"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

The thermocline is around 10 to 15 feet. Lakes and ponds have depleted oxygen levels at deeper depths. Most of the lakes and ponds will begin fall turnover within the next few weeks. Streamer fishing is productive around deep water transition zones. Troll streamers in shallow to deep water above the thermocline. The best minnow imitations are muddlers, hornbergs, and black nose dace. Smelt patterns are good selections for your streamer boxes, black, purple, blue, and green smelt patterns. Fish along shoals, deep aquatic weed beds, sharp drops adjacent to points and channels. Bass seem to be forcing bait fish up along shoals to forage. Streamer fishing has been heating up. Many game fish are gorging on smelt. Small mouth bass can be found staging in 20-30 feet of water depth. Look for concentrated bait balls, or dense populations of fish near or below the surface. Pike are staging along sharper drops and rocky points. Pike are taking large predator flies red and white, imitations of larger perch patterns. As for Northern Pike bigger is better! Always wear your life jacket. Water temperatures cooling. Fish are feeding more aggressively. A good active spot is along steeper contour lines that come up onto shoals. Bait fish get concentrated along these areas as predators force them up against the edge of the shoal. Faster sinking lines are best for fishing streamers and minnow imitations. Have a variety of sinking leaders and sinking heads for best results when streamer fishing. Nymphs and subsurface fishing are most productive. Try dropping nymphs along weedy vegetation edges using a bobber, hang cast the rig on a fast sink tip, and retrieve with a slow hand roll. Let wave action and wind do most of the work for you. Know your depths. Trout and salmon fishing closed on October 15th and will reopen April of 2021.

Ice is building on the areas lakes and ponds. 4-8" of Ice exists on our areas lakes & ponds. Know your ice depths. Use extreme caution out there on the ice. Ice does not form uni-formally. Beware of flows, Springs, and treat bubblers with caution. Water levels have remained consistent for this time of the year. Temperatures are seasonally average. Cool evenings have lead to cooler water temperatures. Fishing pressure continues to decrease. Mid-mornings have been increasingly more productive, as have the mid to late afternoons. Have the right equipment including cold weather gear, rain gear, and polarized sunglasses. Have bug protection. Fishing pressure is on the decrease. Follow state and local guidelines concerning the corona -19 pandemic. The NYS boat launches are open. This can be a rewarding time to recreate in the outdoors but practice social distancing, and please follow state and local area guidelines. Trout and salmon fishing closed on October 15th and will reopen April of 2021.