Ausable River Fishing Guides and Conditions, New York

About the Ausable River

The West Branch of the Ausable is the most famous trout stream in New York and one of the hardest to wade in the Northeast. It leaves Lake Placid, drops through Wilmington Notch past Whiteface Mountain, and runs a boulder-strewn course through the Flume, the Wilmington catch-and-release water and the village pools before joining the East Branch at Au Sable Forks. The rock is slick, the current is fast, and studded boots and a staff are not optional.

What the difficulty buys is wild brown trout in beautiful water. The trophy section below Wilmington Dam and the two-mile catch-and-release stretch above the village hold the best fish, and the whole river fishes on a classic Northeastern hatch calendar: Hendricksons in May, caddis and sulphurs through June, terrestrials and tricos in high summer, and blue-winged olives into October. This is short-line, high-stick water more than it is long-drift water.

The gauge at Au Sable Forks reads the West and East branches combined below their junction, so treat it as a basin trend rather than a section-specific number. Roughly 200 to 600 cfs there corresponds to comfortable wading up on the West Branch; readings well above a thousand mean high, pushy water where the pocket seams disappear; late-summer lows leave the river clear, warm and technical, and anglers should watch water temperatures and fish early on hot weeks.

Wilmington and Lake Placid are the base towns, with fly shops, guides and everything an Olympic village accumulated. The East Branch through Keene and Jay is worth a day of its own, and both branches sit inside the Adirondack Park, which keeps the corridor undeveloped.

Access

Lake Placid outlet and the Monument Falls area: upper West Branch access on Route 86.
Wilmington Notch Campground: state campground with river frontage in the canyon.
The Flume and Whiteface area pullouts: roadside access to the classic pocket water.
Wilmington catch-and-release section: marked two-mile reach above the village.
Trophy section below Wilmington Dam: special-regulation water, walk-in access.
Au Sable Forks: access near the gauge at the junction of the two branches.
Route 9N through Jay and Keene: East Branch access points.

Seasons

April: opening-day water, high and cold, streamers and nymphs.
May and June: the main hatch season, Hendricksons then caddis and sulphurs.
July and August: low clear water, terrestrials and early mornings; watch water temperature on hot spells.
September and October: fall browns, blue-winged olives, foliage and few anglers; winter is closed water on much of the river.