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.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.
Brookies have such great colors.
Hendrickson Comparadun
Nice slower poolThis guys was the winner of the day at 6″
The Schroon River is a special place to me because it is where I caught my first trout on a fly. The Schroon is a decent size river that flows in the southern Adirondacks of New York, and it eventually meets up with the Hudson River. The river contains trout and landlocked salmon as well as smallmouth and northern pike in the lower reaches. The only downside to this fishery is that there are no regulations on the trout fishing. The state and county supply a heavy amount of stocking every year; however, most do not make it to the next year due to either overharvesting or extreme summer temperatures. The famed Battenkill and Ausable rivers are both within an hour drive, so the potential for a great trout fishery is there. However, the Schroon remains primarily a put and take trout fishery. The trout fishing is still worth a trip from April through June, and I also plan to explore the river for the large pike that are rumored to thrive in the lower reaches.
Small but aggressiveThe humpback of the hatchery
I haven’t fished the Schroon in about a year, so I tried several popular spots to get my bearings back. The water is still high from run-off and this is not a wader friendly river. Fishing streamers upstream was the call of the day given the conditions. There were lots of small stocked trout in the river. I picked up a mix of around 15 bows and brookies, with a lot of half committed follows. All fish were cookie cutters of the pictures listed, in the 8-9” range. A size 6 slumpbuster was all that was needed. It was nice to just get back to where my fly-fishing obsession all started. I did see a small hatch of Hendrickson’s coming off, but no noses breaking the surface. It is still a little early up here for the trout to focus on the surface insects.
My version of a Slumpbuster Hook: 6 Bead: Medium Tungsten Thread: Black 70-denier Body: Flashabou Ribbing: Red Ultra Wire Tail/Wing: Natural Rabbit Strip Collar: Natural Rabbit StripThis is the hole where I caught my first trout on a prince nymphThis guy came out of that same holeFrom trout to bonefish, rabbit strips are very enticingStill running high
New Jersey has seen better ice fishing seasons than this years most recent encounter, so a few friends and I took it upon our selves to search for some thicker ice and bigger prizes for our efforts. Brant Lake, New York seemed the perfect destination since the season up North has shown some record crappies and a few notable 25+ inch trout. Gear loaded, extra wood piled high in the truck, a nice stash of our favorite beer and the only obstacle holding us back is the 4 hour drive to icy heaven. New York, here we come.
The roads awaiting our arrival
Arrive to the cabin around 7:30 am and we waste no time to set-up camp and head straight for the ice. Not a soul in sight as a light snow starts to trickle over the mountains heading our way. We promptly shovel out an area on the lake about 25 foot by 20 foot to help some light seep into the dark depths of the deep lake. Out comes my brand new auger and within 20 seconds we have our first hole. Everyone thought I was mad that I said the ice was about 14 inches thick but cut through it so fast, so like always, I attempted to prove them wrong!
PROVEN WRONG!
5 holes dug out, Augers baited and set, fire pit ablaze with 4 chairs surrounding it, and the sound of the first beer is heard being cracked open in the background. Icy bliss has finally been obtained for 3 young fishermen.
Our Icy Heaven
Hours pass by and a buzz starts to set in and to our surprise we still haven’t had a bite. Not even a false alarm to get our hopes up and our blood pumping, but never the less our spirits stay high. Throw the burgers on the grill, grab the extra case and toss a few extra logs onto the pit. Fire pit cookin, bellies are filled with some good grub and a few old frosty friends and we are thinking about calling it a night just as a tip-up shoots into the air. Beers into the air as we take off towards the line as it’s tearing out at a hundred miles an hour. Hours of torment and nothing to show for it are finally over as we slowly fight this fish and let it play to us. Around the lip of the hole now and I am wondering whether or not the hole is big enough to fit this behemoth out! Luckily it fit just out perfectly as our jaws dropped. Out comes a 28 inch beauty of a trout!
Damn Friend’s Old Phone
Busted phone, broken laptop, but one hell of a fish caught = One perfect weekend for a lifelong angler!
The ice fishing season may be over for Ice Fishing, but the MKFF crew is concentrating on a few trips this season that you all can look forward to. From New Jersey to Utah, Colorado to the Bahamas, you can count on us sharing each story as they arive. Fish on folks, and always remember to start “Rippin’ lips from Stream to Stream!”
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