This chart was compiled years from various sources including the Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, Luis Nasim, Jones Outfitters of Lake Placid, my own experience, and that of various contributing FF@ers. It's not quite a hatch chart, not quite a comprehensive list of flies you should have in your box, just some suggestions for being conclave-ready. Use at your own risk, in other words. Personally, my strategy is to show up with whatever flies I happen to have in my boxes. I usually have a few searching/attractor patterns and I usually have some traditional Catskill-style patterns for the spring hatches. I have Usuals. I usually have some caddis imitations. I get by. I've had days when the fish wanted just the right number of CDC fibers on a #24 caddis emerger, and I've had days when the fish were taking Royal UnUsuals. Go figure. If you're looking for wisdom, I can't help much. Mostly these days I use a #16 black and yellow Chernobyl Ant for just about everything with decent success.
One thing to be aware of if you've never fished the Ausable: it's really 2 different rivers. The smoother water closer to Lake Placid offers the more classic hatch-matching environment with the full spectrum of normal northeast mayfly and caddis hatches. As the river flows into the Wilmington Notch it becomes rugged, fast pocket water which calls for the bigger attractor patterns, stoneflies, and such.
| MAY | ||
| Insect/Fly | Size | Dates |
| Early Dark Stone | 16 | Sporadic |
| Caddis (various) | 14-20 | All month |
| Hendrickson | 12-14 | Early/mid May |
| Red Quill | 12-14 | Early/mid May |
| Rusty Spinner | 10-14 | Early/mid May |
| March Brown/Grey Fox | 10-12 | Mid/late May |
| Usual, Haystack | 12-16 | Anytime |
| Hornberg | 10-12 | Anytime |
| Gray Ghost | 10-12 | Anytime |
| Stonefly Nymphs | 8-12 | Anytime |
| Wooly Bugger | 10 | Just say "no" |
| Worms (For Bill Barnard) | 1"-2" | Anytime |
| June | ||
| Insect/Fly | Size | Dates |
| March Brown/Grey Fox | 10-12 | Early June |
| Caddis (various) | 14-20 | All Month |
| Light Cahill | 14-16 | All Month |
| Green Drakes | 8-10 | Mid/late June |
| Orange Stonefly | 8-10 | Mid/late June |
| Yellow Sally | 16 | Mid/late June |
Refinements to this list are always welcome. Please let me know if you have some data for me.
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