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Catch and release areas are open year round. That white thing in the lower background portion of the picture is the Ausable river. The regs say it’s open year round, I think your going to need A LOT of split shot.

Pictured above our some happy anglers from 11/8.  We put together a intro to steelhead outing on the Salmon River in Pulaski. These folks obviously had some success and more than the fish were hooked. Kevin Margosian pictured in the top photo, holding the fish was the guide. Kevin has fished the river for years and regularly spends forty or more days on the river each year.  Trips for steelhead are arranged through our shop for both fall and spring fishing. Sign up on for our email newsletter at www.jonesoutfitters.com to keep informed about special trip offers. 

Keep in mind that while the season may close, we have a variety of waters that are still open.  The catch and release areas are open year round.  The Champlain Tribs are open for landlocks year round, several area ponds are open year round and provide good fishing right until ice up.  Bottom line if you still need to fish, you can and it’s still worthwhile.

Pond fishing is quite good with rainbows in Mirror.  Salmon and Brook trout fishing is also good in the ponds.  We haven’t had any reports regarding the salmon in the Champlain tribs but I’m sure there are a few fish in the rivers with the recent rains and the fact that the calendar says it’s time.  Traditonal succesful patterns are magog smelts and maribou black ghosts.

Get out and fish in the next few weeks, the weather and the scenery is optimum and soon you won’t have the option.

There has been plenty of bug activity and (as always) what you see depends on where you are and the time of day you’re fishing.  There’s still Trico action in the morning.  I’ve been out and seen just a few Tricos with a ton of fish working them, and then I’ve seen mornings where there have been a TON of Tricos and NO fish working them.  In the evenings you can expect to see Iso duns and spinners, and some HUGE Golden Stones in and around the pocket water.  Last night there was a ton of both in the pocket water, with fish jumping for them.  A bit earlier in the evening, I saw some nice fish working a pretty decent ant fall.  The ants ranged in size from 14-16 all the way down to about a size 24.  I was bonking the risers in the head with big bunny flies, so I didn’t actually fish to the risers, and thus, can’t tell you what size they were eating.   

I got a couple of tugs in the flats with the bunny flies, but despite the long leader, methinks the fish were a bit uncomfortable having a heavy Skagit head hitting the skinny water.   They weren’t really committing to the take like they did in fishing the same rig (shorter leader) in the pocket water.  I wasn’t out for little, unaggressive fish though.  The streamer fishing was much better in the pocket water.   The mouse fishing last night was fantastic though!  I lost a monster and missed (or did they miss me?) a bunch of fish.   

I think I’m in love with my new mouse/streamer fishing rig!  It consists of a 11′ 6 weight Helios switch rod.  A Beulah Elixir switch line for a 6/7 weight (335 gr?), with a 10′ Rio Spey Versi-leader, and then 3-4′ of 0X Fluro.   The beauty in the system is that when casting, you make one false cast to clear the 28′ head, and then one false cast to load the road and shoot 50-60-70′ of line to the far bank (quartering up or down) and feel everything happening in your line hand. Then when you’re retrieving your big ol’ mouse, even in the pitch black darkness, you know when your fly is getting close, because you can feel the monster head coming through the guides and you know when to stop when the Versi-Leader connection makes it through the first guide.   It is a very systematic process, which is super easy to do in the dark because you can feel everything in your line hand.  I find it much more efficient than my old system of using a wimpier 7 weight rod.  There was way too much false casting to get that heavy fly across the big flats.  Now it’s just false cast, false cast, and whizzzzzzzzzzzz you hear the running line shooting through the guides.  Just make sure you go out AFTER it’s really dark…..then all the bats flying around won’t freak you out soooo much.  A rabies shot wouldn’t hurt either.  

All joking aside, it’s a ton of fun fishing for big fish at night.  Just be sure to KNOW the spot you’re fishing, so you can be aware of any potential hazards that may be lurking above or below the water.  The nice thing about fall is that you don’t need to stay out to beyond midnight to have fun night fishing.  I’m digging that it’s getting dark earlier! 

~M.S. Gray~ 

Golden Stoneflies are continuing to come off in good numbers and are increasing in size substanitially.Lets not forget that Isonychia activity has been top notch the last few days. Isonychia nymphs have been very effective as well as general mayfly patterns such as Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears. Look for stonefly shucks in the pocket water and Isonychias hovering over the water.  As usual with the overcast weather Blue Winged Olives may provide some excellent opportunities. Also, don’t neglect the warm water option as several bodies of water in the area offer good bass and pike fishing options.

The warm weather seems to be behind us with the cooler nights and the water temps improving but as always make sure to take your tempurature readings to make sure you stay in an area with ideal tempuratures. As I previously stated I believe September is shaping up to be a good month so get out and do some fishing!

M.D.

To highlight what Mike posted earlier you have a good chance of seeing some Golden Stoneflies and the chances of seeing an Isonychia hatch have improved greatly. Look for stonefly shucks in the pocket water and Isonychias hovering over the water. Flying ants have been making a showing and have been known to provide excellent fishing. In addition, with this rain and overcast weather Blue Winged Olives may provide some excellent opportunities. Also, don’t neglect the warm water option as several bodies of water in the area offer good bass and pike fishing options.

The warm weather seems to be behind us with the nights cooling down and the water temps improving but as always make sure to take your tempurature readings and stay into some cooler water usually found in pocket water sections. In my opinion September is shaping up to be a good month so uncase those sticks and get out and do some fishing.

M.D.

In addition to the Tricos, you can expect to see Golden Stoneflies of various sizes, potentially some Isos, Caddis of various sizes and colors, and if the rainy weather actually happens (it’s raining now!), you might even come across some Blue Winged Olives.  I would expect to start to see ants becoming more and more important in the coming weeks.   

Hopefully we’ve seen the last of the really hot weather, but one can never tell.  It still pays to hit the river early and then go fish some smaller brook trout streams later in the day.  Be sure to measure the water temperature and if you find it’s above 72 degrees, leave the big river and go find some cooler, smaller streams. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we get some good rain. The river needs it.

~M.S. Gray~ 

Even though the big river fishing is tough, the brook trout fishing on small streams has been excellent.  Though the brookies are super eager to eat dry flies, it’s still not child’s play.  One must exercise stealth and make good, precise presentations.  I prefer to fish a 2 or 3 weight rod, with a 5 or 6 foot leader tapered to whatever size tippet is appropriate for the size fly I’m fishing.  I’ve been having tremendous success with Wilcox’s Herbie.  Methinks though, that any well presented dry fly in a size smaller than 10 will do fine for these spotted little beauties.   

Unfortunately for anglers, summer is here, but with any luck the weather will fall out of favor for the sunbathers and the big river will start to fish well again.  Grab a map and try to find one of those hidden little gems of a stream, and if you do it all right, you’ll be rewarded with some gorgeous little fish!   

Just be sure to measure the water temperature.  Please don’t fish for trout when the water temperature exceeds 72 degrees. Also, if you’re out chasing little brook trout, put the little beauties back.  There’s plenty of stocked fish out there that are more suitable for taking.   

~M.S. Gray~

Daytime temperatures in the high 70’s and low 80’s have raised the water temperature in the river.  Be sure to carry your thermometer and limit your fishing if the temperature is above 70 degrees.  Try to find a little brook trout stream or go chase some bass!  Early mornings are your best bet in the dog days of summer.   

~M.S. Gray~ 

Despite it being the middle of summer, there is quite a  bit of bug activity right now.  The boulders in the pocket water are covered with an impressive number of shucked exoskeletons from some big Golden Stones.  Gone are the little shucks….it’s mostly the bigguns!  While we’re talking about stones, one must not forget to carry some Sallies in their boxes.  I’ve been seeing them more in the evening right at dusk, just about the time you may see some Cahills.  The Sallies that are popping right now are both yellow and lime colored.  They are also a bit smaller than the Sallies you were fishing a couple of weeks ago!  Instead of size 12 and 14 hooks, spin your Sallies up in sizes 16 and 18.  There’s still a bunch of Caddis around.  Early in the morning you will see some size 18-20 little black Caddis.  Throughout the day you may also see some smaller Caddis (16-20) in a variety of colors.   

Now that August has rolled around, we should start seeing more and more Mayfly hatches.  Though I really enjoy throwing big Stones and delicate little Sallies, I really do appreciate the beauty of Mayflies.  Tricos have made their Ausable River debut!  Look for them early in the morning.  You can get a rough idea when you need to be out there by checking on the nightly low temperature.  If it’s going to be forty degrees (like tonight), I wouldn’t rush out there before the sun comes up.  Drink a cup of coffee (or if you’re like me….5) and then hit the river.    If it was going to be 70 degrees tonight, I would be sure to be on the river before the sun comes up.  The warmer it is, the earlier the Trico action goes off.  Also, the warmer it is, the quicker they complete their mid-air molting/mating/dying routine.   So be ready for fishing emergers, duns (not so much), and spinners in a short period of time…..Better yet, on warmer days when they can emerge and molt into spinners lickity-split, I like to rig up a Trico buffet.  I’ll start with a high floating dun (high floating for a Trico anyways), followed by a spinner, followed by an emerger, and sometimes I’ll even follow that emerger with another spinner which I will not grease so it will sink.  For you folks out there that can’t easily see a size 18-24 little black and white fly 50 or 60 feet out, try starting the bug buffet with a bright colored beetle or hopper, which you can use as a visual reference for the position of the wee little flies.   In addition to the Tricos in the morning, there have been some Caenis  in the evenings.  Caenis are the evening cousins of Tricos.  I don’t think they’re nearly as important to the trout as the Tricos, but be aware that if you see some Trico-like mayflies at dusk….same size, shape, and a bit different color, you’re likely looking at Caenis.  

Another small Mayfly that you may see popping are the Bluewinged-Olives (BWOs).  I haven’t come across any truly consistent BWO hatches, but it can pay to come prepared.  Carry emergers and low-floating dries in a couple of color schemes in sizes 18-24, just to play it safe.  With the Tricos and BWOs, what you’ll see is truly based on where you are on the river.  If you’re looking for some small fly, dry fly action, take a cruise up and down the river, focusing on the slower sections of river, and you just may find those small little buggers.  

Finally, the Isos have begin to make a strong showing.  I haven’t seen  a pile of shucked exoskeletons on the rocks yet, but I have see some duns flying around.  Isonychia are interesting because some of them emerge in the water column, while others migrate to the shorelines and crawl up rocks to emerge.  This could be species specific….I need to break out the bug books to further investigate.  Anyways, get your boxes ready for some Iso action.  I would imagine that we should start to see some decent spinner falls in the near future, if they haven’t already started to happen.  Isonychia spinnerfalls are one of my favorite ‘hatches’ to fish! 

Don’t forget about streamers either.  They always will move a fish or three.  You may not hook as many as you would fishing other flies, but the fish you will hook will be dandies! 

Also, small streams are on fire right now.  I fished a  little brook trout stream over the weekend and my buddy and I caught dozens of beautiful little brook trout on foam beetles.  The males in this stream have already got their fall spawning colors and were absolutely amazing little creatures!    

Get out there!  It’s good! 

~M.S. Gray~