Saranac River- Lake Flower Tailwater

Main Species present- brown trout, smallmouth bass, northern pike, and rock bass

Fishing the Saranac River below Lake Flower, which is in the town of Saranac Lake, is all about timing. Trout are only stocked here in the spring, and they get cleaned out pretty quickly. By the time I got here in late July, I was told at a local tackle shop that fishing just below Lake Flower would be a waste of time because almost all the trout were gone, and they're just wasn't enough fish to bother. I didn't have any luck catching trout, but I cast a worm, just downstream of a rock, and managed to catch one smallmouth, about 7 inches long. But it's a beautiful river, and reminds me of a spring creek.

Some areas of the river, do have tackle/bait restrictions which change from time to time. Therefore, it is important to familiarize yourself with current regs prior to wetting your line. Beyond this, many of the same tactics used on the Ausable River will serve you well here (click on link to view information for West Branch of the Ausable River).