Approximately 3 miles downstream of the Village of Speculator, NY.
Air Temp 60-65 F
Water temp 59F at noon. Water clear and low for this time of year.
My two sons and I thought of fishing some of the 2nd order tributaries in this area, but the tribs were too low and slow to accommodate 3 fishermen. Plan B - fish the Sacandaga River, into which the tributaries flow.
This river ( in this area) has two distinct morphologies: a high gradient, swiftly flowing, boulder strewn, confined reach (Rosgen B type), and a gentle gradient, meandering reach with finer bed materials and a substantial floodplain of alders, willows and silky dogwood thickets (Rosgen C). We fished the lower gradient water from about 9 am till 2 pm. No fish were seen to rise in all that time and no aquatic insects were evident, with the exception of a few, very occasional caddis and mayflies. We did catch some wild brook and brown trout, however, on soft hackles and wet flies; enough to keep us interested. Takeaways: Easy access from NY Route 30, wild fish, room enough to accommodate 3 anglers fishing together, and easy wading in the low gradient reach (though the high gradient reach would have been very challenging).
Air Temp 60-65 F
Water temp 59F at noon. Water clear and low for this time of year.
My two sons and I thought of fishing some of the 2nd order tributaries in this area, but the tribs were too low and slow to accommodate 3 fishermen. Plan B - fish the Sacandaga River, into which the tributaries flow.
This river ( in this area) has two distinct morphologies: a high gradient, swiftly flowing, boulder strewn, confined reach (Rosgen B type), and a gentle gradient, meandering reach with finer bed materials and a substantial floodplain of alders, willows and silky dogwood thickets (Rosgen C). We fished the lower gradient water from about 9 am till 2 pm. No fish were seen to rise in all that time and no aquatic insects were evident, with the exception of a few, very occasional caddis and mayflies. We did catch some wild brook and brown trout, however, on soft hackles and wet flies; enough to keep us interested. Takeaways: Easy access from NY Route 30, wild fish, room enough to accommodate 3 anglers fishing together, and easy wading in the low gradient reach (though the high gradient reach would have been very challenging).
