| The West Branch of the Ausable River is one of | | | | Whiteface Ski Center Bridge downstream to the |
| the most renowned trout streams in the East, | | | | "Flume" Bridge. |
| and for good reason. One reason is its excellent | | | | Below Wilmington Dam begins an excellent stretch |
| diversity of brown, brook, and rainbow trout, | | | | of pocket water known as the Firehouse Run. |
| some of which grow very large. But perhaps the | | | | The water is very fast and rocky, and is rather |
| population biggest reason the river is so famous is | | | | dangerous. With that said, this may be the best |
| its deeply forbidding beauty. Indeed, the river's | | | | trout water of the river, with brown trout behind |
| long lines of boulder strewn pocket water are | | | | almost every boulder. There are also some very |
| quite dangerous, but it is also what makes the | | | | large brook trout near the mouths of tributary |
| river the fine trout stream it is today. | | | | streams. Bait and spin fishing is very popular in |
| The West Branch of the Ausable River begins at | | | | this stretch, but fly fisherman do very well also. |
| the convergence of two brooks on the slopes of | | | | Below the Firehouse Run, there is no public access |
| Mount Marcy, the highest peak in the Adirondack | | | | to the river for two miles, before public water |
| Mountains. With that said, publicly accessible fishing | | | | begins at the mouth at Black Brook. The only |
| begins at the world famous "Ski Jump Pool", which | | | | other access point is at Ausable Forks, near the |
| is located just below Whiteface Mountain, which is | | | | river's mouth. With that said, you can hike into the |
| another of the highest peaks in the Adirondacks. | | | | river almost anywhere in this stretch, and you're |
| Downstream to Wilmington Dam, Highway 86, as | | | | sure to find many unpressured trout awaiting you. |
| well as "River Road", shadows the stream. This | | | | Below the Ausable Fork Dam, there is another |
| gives the angler miles of unimpeded river access. | | | | stretch of pocket water before it meets the East |
| There are long stretches of both boulder strewn | | | | Branch of the Ausable River, to form the main |
| pocket water, as well as deep, slow pools. You'll | | | | Ausable River. Below the merging of the two |
| find Brown trout are the primary species here, | | | | streams, excellent trout fishing continues for |
| but both brook and rainbow trout can be found in | | | | several miles downstream. In the main river, |
| relatively good numbers. This stretch has two | | | | rainbow trout predominate. Also, don't overlook |
| catch and release only areas, where artificial lures | | | | the East Branch of the Ausable. It is also an |
| only are allowed. The first is from the Holcomb | | | | excellent brown trout stream, although size and |
| Pond outlet downstream to 2 miles below | | | | numbers of trout are less than the West Branch. |
| Monument Falls, and the second is from the | | | | |
