishing report then an opinion and some thoughts towards Gov't regulation. The Adirondacks got a nice healthy dose of rain over the past few days. It brought the river levels up quite a bit, not un fishable but caution should be taken while wading. To me this was great, it kept the ponds in check and the streams will be in great shape over the next stretch of hot weather forcasted. Now on with the facts:
NYS has just passed an emergency ban on transporting firewood more than 50 miles from it's origin. With that there is a proposal to enact this into law. Please write to the DEC and express your feelings towards this regulation. I strongly urge people to oppose this regulation as it is not towards recreation or sport but towards our well being and rights to heat our homes. Here is an example of how it has effected myself and will many others in NYS.
With the rising cost of home heating fuel I looked towards an alternate way to heat my home, put less strain on fuel and of course save money. My home is on 2 acres of property, I own 800 acres of forest land 80 miles away which is logged regulary. Under the current act I can no longer cut firewood to heat my home from my own property. This is total B.S. , we must stop this regulation. Will I abide by this law (communism) ? A big fat NO.........
Again please submit your comments to
Bruce Williamson
NYS DEC, Bureau of Private Land Services
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4253
(518) 402-9425
email >firewood@gw.dec.state.ny.us
5/26/08
Friday & Sat. brought us back out to hit a Franklin county pond and Sat. it was on to the flowing waters. Not much more to say except the fishing is fantastic , really the best it can be for spring 2008. We continue trolling the ponds using sinking lines and big #4 streamers. Early morning you will find brookies close and feeding on the surface making casting an attractor dry possible but once the sun peaks over the mountains trolling is the best method for constant action. Streams are in great shape with the Hendricksons starting to tail off and March Browns showing up. MB's are such a great hatch becauce they are a large fly, size #8 & 10's should be used making them friendly to the fisherman to see well on the water. For the evening angler spinner falls start showing up around 7pm and the water is once again alive with rising trout. The mid day angler should try using caddis flies and nymphs in the pocket water. While it is still only May one downside is the water levels are dropping. Hopefully we will get that much needed rain forcasted for this week to keep the fishing as great as it is now. Currently I still have 2 open weekends in June for either ponds or streams. See ya on the water..........
5/22/08
After 5 days of some serious fishing I'm feeling a little worse for wear. With the terrible weather conditions I've caught a good old fashion chest cold and it's hit hard. That did not however slow down my guest's from catching plenty of trout. If there is one thing that mother nature can throw at you to make for tough conditions it's WIND. I'll take cold, rain & snow any day of the week but wind is tough to beat, especially when in the open waters of a pond. The wind blew hard right from the get go on Monday morning. Gusts of 25 mph had us tossing and twirling like a cork in a bathtub. The 2 folks were real troopers and still managed to hook into quite a few brookies. After a good nights rest we set off for some better conditions and fished a great stream where the Hendricksons were on and so were the fish. It became about as silly as can be calling out every cast to a fish. Weds. it was back to the bush and another pond to fish. At least in the morning we had decent conditions and the brookies were rising to beat the band. All changed by mid day when a strong front came in and I suggested we hit the streams for browns & bows.
As for those traveling to the Adirondack's for the Holiday weekend, stream levels and temps. are jut as perfect as can be. Hendricksons should still be comming off around noon with spinner falls in the evening. I would expect the next round with March browns to start by next week . If no fish are seen rising a good choice is to swing streamers & wet flies . Enjoy the Weekend.
Notice the tree tops swaying Finally a calm
5/17/08
Stream conditions are perfect in the Adirondacks. Water temps. have finally rose above 50 degs. and with that the hatches are on. Today I took my guests to the Saranac river for a look at yet another beautiful stream. They caught plenty of willing takers on the surface and emergers worked well also. For the next 6 days I'll be guiding overnight trips to remote ponds and unable to update or check my site. If you have a date in mind please leave a message on my cell as well as my contact page on the site. I'll get back to you asap. Now for something which might seem far in the distance is Salmon fishing. I will be booking trips on the Salmon river starting Sept 1st. and from 9/1 till 9/14 I will waive the cost of a DSR pass. ($60.00 savings) This is a great chance at getting a shot to the first salmon entering the river as well as learning key holding spots for that area. All Salmon fishing will be done using traditional fly fishing methods. Dates for fall Salmon are starting to come in now so it's time to book .
5/13/08
The bugs are out. Those nasty black flies are out for blood . Once the air themps. start to rise they swarm in force. With that comes the good news. Hendricksons are hatching in the high peaks. Fish are feeding well on them . Use emergers in the morning and by noon switch over to dries. So With the bugs come the fish. The best fishing of the year is about to bust wide open. Don't miss out.
5/11/08
I can't say it enough , ponds are where it's at right now. Friday & Saturday my guests fished two high peaks ponds and were rewarded with close to 50 14" brook trout. Each pond had it's own unique features but the fish all responded well to casting sinking lines with the ghost brothers, grey & black. The key is to locate the fish trolling streamers than cast & strip. Surface activity is non existing at the moment due to cool water temps. but that will change very soon and we'll be casting dries to rising fish. My guests on Saturday wished to spend the afternoon trying stream trout on the Ausable river. Plenty of nice rainbows were caught using streamers fished deep and an aggressive strip. While again no hatches have begun in earnest, I spotted a few hendricksons around 2pm. all good news. Keep checking back as i'll update conditions asap (heck, there's no internet service deep in the woods).
5/7/08
Feathers & Fins:
Toms are responding well but tend to hold up just short of a good clean shot. The rest of the day was spent looking for stripers. Herring & shad are plentyful but the mighty striped bass are hanging tough. They are there but with the plentyful herring , getting them to take is a chore. Today 1 shad and 1- 10 pounder was taken. This is such a busy time of year with all the outdoor activities it becomes hard to find time for everthing. (that's where I can help)
Final thoughts : Right now it's all HOT get out there if you can.
5/5/08
Brook trout, the hardest fighting fish for their size that swims the fresh waters. To me there is nothing more exciting than catching large brookies. While the lower elvation ponds have been open for about 3 weeks now, the high peak ponds just became ice free last week. A trip was taken on such and the results are fantastic, big brookies and plenty of them. Due to the terrain and nature of the hike in to these places, it is very unlikely to find other anglers , that's not to say they are not fished but only a serious angler would venture into these ponds. I set strict guidlines on the number of trips and limits on what clients may keep (if any) in each particular pond. Areas such as these are too valuable and fragile to over fish. As for the streams and brooks in the Adirondack's, water levels are just perfect all be it a tad cold yet. Fishing is producing good catches of browns, bows & brookies. In the lower dacks where the temps. are 50 degs. & above, Hendrickson hatches are in force and the fish are responding well. In the high peaks areas the hatches will be soon, very soon. Currently all weekends are booked for May. Weekday - day and overnight trips are still avaliable. June still has open weekend and weekday dates but i'd expect them to fill shortly. Good luck in all your fishing outings.
nice fat stream bow 3 fished were allowed kept 12,13 & 14" respectively
A High Peaks pond After the fog lifted
4/29/08
It's called "sick as a dog" & for good reason. My sinus has been killing me and as a result keeping me off the water. Good news , seems the worst is over and with any good fortune back out tomorrow. For now a hot compress and warm blanket.
4/26/08
Today was pond day and what a great day it was. Fish were active and hungry. I did some scouting and fished 2 ponds, one familiar and popular and the other not so. These are not areas in which I would take clients but I wanted to give them an early season try.On a sad note: The first picture you will see is a beautiful Adirondack mountain pond, the second picture is what trash I cleaned in the area.This should go with out saying, "if you carry it in, carry it out". These are our public waters & land rights, it would be a shame to loose them due to fools.I'm asking all the good folks out there to do what you can and help keep it clean. Enough of that for now. STEELHEAD, the water is right and the fish are HOT. I will be heading out for a trip tomorrow and will keep bookings open for another 2 weeks if anyone is interested. More to follow tomorrow:
4/25/08
Late breaking news !!!!!!! The Big boys & girls are here, Striper's that is. Yes the run of big fish has begun in the Hudson river. Fish in the 30 > 40+ " range are being caught in the hudson valley area and moving north.This is the start of good things to come. Expect the great fishing to continue for about 3 weeks before they tail off and head for the salt once again. Speaking of moving north, for me striper's are on hold until Monday as I will be heading north for a brook trout pond trip Sat. Sunday there is also a possible steelhead trip in the works so please enjoy the striper's while their hot but remember, what you return back to the water may offer another chance for future catches.
Now that the fishing & hunting season has started full swing, check back often for daily reports.
4/22/08
Great news..... Brook trout ponds are open !!!!!!!!! Most ponds & lakes below 2,000 feet are ice FREE. This is something I have been waiting all winter long for. Now that ice is out I will be accepting day trips to remote ponds for some of this years fantastic fishing. Over night camping trips will begin starting May 9th , don't delay . Over the last week we have been chasing striped bass. Not much has been going on yet, the herring have been here for almost 2 weeks and very soon the big striper's will show up in force. Most of the striper's being caught are the first run schoolies with an big fish from time to time. Steelheading has been tough on the major tribs due to continued high water. There are still plenty of fish in the river but they will not last long. Best guess another 2 weeks and another great steelhead season will be in the books. Ah, the seasons how they change so fast. Spring Turkey season is just over 1 week away, opening on May 1st. Currently i have two trips booked so the door is still open on these hunts. What can be much better than spending a morning in the woods & an afternoon on the stream ? If your really serious, an overnight trip camping on the property we would hunt and 2 days. Best of luck to all the folks getting out be it the woods or water.
4/13/08
The Salmon River is running at flood stage, do not attempt to fish this until the water drop back to a reasonable & safe level. I would expect by next week the rush of snow melt should be over than the fishing on that river should resume. There are still plenty of options if your looking to persue steelhead. The many surrounding tribs in the area still offer good fishing. This is the time of year a northern angler must have many back up plans in which to choose their fishing. Today I decided to do some scouting for the Striped Bass which enter the Hudson River and it's tribs. One of my goals this year was to catch striper's using fly rod and reel. In the short time I was out , not only did i catch 1, but 2 striper's on the fly rod. Casting a super fast sinking shooting line and stripping a large clouser fly proved to be just the right combination for catching these fish. Next year I hope to offer this service to those who wish to catch Striped Bass on a fly. Don't forget Turkey season and Brook Trout are just around the corner, dates are starting to fill.
4/6/08
This past week has been very busy on the water. April 1st came the state wide opening day for trout season. To some it was the first time on the water but to others we have been chasing trout all year. Most folks who have been out may have went for the sure bet of a recently stocked stream just to feel that tug on the line after a long winter. For myself I always fish the small mountain brooks which don't recieve any stockings. It's an early season place to enjoy the run-off waters of a babbling brook. The trout were just not in the mood so on to the mighty steelhead. Here you will find all the waters that flow into the great lakes full of fish. At the moment the steelhead are either on spawning grounds or dropping back to the lake with an occasional chromer entering the streams.Below are some pictures on what to look forward to.
3/23/08
One of the many Easter eggs found while fishing the Salmon River. Currently the river is clear but a cold 34 degrees with a flow of 1,500 cfs. Slight snow melt is keeping the water temps down so that means your offerings should be slow and deep. I employed spinning methods just for that purpose which paid off well. To my surprise many fish were already spawned out so look for an early exodus as they head back to the lake. Fishing higher in the river provided the best results but also the most pressure from anglers. Don't be afraid to walk away from the crowds and explore areas as the fish are spread out through out. It was great to be standing "in" the water as apposed to "on" the surface. Good luck and see you at the river.
