Saranac River Fishing Guides
An Adirondack river with a Lake Champlain salmon run, holding wild trout upstream and landlocked salmon and steelhead in the Plattsburgh reach.
Guides on the Saranac River
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About the Saranac River
The Saranac runs about eighty miles from the Saranac Lakes in the heart of the Adirondacks northeast to Lake Champlain at Plattsburgh, and it offers two quite different fisheries depending on where along that length you stand. The upper and middle river is classic Adirondack trout water, tumbling through forest and past small towns with brook, brown and rainbow trout, pocket water and a good deal of public frontage. The lower river through Plattsburgh is something else entirely: a tributary of Lake Champlain that receives a genuine run of landlocked Atlantic salmon and steelhead out of the lake, and that run is what brings anglers from well outside the region.
The salmon fishery is the headline. Landlocked Atlantic salmon push into the lower Saranac in fall, drawn up from Champlain, and steelhead follow into the colder months and again in spring. The fish concentrate below the barriers in the Plattsburgh reach, which makes for accessible, urban, and at times crowded fishing on a river running right through town. Upstream of that, the middle river holds a solid mix of wild and stocked trout along with smallmouth bass in the warmer reaches, and northern pike and walleye occupy the slower flatwater sections and the river mouth. Rock bass, perch and catfish fill in the rest. Few rivers in the Northeast let an angler fish for brook trout in the morning and landlocked salmon the same afternoon.
The Plattsburgh gauge reads discharge and stage without a temperature sensor. Discharge is what to watch, particularly in fall: the salmon run responds to rises, and a good push of water after rain will move fish upstream and turn the lower river on. Very high flows make the Plattsburgh reach dangerous to wade, and very low flows hold fish in the lake rather than the river.
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Access
Saranac River Trail Greenway, Plattsburgh - walk-in access along the lower river through town.
Imperial Mills dam area - the main salmon and steelhead holding water in Plattsburgh.
Macomb Reservation State Park, Schuyler Falls - access to the middle river.
Cadyville Recreation Area - bank and wade access above Plattsburgh.
Route 3 pullouts between Redford and Cadyville - informal access to the trout water.
Saranac town access at Picketts Corners - middle river wading.
Lake Champlain river mouth at Plattsburgh - boat and bank access for pike and walleye.
Seasons
Spring: steelhead in the lower river and trout fishing opening on the middle and upper reaches.
Summer: trout in the cooler upper water, smallmouth and pike in the lower flats, low flows common.
Fall: the landlocked salmon run in Plattsburgh, the most anticipated fishing of the year.
Winter: steelhead for the committed, with most of the river locked up and inaccessible.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Saranac River?
As of Sep 17, 6:30 am, the USGS gauge SARANAC RIVER AT PLATTSBURGH NY reads 583 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Saranac River?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Landlocked Atlantic Salmon, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Steelhead, Walleye, Yellow Perch on the Saranac River in New York.
Where can you access the Saranac River?
Saranac River Trail Greenway, Plattsburgh - walk-in access along the lower river through town. Imperial Mills dam area - the main salmon and steelhead holding water in Plattsburgh. Macomb Reservation State Park, Schuyler Falls - access to the middle river. Cadyville Recreation Area - bank and wade access above Plattsburgh. Route 3 pullouts between Redford and Cadyville - informal access to the trout water. Saranac town access at Picketts Corners - middle river wading. Lake Champlain river mouth at Plattsburgh - boat and bank access for pike and walleye.
When is the best time to fish the Saranac River?
Spring: steelhead in the lower river and trout fishing opening on the middle and upper reaches. Summer: trout in the cooler upper water, smallmouth and pike in the lower flats, low flows common. Fall: the landlocked salmon run in Plattsburgh, the most anticipated fishing of the year. Winter: steelhead for the committed, with most of the river locked up and inaccessible.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Saranac River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New York agency site: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations