Fly Fishing The Adirondacks

Less than a week after returning home from out west, we were already back on the road headed east. We had made plans earlier this spring to fish a few remote streams in the Adirondack Region of New York. I was still pretty whooped from my previous travel, but the thought of Brookies, Brown, and Rainbows on the fly was enough to keep us all lively through the entire 13 hour haul...

Eirik and I would be rolling into town a day early to set up camp, and meeting up with Shawn Brillon and Matt from the Orvis Company the following morning. The guys were bringing down some of the new prototype gear to try out, and as always, to hang out, fish, and have fun. John Clouser spends a lot of time in upstate New York with his family on vacation, and we can't thank John enough as he was extremely generous with his time, and showed us a few of the favorite remote trout streams he loves to fish. It didn't take me very long to understand why he comes back up here year after year!

Taking a break after a long hike through the

gorge. The scenery was breath taking!

The fishing was absolutely spectacular!

Matt with a nice Adirondack stream Brown Trout

from the pool at the base of the waterfall above.

The Adirondack Region is definitely a special place to catch trout! I have fished a lot of trout streams across the United States and never once wished I had a wading staff as badly as I wanted one here! Every stream I fished was filled with perfectly round rock, large boulders, and very little space to put a foot on even ground. Talk about breaking an ankle! I totally understood the meaning of "experienced stream wading required" after my trip here!

Tourism and camping near the mountains were at peak season and the area towns were busy. At first I thought we would have a hard time finding quiet water to fish, but during the 3 days I was fishing I had no one fishing even remotely close to us, and on some streams I never saw another soul.

Eirik hooked up with a nice Rainbow! The best position

to fish this pool was from a perch position 6 foot above the run.

Eirik poses for a close shot of the Rainbow

he hooked from the above photo.

We spent the next 3 days camping, hiking, fishing, sleeping, and eating! This was the perfect fly fishing getaway! If you like to fish remote waters, and have numerous opportunities at medium sized trout this is definitely a trip you should consider doing!

John Clouser land a nice brown trout while enjoying a good cigar.

Greg plays a nice Brown Trout.

I told you it was a nice Brown Trout!

Orvis Mirage Reel, Hydros Rod, and Adirondack Rainbow Trout.

Nymphing was key during our visit, as very few bugs were coming off. A quick look around the cliffs, boulders, and wood debris showed us that the bug biomass here was tremendous. I had never seen so many Golden Stonefly and mayfly shucks stuck to nearly everything around the stream. A no brainer idea to run stonefly nymphs through the pools put us into a lot of really nice trout each day.

A Brown Trout that fell for a rubber legged golden stonefly.

Rainbow Trout that fell for the same bug.

You know that camping and fishing trips tend to make you eat with a bit less concern for your heart health. Man its so good though! So we would eat until we were near to passing out next to our camp fire, living the good life even if it was only for a few days! We did however make a conscience effort to eat a healthy breakfast of Peaches and Cream Oatmeal, left over marinated steak, and extra strong coffee :)

Below are a few pictures from our time spent in the Adirondack mountains!

Steaks, Pork Chops, Salsa, corn, instant potatoes, and

a cold one were on the chefs menu...every night!

Our nightly camp fire, and as you can tell its almost bed time!

John with a fat Adirondack Brown Trout.

Nice trout to start the day off on a good note!

Eirik decided to let us catch the trout, as he wanted a trophy chub!

We always knew that Eirik was a chubby chaser.....

Nymphs including small caddis, worm, and midge larvae were also effective.

Greg fishes a pool we affectionately dubbed as brownbow rock.

Eirik holds the last fish of our trip! A great way to end a stellar trip!

Look at the beautiful reds on this fish!

We have a lot more still to come from our summer adventures, so stay dialed in and we'll have some more for you in the days to come!

Tight lines,

Greg Senyo

Owner/Operator

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Kickin' Back in the Adirondacks

Well, we just returned home from our annual trip to the Adirondack Mountains of New York state and I am happy to say that despite the unusually cold and wet summer in the northeast, we had a great time as always! It is such a beautiful part of the world that I enjoy it in any weather....though it is better after ice-out when we can get the fly rods into action.

THE FAMILY POSES FOR A PHOTO ATOP MT. JO

This year was different than last as it is when you have young children, because as they grow and change more and more things become possible. So it was for my boys Timmy and Teddy. This year at 7 ( and a half!) Timmy was very able to wade the more gentle and less treacherous streams and can handle a fly rod well enough to take fish on his own. That is, when his 7 year old attention span is focused. Leave it to a fish on the end of a rod to get that job done! At four , Teddy is in his first summer of fishing and taking it by storm. No wading rivers for him quite yet , but he can fish from the shore or boat. I was happy to see that he takes directions and listens well enough to calm my ever-present concern about the mix of little boys and hooks.

ON TRAIL WITH THE CREW

THE SIGN OF BEAVER BRINGS BACK THE THOUGHT OF

HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF ADIRONDACK HISTORY BUILT ON THIS FUR.

AN AMERICAN SNAPPING TURTLE LAYS EGGS ON A BEAUTIFUL SAND PLOT

As for mom , well she seems more and more convinced by the excitement of fighting a feisty trout. I think she is actually beginning to look forward to it. At any rate she is a natural with a fly rod, and she proved with some very nice fish in hand.

Our home away from home this year was on a quiet and secluded Adirondack pond that was chock full of warm water fish. Smallmouth bass and crappies and of course the ever present sunfish made for most of the action. There is nothing like a fat pumpkinseed to capture the imagination of a young child as he feels the pull of what just may be pound for pound the most belligerent of all panfish. In our canoe we trolled streamers cast poppers and , truth be told, a worm or two under a bobber for the boys. Fish were had both by fly and by "garden hackle" and the delighted screams of the boys told the whole story.

BROTHERS, FISHING, IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS TEDDY!

JOHN READY TO SHOW THE BOYS THE ROPES

NIKKI WITH A SMILE THAT SAYS "I THINK I LIKE THIS STUFF."

TIMMY SCORES LARGE

LOOK AT PRETTY COLORS MOM AND DAD!

TEDDY IS WITHOUT WORDS AT THE SITE OF SUCH A MONSTER.

TIMMY GETTING THE HANG OF THINGS.

Our trout adventures had us on large and small streams and produced some wonderful browns , rainbows and brookies as well as a tremendous brace of landlocked salmon. Unfortunately a camera "accident" has deleted the evidence and I am forever unable to share the impressive pics of these small stream beauties. I know , I know .... I can hear all the "fish story" jokes now. I guess I asked for that one. Fortunately I can show you some great browns that made our day more than once.

JOHN GIVES THE REFRESHER COURSE.

TIMMY REMEMBERS QUICKLY!

A NICE LITTE RIVER RAINBOW

SHOULD YOUNG MEN BE SERVED THAT MUCH BUTTER?

SURE, EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH BUTTER....RIGHT?

A NICE BROWN IN THE NET.

YET ANOTHER NICE BROWN TROUT

Oh, and don't tell Timmy that a sucker is , well , a less than desirable catch as that one was the fish of the week for him. I've got to say , on a 4-weight rod it was a great fight! But on a fly he tied himself it became also a personal trophy.

CATCH OF THE WEEK FOR TIMMY!

AN UP AND COMING FLY TYER

Mom and Dad got some time to themselves on the river on one weathery , drippy day, and didn't let the time go unfullfilled. Though a bit slow , the day still yielded some memorable moments and some lovely trout.

MOM & DAD CAPITALIZE ON SOME "US" TIME!

AND THEN CATCH FISH....

AFTER FISH....

AFTER FISH.....AND OF COURSE,

IT WOULDN'T BE A JOHN CLOUSER

BLOG WITHOUT THE SIGNATURE SELF PORTRAIT : )

Hope you are having a great summer and .......

Tight Lines!

John Clouser

Fly Fishing Specialist

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Father and Sons; fly fishing Adirondack Lakes and Ponds.

Timmy Clouser fly casting the Lake during a summer sun set.

As I stood on the bank of one of my favorite Adirondack ponds, threading my fly line through the guides of my rod and eyeing the surface of the water for any signs of life , a fellow approached me and quipped .. " not looking for trout here are ya'?" Being that this pond was dominated by warm water species , his question was a little tongue-in-cheek , but I realized right away that it was his association of my fly tackle with trout and river fishing that motivated his question.

Timmy with a nice grip and grin Large Mouth.

While I certainly understood this association , I couldn't help wondering why people would put the fly rod away once trout are not in the forecast. Don't they know what a blast a hefty smallmouth or toothy pike can be on a fly rod? There are largemouths lurking as big as small dogs. Even the yellow perch and the bluegills can be loads of fun on lightweight rods and wispy tippets. And especially here in the Adirondack Mountains of New York , where the opportunities for all these tremendous warm water fish are legion, does it seem appropriate to expect more than just spinning rods on the lakes and ponds.

Young Teddy Clouser with a Fly caught blue gill.

Oh, and by the way , there are plenty of trout in the lakes as well , you just have to know what you are doing.I love trout and salmon and spend more of my time chasing them than any other fish , but I am certainly not beyond the thrill of a leaping, battling smallmouth or slashing, ambushing pike. And there are evenings when a serene paddle while casting or trolling streamers for brookies or casting dries for surface feeding rainbows is just the way I feel.

John Clouser with a Land lock Salmon

The supply of lakes and ponds , one for every purpose , seems endless up here , and their deep clean waters in all their variations are a constant alluring presence....Especially when you bring children into the picture. Wading a river is too much for a young child but standing lakeside or sitting in a canoe or small boat is well within reach, and can be an exciting new world.On a cool mountain evening in late June I am in my Radisson canoe with my oldest son.

Timmy with a fine fly caught Small Mouth bass!

I am slowly rowing it , trolling behind us our sparkling Clouser minnows on our sink tip lines. We are the only people on this large and less accessible pond and the wildlife is doing a dance for us , keeping us entertained as we relax into the rythym of the oars. Loons are calling and splashing , hawks circle and call, while an occasional beaver slides silently by at a distance. It is so pristine and timeless that we feel special just being there. Then comes the tug on the line and we leap from our reverie to the rods ... it is indeed a fish and not a snag. For a small brookie, it fights well and adds perfection to a night that needed nothing more.

Timmy with his first brook Trout.

On a warm evening in July I am standing in the shallows of a blue gem of a lake just before sunset. My oldest son is beside me and together we are casting into the dropoff that I know is just out beyond us. We are looking for whatever will take our fly. I am showing my son how to strip streamers and make them look real to a fish. He is so enthusiastic and i am touched. He repeats everything I tell him back to me , explaining it to me with extra details that he adds himself.

Timmy Completeing the Adirondack Grand Slam !!!

He is improving quickly and is in fact doing it quite well , though I occasionally cast for him or bail him out of a tangle. When the pull does come , he screams with delight and fights the fish as though it were a grizzly bear. He is so proud and so happy when he holds his fish up for the camera. If he could only know how much I love him.

John Clouser
SAO Fly fishing guide

Fly Fishing The Adirondacks Part II

For me , there are few places in the world where the worries and concerns of life are unable to press their hot pursuit. Places where time seems not to matter so much, and the constant din of ought and obligation are swallowed up by the awesome simplicity of raw, elemental beauty. The Adirondack Mountains of New York State is one such place. Whether I am laboring up the side of one of its' many high peaks , slipping silently by canoe through a lost pond at sunset , or just listening to the whisper of the woods, the wonder of these mountains envelopes and re-creates.

Did I forget the fishing? Certainly not!For the vast majority of those that seek the waters of the northland, the West Branch of the Ausable is synonymous with fly fishing. The reputation of this gorgeous mountain stream is certainly justified, as the thousands who flock here each year to stand in its' fabled waters and chase its' beautiful fish will tell you. So large is its legend in fact , that it overwhelms the truth that there are other fabulous rivers wending their way through this region holding numerous and large trout that eagerly await the drift of a fly.


For the angler willing to leave the crowds behind , and who is not opposed at times to crossing the boundary line of the park (affectionately known as the "blue line"), the rewards can be mighty. The Salmon , the Chateaugay , the and the St. Regis are among the largely unsung heroes of the northland and while many of their serpentine miles are outside park boundaries, they are nonetheless each beautiful gems in their own right.


On a crystalline morning in July , just before sunrise, I head north out of the park tracking the flow of my personal favorite , the Salmon River. The morning is surprisingly cool and with the heat in my car set on low , I have the windows partly open. I can't resist the smell. The fresh and pungent aroma of coniferous forest is too much for me to pass by. The mist is rising steadily off the ponds and lakes , and the loons still are calling to each other across the open expanse.

I am exhilarated by my surroundings , and by the knowledge that shortly I may have a belligerent rainbow , or stubborn brown on the other end of my line. The Salmon flows north out of the mountainous park, winding first through foothills , then rolling farm and pasture land , long reclaimed from northern forest. Eventually it will bubble over the border into Canada and join the St. Lawrence River continuing inexorably on to the sea.

As I arrive at my spot for the morning, I unfold my gear and ready my fly choice in total solitude. It is almost a shame to be the only one here as it is so lovely that I feel the desire to share it. But then I come to my senses , there are some fish to catch!On the Salmon I like my nymphing , and that is usually my first choice unless it is clear that the topwater feeding is in full swing. The color of the water is a beautiful tannic- but- clear, brown, and just about every darker , deeper spot whether slow or fast , will hold fish. I begin in a favorite bend where a shallow , wide and fast riffle dumps into an even faster deep run, then tailing out into a slow pool.

Sound familiar? My first drift produces a stiff grab on a dropper rig consisting of my own "Peacock Creature" , ( a small wooly bugger with pearl-flash wing) and a size 16 or 18 Pheasant Tail with liberal hackle. After a surprising battle on my 4-weight and 6x, I catch the sight of a substantial brown trout. In the faster water he felt a bit bigger than he is , but he is as pretty as a jewel , and as I release him I know that there is one waiting in there that will test my skill today.


The Salmon holds many fish. Granted , the average size is not monstrous 12 - 15 inches, but the big ones are there, and each visit north to this river has yielded at least one , if not more, of those for me. The challenge of tempting them out of hiding is addictive , while the action on even a slow day can be fast and usually enough to keep you occupied with the catch and release process. As the morning wears on, the list of takers grows, and this day it is heavy on browns , though an occasional and unusually larger rainbow makes an appearance.

Later in the morning as I drift a seam at the head of pool in the faster moving water the big pull comes and I go into my large-fish fighting mode. I am forced to let this one run hard against my drag and as I fight him as though he were a steelhead. As I gain the edge, I am gratified with a fat 18 inch brown that did not succeed in throwing my hook. My day is made! Though in truth, it was right from the start.Fifteen or so miles east of the Salmon River and running roughly parallel to it from south to north is the Chatueagay.

Although it is close in proximity , it is a very different river. Deep ravines, waterfalls and chasms as well as thick forest surround this jewel . As I and my friend hike down from the road above , we very quickly forget that there are towns or people nearby. Indeed the sense within this setting is of even greater remoteness than in actuality there is. With a healthy population of browns , rainbows and brookies the Chateaugay offers great opportunities to fish most anyway you like.

On a day in July I enjoyed success drifting nymphs , stripping and swinging streamers , and swinging large nymphs through fast runs and pools with a twitching retrieve. One nice brown smashed the size 8 nymph as it swung wide and paused in the current rising as it hung there. The brookies liked the streamers and large nymphs as well , cast into deeper pools and retrieved in short strips.

Pretty rainbows were taking nymphs bottom bounced through fast runs. There was really something for everyone on this wonderful stream , yet ironically there was no one else.As we slip from spot to spot along this expanse of river the evidence of the dance of nature is in full force ... a wilderness party. Hawks circle and call overhead , a fox flits into the underbrush , deer tracks are everywhere and the industry of beavers is readily evident. I am overwhelmed by its' loveliness and a eager participant in its' embarrassment of riches. At one point I glance at my watch ... what time is it? and then... What day? ... I guess it doesn't really matter.


Have a Great summer!

John Clouser
SAO Fly fishing Guide