Tag Archives: adirondacks

Brant Lake Expedition

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Nick and Jess invited the MKFF Crew up to the Adirondacks for Zach’s 25th Birthday weekend. On Friday evening, we departed New Jersey. The rain was terrible, fortunately we made it up to Brant Lake safely. Saturday’s weather was cloudy and warm, perfect for Bass fishing. I was able to catch Crappie, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Pickerel and Rock Bass on a Wooly Bugger with dumbell eyes. The next day, the sun shined through. Nick killed it on the Schroon using a Minnie Muddler and Slump Buster leveraging a Wet Fly technique. Overall, a great celebration combined with Rippin’ Lips.

Just Schroon’in Around

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I have limited internet acess up here in the Adirondacks, so my posts will be brief and few for the time being.  The Schroon has been fishing great the past two weeks.  I have found new acess points and remote beats that see few flies.  The highlight so far was landing a nice 20 inch landlocked salmon on a hornberg fished as a dry.  The salmon fought me for about five mintues on my six weight.
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I love finding new water away from the popular fishing holes.  The fly for the time being is a mini muddler, it has been crushing up here.  I fish it dry up stream, and then I continue to mend and drift it on the swing below me.  Big bushy hackle dry flies with a dropper have also enticed trout in the pocket water.  Trout, smallmouth, and landlocked salmon are still present.  The rest of the MKFF crew is coming up here this weekend to continue exploring the Schroon as well as hitting the legendary West Branch of the Ausable in search of some hogs in the trophy sections.  Sampling of the past weeks below:
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Mini Muddler: Hook: 12 Thread: 70 Brown Denier Tail: Turkey Body: Silver Tinsel Underwing: Snowshoe Rabbit Wing: Turkey Collar: Deer Hair Head: Spun and Trimmed Deer Hair
Mini Muddler:
Hook: 12
Thread: 70 Brown Denier
Tail: Turkey
Body: Silver Tinsel
Underwing: Snowshoe Rabbit
Wing: Turkey
Collar: Deer Hair
Head: Spun and Trimmed Deer Hair
Sulphur Comparadun Hook: 18 Thread: PMD Tail: Microfibbets Split Body: Sulphur Super Fine Wing: Coastal Deer Hair
Sulphur Comparadun
Hook: 18
Thread: PMD
Tail: Microfibbets Split
Body: Sulphur Super Fine
Wing: Coastal Deer Hair

Classic Clouser

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Small Stream Exploring

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My dad recently bought some property and built a cabin in the western Adirondacks.  I finally got up here to enjoy some quality time with the family.   My dad’s property back’s up to a remote stream, so yesterday I decided to give it a go and see if there were any wild trout.  We hiked through the property to get to the water.  This creek is nice and remote, and the only other way to access this section besides my dad’s property is a 3-mile hike in.   I rigged up with my favorite way for prospecting small streams: a size 16 mini muddler.  This fly is like a small Turk’s Tarantula.  You can fish the mini muddler as a dry fly up stream and then swing it through a run downstream at the end of your drift.  It’s a great way to cover a lot of water.  On some of the slower pools, I switched to a Hendrickson Comparadun.

Tea color water of the Adirondacks comes from the decaying vegetation and leaves.
Tea color water of the Adirondacks comes from the decaying vegetation and leaves.
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The pocket on the other side of the main current yielded a small brookie

I hooked up with a lot of wild brookies, and they were spread out pretty evenly in different kinds of water.  The creek had the classic Adirondack tea color with lots of structure, runs, pools, and pockets.  Lots of midge activity on the surface with the occasional Hendrickson.  It was an amazing time just exploring and catching these small but aggressive trout.

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Brookies have such great colors.
Brookies have such great colors.

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Hendrickson Comparadun
Hendrickson Comparadun

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Nice slower pool
This guys was the winner of the day at 6"
This guys was the winner of the day at 6″