LOCALadk Magazine

Wow! at beautiful dime-bright fish you just hooked jumped again. It's jumped five times already, and when it's not three feet clear of the water, it's pulling out the drag on your reel faster than a Corvette. You tell your fishing partner that it must be a big Rainbow Trout; then she advises you that it's a Landlocked Salmon. When you finally get the fish into the net, your racing heart turns from excitement to love because of its sheer beauty. You're conflicted because you want to keep your catch just so you can gaze at it all day, but you also revere it for the thrill it just gave you. You decide to practice CPR: catch, picture, release. If you have fished for Landlocks, this has probably also happened to you. If not, there are plenty of opportunities throughout the Adirondacks to experience this adventure. I'll get you started on the how, where, and when. en the rest is up to you and the fish. Landlocked Salmon are Atlantic Salmon that live in freshwater. Originally, they ran up from the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River and then matriculated into the Champlain Sea. Some may have also traveled up through the Hudson River. ey need clean, cold, deep waters to survive and spawn, conditions we used to have plenty of. Due to the retreat of glaciers, the Atlantic Salmon's passage from the ocean was cut off. e remnant population found a new home here and created its own subspecies. Our deep lakes provided an adequate forage base and optimal environment to sustain a native population. Cold, clean Adirondack streams with pebbly rock bottoms provided near- perfect spawning habitat, and our waters were teaming with fish. Atlantic Salmon differ from Pacific Salmon in that they oen survive aer spawning. ough they don't achieve the same size, Atlantics have a longer lifespan. ey can repeat the spawning process the next year, but this time with experience. e Industrial Revolution was not very kind to the new species. e remnant Landlocks slowly diminished due to warming water and loss of spawning grounds following dam-building. By the time the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) began stocking select waters in the early 1970s, the species was mostly extirpated, with only very isolated, rare populations. But the DEC stocking programs have been extremely successful. In certain waters, the salmon have thrived and have created a wonderful fishery. Fishing these stocked lakes can be very rewarding at some times, frustrating at others. e majority of the Adirondacks' river fishing is done on the Lake Champlain tributaries of the Saranac, Ausable, and Boquet rivers. Expect fish to be in the 2-5 lb. size range; a 6 lb. fish will win you a New York State Angler Achievement Award if registered at dec. ny.gov (anything bigger is considered a trophy). e state record of 24 lbs., 15 oz. came from Lake Ontario, but the inland lakes don't produce fish that size. Lake Champlain is also stocked by Vermont, and the Vermont state record is 12 lbs., 10 oz. Below is a list of Adirondack lakes that were stocked in 2019 with these acrobatic beauties. Fishing is not permitted in some of the mentioned lakes, so please refer to the DEC's handbook for details. • Clinton County: Saranac River, Taylor Pond • Essex County: Ausable River, Boquet River, Lake Champlain, Schroon Lake, Schroon River • Franklin County: Green Pond, Lake Colby, Little Clear Pond, Moose Pond, Tupper Lake • Hamilton County: Jessup River, Lake Eaton, Seventh Lake • Warren County: Lake George • Herkimer County: Fourth Lake, Lake of the Woods • St. Lawrence County: Lake Ozonia, Star Lake Some other Adirondack waters receive occasional stockings when the hatchery has a surplus of salmon that year. To find Adirondack waters to fish for Landlocked Salmon, simply search dec.ny.gov; also look for regulations, because they may vary on certain waters. anks to NYSDEC efforts, the Adirondacks have diversified opportunities for salmon anglers. Anglers from shore, wading river, canoe and kayak, small or large boats can all see some great action. Our salmon waters range from small backcountry ponds and medium-size lakes all the way up to one of the largest lakes in the country, Lake Champlain. Many different techniques can be used to hook these regal beauties. I'll mention some proven tactics I learned from professionals I've fished with to get you started on the right track. Most importantly, I'll discuss seasonal Landlocked Salmon preferences to help you optimize your time on the water. Applying what works on the bigger waters of Lake George and Champlain can easily be geared down to smaller waters and vice versa. Experiment. It's a blast when you find something that works and triggers these gorgeous fish. ATLANTIC SALMON L A N D L O C K I N T H E A D I R O N D A C K S LOCALadk 27 Story by Frank Geremski

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