Adirondack Landlock Salmon

[AKSkim]

With the water levels in the Pulaski area making the migration of the salmon to their spawning beds a spooky gauntlet to run, just inches from the snaggers in waiting by the hundreds a displeasing option.

Lake Eire streams fearing no better conditions.

Lends this fisherman to consider Landlock Salmon fishing in the Adirondack region of Up State New York.

Should be about this time that they are staging just off the mouths of a number of well known rivers in the area for their run up stream.

Water levels of the AuSable and Saranac maybe in the same low conditions, without the hordes of anglers that could be found on the Salmon River.

Maybe just worth a trip up there to scout the streams. For me it is closer than heading up to the wilds of Maine.

Fly patterns should be the same for this time of year. Classic streams should entice one or two. If not, nymphing should be the order of the day.

 

[Montauklax]

Fishing for Lake Champlain LLS isn't worth a trip. The number of fish that return in the fall is low and of those returning a large majority are scarred and weakened from lamprey.

I fished those rivers a ton in recent years, but certainly would not have had they not been in my backyard.

Just my thoughts.

If you do go, tie some grey ghosts with a marabou wings.

 

[DoubleHaul]

I agree with Montauklax. To try to fish the LLS fall "run" in Adirondack lakes is a very difficult task. To use those fisheries as a substitute for the Ontario Pacific salmon fisheries will be a great disappointment. The time to fish Champlain tribs, is when the maple trees begin to show leaf growth in the spring (May).
However
Pond fishing is worth the trip. As the water cools in the fall, rainbow, brown, lake trout & splake all make their way up the water collum to feed. As with all things fly fishing, ponds take time to learn.
If you want to get up here & take advantage, consider hiring a guide with pond experience. Even if the pond is being fickle and refuses to give up a fish, the fall color up here is really starting to get "showwie" that alone is worth the trip.
Doublehaul

 

[JeffK]

The Finger Lakes are another option and are just from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hour off Rte 81. However, the runs are small and you have to learn them. They only run a few days around a rain, so timing is everything.

The lakes produce once the water temps get below 50F. You can do classic streamer fishing near the surface for them with a 6 wt and a few smelt patterns. Need a boat (mostly) and you can expect about 2 hours per fish when you figure it out. It's guessing game at what points the wind and current will concentrate bait and then hitting them until you find fish. Not fast action, but seeing a silver streak come out of no where for your fly is cool. The FL never freeze, so you can fish any day in the winter when it is warm enough. Can also find lakers, pike, browns, and rainbows in the late fall/winter.

While in the FL, visit a gorge or winery. It's a nice place to visit for non-fishermen too.

 

[troutrob]

Most of the Finger Lakes are now sans smelt, replaced by alewife. The publicity for the streams is still there, but honestly its not worth the trip unless you want to jig/use downriggers on the lakes- as for streams- if you dont know what your doing the runs are short and fickle with little fish entering streams fall and especially spring- hopefully these fisheries will rebound- they have stocked different strains of LL in the bigger lakes - but that just came last year so we have a wait and see. I live in the FL region and know what is going on (it took me 2 yrs of hard fishing to get where I am)- my 2 cents, even with the pressure and low water If you want salmon of anytype go to Ontario- I had a great day at the DSR last week!

 

[Future Fanatic]

Maybe just worth a trip up there to scout the streams. For me it is closer than heading up to the wilds of Maine.

Fly patterns should be the same for this time of year. Classic streams should entice one or two. If not, nymphing should be the order of the day.

You know, I was thinking about this question and have decided to offer this:
The Susquehanna offers a shot at these Salmon you think so highly of.
"THE SUSQUEHANNA?" I hear you all roar...
Suffice it to say, well, yes.

I KNOW NO PARTICULARS. I've HEARD rumors. Good RUMORS.
Of course, I'm talking about some ten miles of river between Otsego Lake in Cooperstown and Goodyear Lake just outside of Portlandville(and maybe a few feeder streams contained there within those bounds).

Here's a link that I offer as evidence that I am not entirely nuts...

Special Fishing Regulations for Otsego County - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

ANYWAY, you could make it a yearly event, once you get the timing down. Fish the Susquehanna for trout and salmon(and I'd be ashamed of myself if I did not mention the Smallies) and then, you could go on up to Cooperstown and visit all of the Yankee heros enshrined there. WHAT A WEEKEND!

 

[Scott]

I fished around the Western mountains of Maine during the last week of fishing season. The weather was unusually warm, which kept water temps too high to get the fish to move. A strong storm which move through dumped over two inches of rain, but it did not bring the flows up too much. Water temps didn't go below 60 until the last day of the season, and most of the salmon were still holding in deeper water at the river mouths. So while the fishing was great as always, the catching was poor.

I did have one very good day targeting brookies, and landed my largest yet - a male just over 19" in full color and fat too - it had to be at least 2-1/2 - 3 lbs. I landed 5 brookies that morning, and the smallest was a 15" female, the rest were males between 16-18". All on streamers too.

A 17 inch male:

Patterns that worked this year were old reliables - like the Black Ghost, Grey Ghost, etc. but by far the most successful pattern for me was