Copyright 2010 James Marsh
Fly Fishing the West Branch Ausable
River New York
The West Branch of the Ausable River is located in the
Adirondack Mountains in the Northeastern part of the
state of New York. This is one of the best trout streams
in the entire Eastern United States. There are plenty of
anglers that will argue that it's the best stream in New
York but that would also get a quick response from other
anglers who would disagree. It has some very nice trout
that range from ten to seventeen inches and a few even
better. There's one thing for sure. It's one of the most
beautiful streams in the East.
South Meadow Brook and March Brook flow from Mount
March and merge to form the West Branch of the
Ausable River. It's joined by several other small streams
as it flows through meadows for a distance of about five
miles. The water is slow to moderate in this section as it
twist and turns through the meadows. Below the bridge
at Route 86, the stream changes to a faster flowing river
with some pocket water and a more typical pool, run,
riffle configuration.
The river gains even more strength below Wilmington
Notch. There's a hundred foot high waterfall,
appropriately named High Falls, in this section. The river
finally settles down some with a series of pools with more
moderate flowing water but not for long. Yet another set
of high waterfalls, the Flume Falls, exist farther
downstream. It's about a mile below the Flume Falls
before the river begins to settle down again but only
because it is damed farther downstream in Wilmington.
This section is technically a lake but it's more like a wide,
slow flowing river. Fly fishing the Ausable River in this
section is tough due to the deep water. The tailwater
below the dam provides some of the best fly fishing
waters the West Branch of the Ausable has to offer. It
appears more like a freestone stream than a tailwater in
some respects. The river falls at a moderately steep
decline. Three are large boulders and plenty of prime
pocket water.
Fly fishing Ausable River in this section isn't so easy
though. There is a section of the river about two miles
long that lies below the Lewis Bridge just downstream of
Wilmington that cannot be accessed for fishing
purposes.
Below Black Brook, a small tributary stream, the fishing
is usually very good. About seven miles of the river can
be fished before the next dam at Ausable Forks. It too
has a decent tailwater section about a mile long. Just
below the short section of tailwater, the river converges
with the East Branch to form the Main Branch of the
Ausable River.
We should mention that there's a Special Regulations
"catch and release" only area from the mouth of
Holcomb Pond Outlet on Riverside Drive downstream to
a marked boundary just over two miles downstream of
Monument Falls on Route 86.
Fly Fishing Gear, Tackle and Trout Flies
River New York
The West Branch of the Ausable River is located in the
Adirondack Mountains in the Northeastern part of the
state of New York. This is one of the best trout streams
in the entire Eastern United States. There are plenty of
anglers that will argue that it's the best stream in New
York but that would also get a quick response from other
anglers who would disagree. It has some very nice trout
that range from ten to seventeen inches and a few even
better. There's one thing for sure. It's one of the most
beautiful streams in the East.
South Meadow Brook and March Brook flow from Mount
March and merge to form the West Branch of the
Ausable River. It's joined by several other small streams
as it flows through meadows for a distance of about five
miles. The water is slow to moderate in this section as it
twist and turns through the meadows. Below the bridge
at Route 86, the stream changes to a faster flowing river
with some pocket water and a more typical pool, run,
riffle configuration.
The river gains even more strength below Wilmington
Notch. There's a hundred foot high waterfall,
appropriately named High Falls, in this section. The river
finally settles down some with a series of pools with more
moderate flowing water but not for long. Yet another set
of high waterfalls, the Flume Falls, exist farther
downstream. It's about a mile below the Flume Falls
before the river begins to settle down again but only
because it is damed farther downstream in Wilmington.
This section is technically a lake but it's more like a wide,
slow flowing river. Fly fishing the Ausable River in this
section is tough due to the deep water. The tailwater
below the dam provides some of the best fly fishing
waters the West Branch of the Ausable has to offer. It
appears more like a freestone stream than a tailwater in
some respects. The river falls at a moderately steep
decline. Three are large boulders and plenty of prime
pocket water.
Fly fishing Ausable River in this section isn't so easy
though. There is a section of the river about two miles
long that lies below the Lewis Bridge just downstream of
Wilmington that cannot be accessed for fishing
purposes.
Below Black Brook, a small tributary stream, the fishing
is usually very good. About seven miles of the river can
be fished before the next dam at Ausable Forks. It too
has a decent tailwater section about a mile long. Just
below the short section of tailwater, the river converges
with the East Branch to form the Main Branch of the
Ausable River.
We should mention that there's a Special Regulations
"catch and release" only area from the mouth of
Holcomb Pond Outlet on Riverside Drive downstream to
a marked boundary just over two miles downstream of
Monument Falls on Route 86.
Fly Fishing Gear, Tackle and Trout Flies
| Type of Stream Freestone and Tailwater Species Brown Trout Brown Trout Brook Trout (Wild Trout with some areas Stocked with Holdovers) Size Large Location Northeastern New York Nearest Towns Wilmington, New York Season Year-round Access: Fair-Good Non-Resident License State of New York Weather National Weather Service Link Hatch Chart Perfect Fly Hatch Chart Stream Flow Data: Real Time USGS Data Fly Fishing Gear, Tackle and Trout Flies |
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| Options For Selecting Flies: 1. Email us with the dates you will be fishing this stream and we will send you a list of our fly suggestions. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response. 2. Call us 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide which flies you need. 3. Call or email us with a budget for flies and we will select them and get them to you in time for your trip. Shipping is free in the U. S. Orders over $50 are shipped Priority Mail. |