Time to Fly

Upon the banks, large pieces of ice remain. Some the width and length of a bus. Mud wraps around the soles of my wading boots. Dormant vegetation lays on the ground waiting for the temperature to rise just enough to breathe life back into them. The shore line still shows signs of the high water mark from the raging river that existed just a few short weeks ago. This is the beginning of my favorite season…..Trout Season 2022.

An early spring breeze blows along the river as I pull my gear out of the truck. I lay it all out, anxious to tie on my first fly of the year. Over the last few months I’ve spent hours at my tying bench and now it's finally time to put them to use. My partner in crime pulls in and we slide into our waders and boots. We work our way up the bank of the Salmon River in Franklin County while we discuss what fly to use and what our weekly fishing endeavors will look like this season. He steps into the river where he’s going to start the evening as I continue on another 75 yards upstream to my starting point.

I open my fly box and look over the variety of feathers, buck tail, and dubbing. This decision is always tough, what to use? I decided to go for a large gray nymph. I chose the 3X long nymph hook in size 6. I hold the fly up and watch the long black hackle feathers dance in the breeze. The need for reading glasses to put the fly on my leader is necessary these days but that's ok. Stepping into the fast water I can immediately feel the cold surrounding my feet and shins. Early spring trout rivers in the Adirondacks are always foot numbing. Pulling line off my reel I begin the dance of fly casting. There is something about a fly cast that is incomparable. The sound of the water flowing by as you swing your arm back and forth in tune with your surroundings. To watch a fly angler that is good at it is like watching a painter add color to canvas. It is a beautiful art.

Short cast, medium cast, long cast, take three steps down stream and repeat I go. Slipping and tripping over the submerged rocks and debris. It takes my brain and body a few minutes to remember the rhythm but it all comes back to me like a robin flying north. An occasional bump to my fly lets me know that there are trout in the river. We approached the end of the run in about a half hour with no fish, but a willingness to head upstream one more time. With the river still flowing high and fast it can be challenging to find places to wade this early in the season but the Lower Park Street Boat Launch in Malone can offer early season fishing.

We entered the water one more time and worked our way downstream again. I notice my partner's rod is dancing and he is hauling in line. The first fish is on. A small rainbow trout officially starts the season. A few minutes later I have an aggressive hit to my fly and I start working the fish to me. I get to net my first rainbow of the season as well. A few more bumps to the fly is all that the rest of the evening gives us but we are happy with that. Stepping out of the river for the night with the water running off my waders I finally notice that I can’t feel my toes. They are numb from the cold water but my heart is warm and happy. This is the beginning of a weekly ritual that I look forward to all winter long. The Salmon River never disappoints.

About this area:

The Salmon River in Franklin County starts back in the foothills of the Adirondacks. It flows north up to Mountain View Lake.

Mountain View Lake is a popular destination for northern pike and largemouth bass fishing. From there the Salmon flows out of Mountain View Lake northwest through the communities of Mountain Views, Chasm Falls, Whippleville, Malone, Westville, Fort Covington, then crosses the Canadian border into Dundee Quebec where it runs into the St. Lawrence River. In Franklin County alone there is about 40 miles of river.

The landscape surrounding this river can vary from Adirondack Mountain views, to farm fields, small downtowns, to state highways.

Some parts of this river are quite remote and can be over a mile to the closest road. Access to this river is pretty easy depending on which part you want to fish. Most of my fishing has been between Westville and Malone.

There are several public access areas as well as DEC private/public partnerships to allow people to gain access on private property. A quick google search for DEC access points will give you maps and descriptions of the places you can park and reach the river. Just know that some of these access points are near people's homes and camps, so be respectful and don’t be surprised if someone stops down to the bank and sees how the fishing is. I’ve had some great conversations with people along the river and have even been given access to private property because of it.

These opportunities to access private property have given me the chance to fish some great runs because of it. Every part of the river that I have been on so far has been wadable. Once the mountain snow run off occurs you can expect two to four feet of water. There are some deep pockets but you can work around them. The current can range from very subtle to quite swift so I would recommend some good wading boots and a wading staff. I currently don’t have a wading staff but it's on my short list of things to buy.

You can expect to catch brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, shiners, and occasionally a bass. Most of the browns and rainbows I catch are in the 10-14 inch range. I have caught a brown or two around the 20” range but that has been rather rare for me. I am a fly angler so I use a 10’ 5 weight rod but I have seen everything from spey rods to small 3 weight rods used. I have also come across many folks using traditional bait and tackle. My fly of choice is typically a wet fly with a hook in the size 14-12 range. This season I’m thinking of trying some dry flies for the first time.

I would recommend taking some time looking over some maps and doing some internet research on the Salmon River. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me on Facebook, Instagram, or email me. This river makes for a wonderful evening getaway or you could easily spend a full weekend exploring what it has to offer. The landscape and wildlife that surround it makes for a very relaxing Northern NY Adventure.

Aaron Hardy

Northern NY Adventures