LOCALadk Magazine

FALL Landlocked Salmon spawn in the fall and start staging for this in September and October. Again, creek mouths are where the salmon congregate. Many of our spawning streams have either natural barriers of waterfalls or cascades or, unfortunately, manmade dams that limit this migration. Luckily, the tide is beginning to turn in the Landlocks' favor. A majority of the fall season's focus is on the Lake Champlain's tributaries at the Boquet, Ausable, and Saranac rivers. Rich Redman, president of the Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, favors fly fishing the Saranac River from the impassable Imperial Dam down to the lake. Local tradition dictates starting at the top of a run and, working and walking downstream, creating a rotation to share the fishing grounds. He recommends swinging streamer flies that imitate smelt with an 8-weight-rod and 10- 15 lb. fluorocarbon leader. Flashy spinners and baits like egg sacks and worms are the ticket for spin fishers. e last mile of the river to the mouth is the best place to start out and get a feel for the fishery. e Ausable River doesn't have as much public access, and is limited in the distance the salmon can migrate at Rainbow Falls. Public access by Rte. 9 is your best option, and the lower portion of the Ausable is an opportunity for canoers and kayakers to explore. e Boquet River can be very good from the pool below the cascades in Willsboro down to the lake. Russell of Trolling Tina Charters claimed last fall's salmon run on the Boquet was excellent, which was a pleasant surprise because the lake fishing was a little slower than usual the last couple of years. e big news recently on the Boquet River was the dismantling of the Willsboro Dam in 2015, which dramatically increased the distance the Landlocks can migrate upstream and helped the river water remain cooler in summer months. Each fall, my friend Rich Ortiz lands some beautiful salmon on Lake George by quietly stalking the mouth of small creeks where they enter the lake. Rich, who is also a fabled singer and guitarist, is an excellent sight fisherman for many species. His first fish finder was a pair of polarized sunglasses that he utilized to spot salmon running up the Schroon River as a teenager. Ironically, he now performs at major events like the Daytona 500 for Costa Sunglasses. Rich will patiently spot salmon "roving around" in the lake in front of these creeks, then fly cast streamers and stoneflies into their anticipated location. is method could be easily duplicated on many of the smaller Adirondack waters. WINTER Last winter, my ice-fishing buddies Jerrod Vila and Joey Greco and I targeted the broodstock salmon the NYSDEC and U.S. Fish and Wildlife stocked in selected waters on about a dozen trips. Our efforts yielded numerous lunker salmon from three different lakes listed on the stocking list. Broodstocks are hatchery fish that are used for breeding. As they age, they're put into the wild to retire and provide trophy opportunities for the

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