If you're into fishing, the name says it all: Schroon Lake.
The region is located just south of the Adirondack High Peaks, an area typified by jagged mountains and rugged, tumbling brooks. But while Schroon Lake has its share of rivers, including the mighty Hudson, it's also dotted with a seemingly endless amount of waterbodies.
To a fishing layman like myself, it might seem like streams and ponds are interchangeable as fishing destinations, but a good guide will beg to differ. Ruth Olbert, an avid fisherwoman and owner of Cloud-Splitter Outfitters, explained that each offers specific species and styles of fishing that appeal to different people for different reasons.
The most obvious difference is probably accessibility.
"People that are stream fishing are probably a little more physically able, versus someone who goes from a beach or a dock and into a boat to sit all day," Olbert said. "Anybody can get out in that capacity."
Ability certainly plays a role, as does personal preference. A large lake affords views of the surrounding mountains, and there's something nice about being surrounded by open water. In a stream, that open feeling is swapped for a more intimate fishing experience.
"With my husband and I, he likes being in the center of the lake no matter what lake we're on, and I'd always rather be by the edge," Olbert said. "A lot of people just like being on a boat, with the motion of being on the water while looking at big vistas, instead of being in tight little wooded areas."
The tight, wooded areas around streams have the advantage of an up-close perspective on the fish and their habitat. Someone fly fishing has to be careful not to spook their quarry, whereas someone in a boat won't likely see the fish hit their lure, but they'll certainly feel it.
"It's really preference and what they're after," Olbert said. "If they really want to catch a big pike, they're definitely going to be on a lake."
A lake has more room for fish to grow, so someone fishing there might expect a bigger fight. Adirondack rivers, by nature, are shallower. Smallmouth bass like to congregate in pools and rainbow, brown, and brook trout like the increased oxygen levels present in moving water.
In lakes you'll find cold-water-loving species like pike, walleye, and lake trout. Many species hang out in the cooler, deeper sections until evening, when they venture to the surface to feed.
It's a lot of information to absorb, and that's without getting into different types of lures. If you're new to fishing, a seasoned guide can help you make the most out of a fishing trip to the Adirondacks. Olbert also recommends hiring a guide if you're new to the Adirondacks, even if you've been fishing elsewhere for years. That's not a business plug — it's advice she wishes she had taken.
"A guide's knowledge of the different ponds, and the depths and species are an invaluable tool," Olbert said. "I went to Alaska and didn't hire a guide, but I should have because I didn't catch anything. The style of fishing over there is completely different and I wasn't familiar with it."
That Alaska trip wasn't a reflection on her fishing skills. An eighth-generation Adirondacker, Olbert has been fishing these waters since she can remember, often in friendly competition with her brothers. Much to their chagrin, she often claimed the first trout of the year. They weren't the biggest of the season, but bragging rights are bragging rights, and she won them hook, line, and sinker.
Despite her first-catch successes, Olbert said none of those count as her favorite fishing story. When I asked her for a "one that got away story," she countered with a "one that made my day" tale instead.
Olbert recently went fishing on a night when countless fingerling trout were jumping out of the water all around her boat. She is a novice at fly fishing, and her goal was to catch a native brook trout on a fly rod.
"That night, I caught two," Olbert said. "One was about 5 inches and one was about 3. It was just thrilling. That was my magic, and it'll probably make me smile for another three or four years. It was that perfect."
The Schroon Lake Region is an ideal base camp for an Adirondack adventure. Book a stay, hire a guide, and get out there!
