Spring Report - Central New York Fly Fishing

If you haven't been on the water fly fishing in Central New York, you're missing out. The last month has been very good, on most days. It is still fishing. Trout participation is never a guarantee as there are a lot of factors/variables at play. While high and cold water plagued us early on, it did set us up to be in good shape for the second half of our spring season. If you've been waiting to get out this spring, don't wait too long.

I fished on a day off of guiding and got a decent early morning brown. The bite was actually terrible on the day I had off, figures...

As we are into June, there have been hot days in the 90s and it's now been dry for a couple of weeks without any measurable rain. With each passing day in the 90s and without rain, conditions take a step back. While we are still in great shape with mild days and cool nights scattered throughout the forecast, especially this coming week, I only expect this to continue to through the end of June, which is pretty typical. Our prime spring fly fishing season runs mid April (depending on water conditions) - late June/early July (again, depending on water conditions). While we are well past the halfway point, plenty of great June mornings are still ahead! Early - mid July mornings could still be solid too, if milder wet weather and cool nights bless us.

Early mornings are now best, which is standard for this time of the year. A thermometer on the freestones during the afternoon is now needed. Give those trout a break when water temps get in the high 60s, especially if they hit 70 degrees. Streams have fished well early, and then been more difficult later in the day as the sun gets overhead. As we continue through June and into the summer months, all of my local fly fishing and trout fishing trips will transition to half days and limited to early mornings.

Caddis, sulphers, olives, and drakes have dominated the bulk of the bugs I've been seeing on the creeks. As is typical of our local trout in Central New York, they have not been interested in looking up much. Dry fly fishing activity, locally, is poor at best. With abundant food supply in the streams and a buffet of bugs at their disposal, they just don't have to look up. The trout can lay low in the depths and protection of structure, out of the sunlight, and lazily wait for food to come to them. Some trout have been active in faster white water, riffles, and feeding lanes, but gorging themselves on the nymphs below the surface.

This isn't to say you won't catch fish on a dry fly here. You can and will have opportunities, but they are limited. Nymphing is far more productive. It's personal preference. Do you want to catch a fish or two on a dry fly? Or, do you want to give yourself a better chance at hooking a lot of fish with nymphs? There is no correct answer. Fly fishing is what you want it to be.

Where am I going and what areas am I locating? All of the Central New York streams are in great shape. All I can say is pick one of our many great local streams and go fish. As far as target areas, this changes day to day based on water levels and temperatures.

A friend/client with a nice brown trout caught fly fishing in a knee-deep riffle

I love fishing fast water, but this requires water in the system. Fish feeding into faster water and riffle sections requires water to be a bit higher. With higher water, they can be anywhere and typically will be. Keep in mind, when I say high water I don't mean Amazon River chocolate milk flooding type water. I just mean better than average flows. Any rain we get now is a good thing for me. Water in the systems mean happy fish. Happy fish mean active fish.

Early in the season, flows were high, but water temps were cold. Fish were stuck in a lethargic winter mode. It wasn't until mid May when trout really started to get active with water temps finally sitting in the mid to upper 50s consistently. It was low and slow with the nymphs for a long time this season and targeting trout in deeper and slower runs/holes.

Each day that it gets warmer and water levels are dropping, fish are moving into holes for the summer, seeking thermal refuge and shade. They will not be feeding as much into the shallower areas as they do or were with water levels that are double what they are now.

This also means expectations start dropping. I had several guests/clients crush it this spring with 20-30 fish days, but that was in the best conditions you can ask for (and highly dependent on experience level and physical wading ability). As water levels drop and the water clears, trout will definitely be more edgy and spooky. While I expect there to be some great fishing through June and early July on cooler mornings, time is limited on the spring season. With each passing day, I'll expect slightly fewer finned participants, especially as the water really starts to get low and clear. Get out there while you can, before the summer heat flips the switch. It will turn into a hunt for a few fish, rather than the potential for big fish numbers than spring can bring.

Striped Bass

I did sneak out to Cape Cod for my spring fix of saltwater fly fishing as well. I can't stay away. Striper fishing is just too much fun. No giant fish this spring that competed with my cousin's from last spring or my giant from the fall, but solid fish nonetheless. It's always a blast!

What's ahead? More guiding! It is a busy end of June on the waters with a busy schedule of guiding. Then the slower summer months will kick in. I am considering offering some shorter 2-3 hour kayak fly fishing/fishing trips for warmwater species during the summer months, in addition to the continued guiding on the trout streams through the summer. While I talked of summer being slower, you will still find trout willing to participate, just not the same numbers I expect in the spring.

In addition, I'll continue to work in the wood shop to build fishing nets to sell through my woodworking business (Edgewood Outdoors | Wood Fly Fishing Nets & Sporting Products | Handcrafted In USA). I hope to offer a few more items and work to expand my business as well.

Lastly, but most importantly, I will be taking a few weeks off in late July and early August. My Wife and I will be welcoming our first child at the end of July (hopefully the end of July because I'm not quite ready yet!). If you've been on the water with me and chatted with me, I appreciate everyone's support. We are extremely excited to welcome our baby boy to the family! And, in a few years, you can count on him helping me net fish for you on the creek!

With that being said, get out there and enjoy the remainder of your spring season. Nymphing is still my ticket, but a lot of dry/dropper fishing going forward. Thank you for joining me this spring and hope to connect again this summer and fall! Tight lines!

Best,

Brian