Taking a break from guiding in upstate NY. As I type a storm is currently knocking all the remaining leaves off the trees. The snow and cold temps will be here soon.
The rivers out here flow over slate bottoms. Huge slabs of rock create falls that slow the migration of steelhead and create fast fishing.
The average fish out here is much smaller than their western counterparts, but the numbers more than make up for it. Because they run from a freshwater lake rather than saltwater, the fish don't have the physiological changes that occur in western steelhead. As such, they stay on the feed as they come into rivers. You can watch them cornering baitfish in the shallows, or sipping flies off the top. Some prefer to call them lake run rainbows. Whatever you call them, this is one of the best fisheries in the country.
Check out reelactionfly.com for tons of fish pictures.
