It's That Time Of Year!

The Lake Erie Tributaries are still fishing very well, but not for steelhead! Large Lake Run Small Mouth Bass are here and willing to take a fly... If you are interested in learning and fishing for Small Mouth Bass we can help you out. Very few angler's take advantage of Lake Erie's Trophy Bass Fishery. These fish take hard, fight hard, and are a worthy adversary on the fly rod.

JP With a Bruiser Lake Erie Bronze Back!

While Targeting Small Mouth Bass, JP hit this late season Ohio Steelhead!

Here is a little bit of information on the services offered, if you are interested in a day of fly fishing on Lake Erie Tributaries for Small Mouth Bass.

*We offer walk in and wade trips on both the Ohio and Pennsylvania Tributaries. All Equipment, flies, tippet, and stream lunch is included in the cost of the trip.

*We are also excited to offer Boat trips in partnership with the Lake Erie Ultimate Angler and USCG Master Licensed Guide Steve Brugger. Top Notch fishing on Erie's Presque Isle Bay for Small Mouth Bass and Large Mouth Bass! All Boat trips include all Equipment, flies, snacks, and refreshments. Steve operates a 2006 Boston Whaler with all the luxuries. Presque Isle has become a very popular trip choice and destination for many fly anglers.

SAO Guide John Clouser Holds a fat Bronze Back during a recent scout trip!

We will also be guiding in Ludlow Falls at the Mertensia Springs Trout & Conservation Club. The Club offers several water way lakes filled with everything from Carp, Pan Fish, and Large Mouth Bass. The property also offers great access to float the Still Water River for Small Mouth Bass, and for the Ultra light fly guy; Ludlow Creek offers great action on small 3wt rods for an array of species! These trips can be booked with us directly.

We are staying pretty busy right now offering fly casting and tying lessons, and traveling to several really great fly shops for seminars. SAO Guides John Miller and Scott McClintock are reporting great fishing right now out on the West Branch of the Delaware for big Brown Trout. If you are interested in a day of serious dry fly action get with our friends over at the West Branch Angler (http://www.westbranchresort.com/).

Cory with what is probably the biggest fly caught Blue Gill I have personally ever seen!

What started as a day of learning basic fly casting, turned into a very

rewarding and fun day to be out and fishing!

We'll have more for you later! Until then enjoy the rest of your spring!

Greg Senyo

Owner/Operator

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

Holiday Fishing....No Labor Today!

For a couple of days, I have been planning to get the family out for a day of fishing, and today was as good a day as any!  All the kids, my wife and a friend all decided to hit a local farm pond after a leisure morning.  Afterall, it's a holiday.....a bit of sleeping in would be nice......

So, at a mid morning hour, we headed out with the intent of putting some numbers on the board and for some (two of my kids), they would be the first numbers of their fishing careers.  When it was all said and done, we hoped to have some fish on the stringer for a holiday fish fry....can't let the kids down on a proposition like that.  One disclaimer....though I am a fly fishing guide, the fly rods never made it out of the tubes on this day.  Way to difficult trying to keep all the kids rods rigged and in the water :)

Not long after we arrived, we started hammering some really nice bluegills and the joy of the day was to watch my youngest daughter and son catch their first fish......that is the first fish they caught without any assistance.

Here is my daughter with a really nice Bluegill....the first of several for the day.

Here is another shot of my youngest son with my friend getting ready to put the hurt on them.

Below is the shot I was hoping to get for the day.  My sons first fish of any kind.  He was so proud that after I snapped these shots, he wouldn't be quite until his mom came from the other side of the pond to see the prize.

After a long day in the sun, the fish took a siesta from the bite and we decided to go along with the idea.  Afterall, we had enough fish for the planned fish fry and quite frankly was looking forward to a nice iced beverage with some super fresh panfish on our plates.

The Days Catch with the Crew (minus my wife taking the photo)

All in all, it was a great day with lots of precious memories with the family....who knows what the future will hold for trips and stories, but I'm sure they will be just as precious, and just as awesome as today's.

Until next time, tight lines!

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters