Fishing in the Adirondacks

More than 3,000 lakes and ponds, 1,500 miles of rivers and 30,000 miles of brooks and streams beckon anglers to the Adirondack region each year. Whether fly-fishing in a rushing spring river, spin-casting on a lazy pond in summer or jigging on a frozen lake in winter, the Adirondacks offer fishing opportunities galore.

Adirondack rivers contain various species of trout, landlocked salmon, smallmouth bass and walleye. Wading or canoeing are the primary means of accessing these fish but anglers can also fish from shore, small boat or even a whitewater raft. Early season is a good time to fish the region’s rivers since fish populations are high due to fresh stockings and holdover from the previous year.

The geographic center of the Adirondack Park contains many lakes and rivers that are a challenge for fishing enthusiasts including, Long Lake, Raquette Lake, Forked Lake and Lake Eaton. Brook trout are found in sections of the Raquette River, Bog River and Big Brook which are also located in the center of the park. Those in search of northern pike or bass might try Forked Lake and Long Lake. Lake trout and land-locked salmon are abundant in Lake Eaton. Raquette Lake offers bass and lake trout. The northern pike in Long Lake are spectacular fighters and have been the source of many stories about "the one that got away." During the winter months, ice-fishing is permitted on most lakes throughout the Adirondack region.

The St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain and Lake George are known as the region’s “big waters.” Each has a national reputation for fantastic fishing. America's oldest, largest freshwater fishing derby – the LCI Father’s Day Derby and the Wal-Mart FLW Professional Bass Tour both take place on Lake Champlain. This lake ranks as one of the country's premier fisheries with an abundant population of three to five pound largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Fishing in roadside lakes and ponds provides a sense of solitude in an awesome setting. With the constant juxtaposition of water and mountains along the roadside anglers can, quite literally, park their vehicle and drop a line. Many New York State scenic byways transverse the region, providing easy access to fishing sites all throughout the Adirondacks.

Olympic Byway

Located in the Adirondacks’ majestic High Peaks and along the region’s Olympic Byway, the AuSable River is a fly-fisherman's paradise offering abundant trophy trout. The famed West Branch of the AuSable River is nationally recognized for its five miles of designated catch and release fishing. The AuSable snakes and tumbles its way through spectacular flumes and chasms while surrounded by the state’s highest peaks and "forever wild" state forest along the Olympic Byway on Route 86. Because of its large size and impressive hatches, the West Branch is excellent for fly-fishing, especially for skilled waders who want to tackle pocket water.

Lakes to Locks Passage

Along Lake Champlain and beneath the Adirondack Mountains, you'll find the 234-mile Lakes to Locks Passage. Driving through the villages and hamlets of this byway, anglers can find many fishing adventures. Paralleling Lake Champlain, one of the region’s “bid waters,” the byway offers anglers many places to hook lake trout, landlocked salmon, walleye, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass in the spring, summer and fall months. In the winter, the shoreline of Lake Champlain becomes a “community” of those who try their luck at ice-fishing for smelt with hundreds of ice shanties dotting the bays and coves of the lake.

Central Adirondack Trail

The central Adirondack region offers anglers many lakes from which to choose. Along Route 28 – the Central Adirondack Scenic Byway, Blue Mountain Lake, Raquette Lake, Lake Durant, Forked Lake, Seventh Lake and Eighth Lake offer an abundance of rainbow trout, lake trout, bass and landlocked salmon. The lakes offer easily-accessed boat launch sites and high catch rates of many trophy-size fish. Limekiln Lake receives an annual stocking of 2,000 splake and is a favorite of ice anglers.

The Adirondack Trail

Route 30, otherwise known as The Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway, meandering north to south along Route 30 also offers superb fishing. The St. Regis Canoe area is the only designated canoe area in New York and the area is managed as wilderness; with a special focus on non-motorized recreation and the protection of fishery resources. The region includes 58 bodies of water containing lake trout, splake, landlocked salmon, brook trout and rainbow trout.

Trout season in New York runs in the beginning of April to October; bass season begins in June and continues to the end of November; northern walleye and pickerel season is from May through March.

Adirondack Fishing Resources

Experts of fishing and fly fishing in the Adirondacks. Offering fly fishing and casting instructions, stream orientations and an open invitation to all who fish to attend barbecues and fly-casting clinics throughout the summer.

Packbasket Adventures provides guide services in the Cranberry Lake region of the Adirondacks. Six rivers flow throughout the region and Cranberry Lake offers excellent fishing for brook trout and smallmouth bass, with annual stockings of brook trout at 20,000.

Northwoods Wilderness Guide Service offers trips to remote Adirondack wilderness ponds. These trips run from two to five days. Northwoods also provides guided day trips by canoe and foot into the unspoiled Schroon Lake region, providing fantastic pond and stream fishing for trout.

Additional Resources

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
www.dec.state.ny.us

The Adirondack Regional Tourism Council
www.visitadirondacks.com

New York State Outdoor Guide Association
www.nysoga.org

Fishing has been and continues to be one of the top ranking travel motivators to the Adirondack region. The Adirondack Regional Tourism Council provides anglers with fishing resources online and in print form. Whether planning a trip or in need of tips and insight while on a fishing excursion, maps, guides and information are made available to assist anglers explore the many waters (www.visitadirondacks.com).