Lake Placid - Ausable?

[DaveR]

Hi All,

It's been a while since I've posted, but the wife and I are taking a trip up to Lake Placid from Th - Sun and I'm looking for some advice where I might be able to get a few hours in fishing. Any advice would be appreciated. Is the Ausable a choice? If so, what can I expect this time of year? What should I be fishing with. I typically fish small water here in NJ so any advice on some of the larger streams in the Lake Placid area will help tremendously.

Thanks in advance!
Dave

 

[flyin]

hmmm, the ausable? west branch I would guess.

If you look up the Ausable River Sport Shop, then
Kevin can probably steer you to one or 2 spots.

I had a guide (as part of a one day ffing class I took)
take me to a couple of spots but I would not be able
to describe them as I am not familiar enough with the
area.

One thing I would not suggest is fishing monument pool
as that gets pounded and the fish are very very smart.

BUT if I recall there is a side road near the bridge by monument
pool (where of course there is a monument by the side of the road) that parallels the flyfishing only stretch of the ausable.

Parking along the side of the road at one of the pullouts
and walking FAR in away from the road will take you
to a bend in the river with some very nice runs and pools
where some big fish hang out. These aren't secret spots
to locals, but they are less fished by the masses that frequent
the river.

That's all I can recall right now.

Remember fishing closes on the 15th (I believe, check the regs).

-- Rob

 

[Fly Ty R]

I gave up fishing the High Peaks area after trying to beat the rain/snow (which I can never win!!). The Ausable (the West Branch, anyway) is an impressive river. Not big, but roaring. Follow Rt 86 and you'll see all the pull-offs. The fall is much less crowded there, with much lower water levels, so you should have no trouble finding a nice secluded spot away from the road. Ask Fran at the Sport Shop what the hatch is and he'll tell you they're hitting Ausable Wulffs ( ) . Don't pass up a trip downstream, either. The fishing is pretty good downstream of the Wilmington dam, too. Also, don't forget Korkers or studded wading shoes. The rocks on the West Branch are loaded with algae and are very slippery.

There are also several little mountain ponds in the area that see no pressure at all. You can get away into the wilderness fairly easily and have some great fishing all day long.

By the way, don't skrimp out on Lake Placid and/or Mirror Lake either. I had one of my best fishing trips EVER on Lake Placid, and we had no idea what we were doing. Barely anyone fishes it, and it is loaded with everything. Smallies, pike, rainbow and brook trout, lakers, etc... Mirror Lake is easier to shore fish and is also loaded with fish.

 

[DaveR]

Thanks,

The season closes on Oct 15th? I guess I should check the regs before packing all my gear.

 

[serotonin]

There are two stretches on the West Branch that are open year round/no kill/artificials only. Each stretch is a little over two miles long.

Connery Pond is also open year round. You will want a canoe or belly boat for this.

Bring a wading staff for the river.
Steve.


PS Really good glasses will help enormously on bright days.
Otherwise, the reflections of the colored leaves will wreak
some wicked havoc on your eyes.

 

[DaveR]

Well I made it back from a fun but dreary trip to Lake Placid. Thanks to all for the tips on the Ausable. I got about 3 hours in on Saturday pm and had a great time fishing between the rain drops. The water levels seemed good and in spite of some sporadic BWO hatches and a good bunch of midges, I was skunked. Tried streamers in the slower pools and big black and yellow stones in the pocket water.

To all who warned me about using felt soles, I totally agree with your advice. Ditto on the wading staff. The rocks are everywhere and covered with slimy green algae. At least when my stoneflies got covered with the stuff, I knew I was on the bottom.

I'll definitely go back next year for a try in better weather. The scenery alone is worth the trip.

Regards,
Dave

 

[Fly Ty R]

Ahh, you just confirmed why I don't drive all the way up there anymore . Rain rain and more rain. At least you had a good time. I've found that the "best" weather (and I mean that losely) is in mid-June and again in September. The water levels are still good at both times, and the rain/snow isn't as much of an issue.

Did you try any lakes?

 

[DaveR]

Didn't get to any lakes but will definitely try on the next trip.

One of the things I'm going to have to learn is how to fish bigger water. I know the Ausable isn't big by some standards, but I'm used to fishing small NJ streams. Learning to read a larger river is not easy because I see so much deep water everywhere that the fish could be anywhere. The pocket water is easier, because at least you can see where the fish hold. Those long flat stretches are tough, unless fish are rising to an obvious hatch.

I was also limited due to fishing the day after the season closed. I'm sure that some hiking to the non-FFO sections would supply opportunities to fish over trout that aren't constantly pounded.

 

[Fly Ty R]

The Ausable can be a overwhelmingly daunting stream, if you let it. I can relate it to saltwater flyfishing. The beach may look endless and the ocean immense, but when you break the beach down into its constituent parts of structure, it's not hard to fish at all. Therefore, it's best to break large waters, fresh and salt, down into smaller parts.

Like you said, the pocket water is the easiest to fish. Each rock makes its own little riffle, run, and pool configuration. So, in essense, when you break it down, you have hundreds of streams altogether in a small space. The larger waters are basically the same, just wider and deeper. Fish the long slow stretches like you would pools on a smaller stream. Dredge the depths with big streamers and nymphs. A sink tip line is very useful here. Fish the heads and tails of the pools, and any other obvious instream structures, where most of the fish are located.

You may see many more fish during the hatch periods, but you are not likely to CATCH more fish then . The slow glassy waters of the large pools are incredibly tough to dry fly fish during a hatch. Your presentations have to be exact, and your tippets have to be light. The best place to fish the hatches in these situations are where there is still a lot of current, like the head or tail of the pool. The broken water makes ID'ing the fly (and seeing the hook) for the trout much harder, and they are more opportunistic. I've caught some of my best browns on the Ausable in these areas during the late spring hatches. Also, fishing under the surface gives you more room for error, and likely more fish in those very calm areas.

 

[DaveR]

Thanks! In those small NJ streams, a sinking tip line is never needed. I guess I'll need to bone up on how to use one. Shouldn't be that hard....

Guess I should start tying some Clousers and Gray Ghosts this winter!