I fished for a while on the Salmon and the Chateaugay yesterday afternoon Monday 5 May 08).
I was near where the firemen practise at about 2:45 p.m. The water temperature was 57.8F. (I know the .8 is silly, but rounding it up seems like false advertising). That surprised me because recent Malone weather reports had not shown the temperature all that warm. The water level was definitely fishable.
Ganman wrote in another thread about glorious spring afternoons with good water temperature, Hendricksons coming off, and nary a fish. If I identified the fly correctly, that was my experience. I caught one rainbow a short drive upriver.
I went over to the lower Chateaugay about 6:00 p.m. Again, the water level was fishable. Many tiny flies, and a very few larger ones, were coming off, but there did not seem to be any trout about. The water temperature was 54F.
I went back over to the Salmon and explored around Malone for places where wilds or holdovers might could survive the winter. Later, I fished until dark near Cargin. I had a couple of strikes but did not hook up.
Lack of skill makes me question myself as an indicator, but I am pretty sure that no water I fished yesterday had been stocked yet. I'm still very glad I went.
It would be interesting to see from other posters just when it starts to pick up in the next few weeks.
NNY Reports - Early May 08
I tried a light Hendrickson dry when I first saw them out, but no trout. I mainly used small beadhead pheasant tail nymphs. I have become rather fixated on them recently, probably too much to the exclusion of other flies. I have been going smaller and smaller, but I may have reached my limit recently with some sizes, 18, 20, and 22. I think I caught my one trout on a slightly larger one. Near dark, I was fishing with a black beadhead wooley bugger, which got few nibbles. I like big bushy flies, either with lots of weight or with weight added, later at night. I lost both the wooley bugger and and, after that, the bushy thing.
Olive hare's ears probably deserve more of my attention, as well as some others. I should look into your Ausable Ugly and Sirloin suggestions. Beyond that, I could go back to Rick Hafele's nymph book, but I would be interested in what others find successful down there, particularly at this time of year.
Olive hare's ears probably deserve more of my attention, as well as some others. I should look into your Ausable Ugly and Sirloin suggestions. Beyond that, I could go back to Rick Hafele's nymph book, but I would be interested in what others find successful down there, particularly at this time of year.
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Salar
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In the early season I'd go with bigger nymphs. With the colder temps I find you need to give them a good reason to move to take it. Also, make sure to have enough weight to get your fly near the bottom. Flies that have worked in the past are a #10-12 Ausable Ugly (one of the best general purpose nymphs I've used), #10-12 Breadcrust Nymph, and a #10-12 Hare's Ear.
A black bugger is a good choice for most of the rivers in upper New York state except for the Salmon River. On the Salmon the trout seem to have a preference for Olive Buggers. Again, this time of year make sure you're getting the fly down near bottom. I tend to not weight my buggers heavily, instead I use weight about 12-14" up the leader. I've been using Loon Deep Soft Weight over the last couple years instead of split shot.
There's a heavy caddis population on both the Salmon and Chateaguay. If you pick up any rocks on either river you'll see a ton of cased caddis. A cased caddis pattern can be very productive. Here's an example:
http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox ... rentID=142
It's looking like it'll be June before I get down there. Give me a shout around the first week and we can head down there for a day.
A black bugger is a good choice for most of the rivers in upper New York state except for the Salmon River. On the Salmon the trout seem to have a preference for Olive Buggers. Again, this time of year make sure you're getting the fly down near bottom. I tend to not weight my buggers heavily, instead I use weight about 12-14" up the leader. I've been using Loon Deep Soft Weight over the last couple years instead of split shot.
There's a heavy caddis population on both the Salmon and Chateaguay. If you pick up any rocks on either river you'll see a ton of cased caddis. A cased caddis pattern can be very productive. Here's an example:
http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox ... rentID=142
It's looking like it'll be June before I get down there. Give me a shout around the first week and we can head down there for a day.
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Salar
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Latest report from Rich Garfield's website (http://www.flyfishtheadirondacks.com/) on early fishing in May:
"Fishing at most was a difficult but productive by fishing nymphs completely on the bottom with a slow dead drift, using # 8 Ausable Ugly, # 10 Hare's Ear, and # 8 "ITFW" nymph. On the smaller streams with warmer water temps we were able produce limited dry fly action on Hendrickson imitations in size #12."
I'm not sure what the ITFW nymph is, I've never heard of it.
"Fishing at most was a difficult but productive by fishing nymphs completely on the bottom with a slow dead drift, using # 8 Ausable Ugly, # 10 Hare's Ear, and # 8 "ITFW" nymph. On the smaller streams with warmer water temps we were able produce limited dry fly action on Hendrickson imitations in size #12."
I'm not sure what the ITFW nymph is, I've never heard of it.
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Salar
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Did a little digging on his site and found out it's the "ITFW" Bitch Creek Nymph. It can be seen in the following pictures:
http://www.flyfishtheadirondacks.com/Po ... CF2247.jpg
http://www.flyfishtheadirondacks.com/Po ... CF2051.JPG
http://www.flyfishtheadirondacks.com/Po ... CF2056.JPG
http://www.flyfishtheadirondacks.com/Po ... CF2247.jpg
http://www.flyfishtheadirondacks.com/Po ... CF2051.JPG
http://www.flyfishtheadirondacks.com/Po ... CF2056.JPG
Fishing in Northern NY at this time of the year is more about location than pattern. By location I don't mean not the next run, slick or pool but a whole different stream, or tributary or ten miles upriver.
Headwaters and spring fed tribs are the places to go. This trout filled little brook is 45 minutes from the border and a perfect place for a 2 or 3 weight and a box of dry flies.
The native Brookies in this creek are taking big fuzzy nymphs on opening day and dries by mid-late April. One year I was on the creek in a snowstorm and the trout were pigging out on Quill Gordons that could'nt get off the surface because of the cold.
Headwaters and spring fed tribs are the places to go. This trout filled little brook is 45 minutes from the border and a perfect place for a 2 or 3 weight and a box of dry flies.
The native Brookies in this creek are taking big fuzzy nymphs on opening day and dries by mid-late April. One year I was on the creek in a snowstorm and the trout were pigging out on Quill Gordons that could'nt get off the surface because of the cold.
Ganman's post brought me back to a challenge that I have not managed to solve. I want to pursue it further.
Right now, though, I wanted to provide an update on the Salmon and Chateaugay.
On the afternoon and evening of Wednesday 16 May, the water in the Salmon near where the firemen practice was 63F. I saw no evidence of fish in the riffles, but I don't know what that means. That place never produces for me like it seems to for others. Further up near Flat Rock Road, small rainbows were plentiful. I drove over to the Chateaugay and stopped to look at a well-known bridge downriver. There were no rises. A fellow was wading some distance from shore. I did not see him get any strikes in the time I was there. I went to a semi-legal spot some distance upriver. The water was 61F. I saw no rises. I did not get any strikes, either with a dry or a nymph.
On both rivers, the water level was just fine.
I went back over to a popular spot on the Salmon somewhat upriver from Flat Rock. There were a couple of guys there and a lot of rises. I just chatted for a while.
Yesterday afternoon and evening (Friday 16 May) I went back there. Several several guys were there and some came and went. It was a bit of a circus. I moved down and back up the river a bit. Small rainbows near the busiest spot were breaking the surface with some regularity. I caught several on dries (A light Hendrickson and a couple of parachute emergers that I do not know how to better identify worked well. I cannot remember if a small Au Sable Wulff I tried caught any or not).
It felt like a real guilty pleasure. They were all small rainbow stockies. As I start my third year of fly fishing, though, they were the most fish I have caught on dries.
Often I can bolster my ego and get my fill of small rainbows and then pursue other challenges, such as stalking larger browns, looking for wild fish, or seeking out new locations. Yesterday I could not stop indulging until I was cold and tired.
Using the different dries was interesting. It was an issue of visibility (for me) versus effectiveness. The Hendrickson worked well, but otherwise the fish were not that attracted to easily-seen flies visible on the surface. The couple of parachute emergers seemed to solve the problem nicely. I am inclined to pursue that theory and perhaps buy a couple that I previously thought were outrageous because they had a piece of neon foam or something on the top.
Right now, though, I wanted to provide an update on the Salmon and Chateaugay.
On the afternoon and evening of Wednesday 16 May, the water in the Salmon near where the firemen practice was 63F. I saw no evidence of fish in the riffles, but I don't know what that means. That place never produces for me like it seems to for others. Further up near Flat Rock Road, small rainbows were plentiful. I drove over to the Chateaugay and stopped to look at a well-known bridge downriver. There were no rises. A fellow was wading some distance from shore. I did not see him get any strikes in the time I was there. I went to a semi-legal spot some distance upriver. The water was 61F. I saw no rises. I did not get any strikes, either with a dry or a nymph.
On both rivers, the water level was just fine.
I went back over to a popular spot on the Salmon somewhat upriver from Flat Rock. There were a couple of guys there and a lot of rises. I just chatted for a while.
Yesterday afternoon and evening (Friday 16 May) I went back there. Several several guys were there and some came and went. It was a bit of a circus. I moved down and back up the river a bit. Small rainbows near the busiest spot were breaking the surface with some regularity. I caught several on dries (A light Hendrickson and a couple of parachute emergers that I do not know how to better identify worked well. I cannot remember if a small Au Sable Wulff I tried caught any or not).
It felt like a real guilty pleasure. They were all small rainbow stockies. As I start my third year of fly fishing, though, they were the most fish I have caught on dries.
Often I can bolster my ego and get my fill of small rainbows and then pursue other challenges, such as stalking larger browns, looking for wild fish, or seeking out new locations. Yesterday I could not stop indulging until I was cold and tired.
Using the different dries was interesting. It was an issue of visibility (for me) versus effectiveness. The Hendrickson worked well, but otherwise the fish were not that attracted to easily-seen flies visible on the surface. The couple of parachute emergers seemed to solve the problem nicely. I am inclined to pursue that theory and perhaps buy a couple that I previously thought were outrageous because they had a piece of neon foam or something on the top.
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Salar
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Great report Manfred. It's always nice to catch trout on dries.
As for foam patterns, don't be afraid to try them. I've caught some of my best trout on 'outrageous' foam dries that you'd think only a bass would take. It sometimes takes a large gaudy fly to get those large browns to rise to. I would give it another month before I'd start using them though.
As for foam patterns, don't be afraid to try them. I've caught some of my best trout on 'outrageous' foam dries that you'd think only a bass would take. It sometimes takes a large gaudy fly to get those large browns to rise to. I would give it another month before I'd start using them though.
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Mike Lennox
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Good job Manfred...Checked out the Salmon and Chateauguay today despite the cold weather. Coldest day of my LIFE! Couldn't even tie on a fly by the end of the day. It was worth it though, plenty of rainbows, some holdover browns and rainbows plus some wild brookies made a great day 
Hot flies were a realistic isonychia nymph, evil weevil, hotspot muskie nymph and the ausable ugly. To get good fish we had to move away from the access points to find holdover fish. With the weather it was all nymphing but with an indicator fly we did get a couple of small wild brookies.
The water levels are great with the regular light stain to the water, great day of fishing despite the FREEZING weather, head down if you get the chance.
Hot flies were a realistic isonychia nymph, evil weevil, hotspot muskie nymph and the ausable ugly. To get good fish we had to move away from the access points to find holdover fish. With the weather it was all nymphing but with an indicator fly we did get a couple of small wild brookies. The water levels are great with the regular light stain to the water, great day of fishing despite the FREEZING weather, head down if you get the chance.
Lake Placid
Just got back from Lake Placid this past weekend. I did not get much fishing but did talk to a few people who participated in the two-fly competition this past weekend. Wow, there was a lot of good size browns and rainbows caught - a good number in the 14 to 18 inch range. Next year, I do plan to register. Anyways, I did manage to get out for a couple of hours and did manage to catch a rainbow and a brown and miss about 3 more. Hendrickson's are hatching plus any good size nymph (stones, woolley buggers) seem to be working. I caught my rainbow on an olive bugger and the brown on a red royal wolf.