Ausable River (West Branch) Fishing Map & Spots (NY)

Hatch outlook

Blue-Winged OlivesActive window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Nov 15 · multiple broods, strongest spring and fall; tailwaters like the Farmington carry olives essentially year-round

dunmidday into afternoon — the gray, drizzly days produce the real hatches

The bad-weather insurance hatch: the days that look wrong are the BWO days.

Overcast olive days keep trout feeding all day instead of one window: micro-spoons, small dark inline spinners and 1/32 oz jigs through the seams right through the gloom. The tiny fall olives are past what hardware matches — go bubble-and-olive-wet or fish the jig.

The event happens over riffles, seams and flats throughout the river

Terrestrials (ants, beetles, hoppers)Active window

Typical here: Jun 1 – Oct 31 · ants and beetles from June; hoppers and crickets strongest mid-July through September

adultmidday and afternoon — the hotter and windier, the better the bank bite

No hatch clock — wind is the conveyor; the fish move to the grassy banks and stay there all summer.

Summer's bank bite is spin-friendly: small poppers, micro spinnerbaits and inline spinners upstream tight to grassy undercut banks on breezy afternoons. The bubble-and-foam-beetle rig is deadly and nobody fishes it.

The event happens over grassy, brushy banks and the seams just off them, on warm windy afternoons

October Caddis (Great Autumn Brown Sedge)Active window

Typical here: Aug 15 – Nov 15 · peak late September into October — the biggest caddis of the New England fall

pupalate afternoon into dark — many pupae drift long distances before slowing in shallow water; emergence proper is by crawling out on shore at dusk or night — fish the drift and the shoreline margins, not mid-river rises
ovipositingdusk and after dark — females twitch and flop on the surface laying eggs — skate the dry; some crawl UNDERWATER from shoreline objects to lay, so a wet swung along the bank works too

Never a blanket hatch — a big, sparse bug the fish know; its value is prospecting weight in a thin-hatch season.

Fall fish on big sparse bugs are ambush-minded: small orange and brown crankbaits and inline spinners along wood and slow bank water in the last light. It's also landlocked-salmon-run season on many of these rivers — the same dusk water holds them.

The event happens over slow water with wood — banks, deadfalls and eddies, in the evening

Next on this water

Quill Gordon · mayflyApr 1 – May 30 · in ~7 months

Hendrickson · mayflyApr 1 – Jun 30 · in ~7 months

March Brown · mayflyMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Sulphurs · mayflyMay 15 – Jul 31 · in ~9 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Ausable River (West Branch)

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

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Fishing Ausable River (West Branch): what the data says

Lake Placid to Au Sable Forks. The Adirondacks' storied trout water. The river tops out around 5 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Ausable River (West Branch) maps at 269 acres behind 30.6 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 13.3) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. The basin spans about 12.4 mi end to end and 2 mi across at its widest. Essex County claims this one. Taylor Pond sits 7 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.

Rainbow Trout fishing at Ausable River (West Branch)

When the water first warms, rainbow trout slide up into 1 to 5 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 5 ft, winter 1 to 5 ft. Start at Current seam (mile 0.6). It's a current seam holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	1 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	1 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	1 to 5 ft	dawn	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at Ausable River (West Branch)

The spring pattern is a shallow one: brown trout in 1 to 5 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 5 ft through summer, 1 to 5 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Current seam (mile 0.6), a current seam in the 3 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for after dark and early morning. Summer baits: a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Wilmington Dam tailrace (4 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	2 to 5 ft	night & dawn	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	1 to 5 ft	dusk & dawn	Wilmington Dam tailrace (4 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	1 to 5 ft	dawn	Wilmington Dam tailrace (4 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Brook Trout fishing at Ausable River (West Branch)

Come spring, look for brook trout tight to the bank in 1 to 5 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 5 ft; the winter hold is 1 to 5 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Current seam (mile 0.6): a current seam around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	2 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	1 to 5 ft	midday & dawn	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	1 to 5 ft	dawn	Current seam (mile 0.6) (3 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Notable structure

8 pieces of structure are mapped here — Wilmington Dam tailrace, around 4 ft, is the deepest of them.

Wilmington Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 4 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 7.5): creek channel, around 4 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 9.4): creek channel, around 4 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 11.5): creek channel, around 4 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 14.0): creek channel, around 4 ft
Tailout eddy (mile 5.6): eddy pocket, around 3 ft
Current seam (mile 0.6): current seam, around 3 ft
Riffle & run (mile 2.5): rock pile, around 3 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Lake Everest Boat Launch — ramp (concrete)

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Ausable River (West Branch) stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2026*	Brown Trout	80	~12"
2026*	Brown Trout	700	~9"
2026*	Brown Trout	100	~12"
2026*	Brown Trout	640	~9"
2026*	Brown Trout	420	~12"
2026*	Brown Trout	3,260	~9"
2026*	Brook Trout	770	~9"
2026*	Brown Trout	310	~12"

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: NYSDEC fish-stocking lists, retrieved 2026-08-18.

Ausable River (West Branch) fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New York waters are set by the New York DEC — and special regulations can apply to Ausable River (West Branch) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official New York fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Ausable River (West Branch)?

Ausable River (West Branch) is about 5 ft (2 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Ausable River (West Branch)?

Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout on Ausable River (West Branch).

Where is the best fishing spot on Ausable River (West Branch)?

Current seam (mile 0.6) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Ausable River (West Branch)?

For rainbow trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

Is Ausable River (West Branch) stocked with fish?

Yes — per NYSDEC fish-stocking lists records, Ausable River (West Branch) was most recently stocked 2026 with 80 brown trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Ausable River (West Branch)?

Fishing on Ausable River (West Branch) is regulated by the New York DEC. Check the official New York regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Taylor Pond 7 mi · Connery Pond 9 mi · Union Falls Flow 9 mi · Franklin Falls Flow 10 mi · Lake Placid 11 mi · Mirror Lake 12 mi · Buck Pond 18 mi · Lake Kushaqua 19 mi · Lake Colby 19 mi · Oseetah Lake 19 mi · Kiwassa Lake 20 mi · Pine Pond 20 mi

See how Ausable River (West Branch) stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in New York · best brown trout lakes in New York · best brook trout lakes in New York

More water nearby: Essex County fishing maps (9 charts). Browse all New York fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.