Saranac River

River Map

About Saranac River

The Saranac flows from the Saranac Lakes country through AuSable Chasm and on to Lake Champlain at Plattsburgh. The upper river near Saranac Lake is quality Adirondack wild trout water; the lower river sees Lake Champlain lake-run rainbows and browns in spring and fall. Strong Hendrickson, March Brown, and Green Drake emergences.

Regulations

Adirondack Park regulations apply — check NYSDEC for current special regulation waters. Gauge is at Plattsburgh on the lower river — the prime upper-river trout water near Saranac Lake will run substantially lower. Use this gauge for basin-wide runoff conditions and seasonal timing. Lake Champlain tributary rules apply seasonally. Requires NYSDEC license.

Learn More

Guides to help you fish Saranac River with more confidence.

• New York Fishing Regulations for Fly Anglers

  Licenses (no separate trout stamp), the April 1 – October 15 default season, year-round catch-and-release sections on the Beaverkill, Willowemoc,…

• Trout Species of New York

  The Catskills wild brown trout fishery (Beaverkill, Willowemoc, Delaware) — the historic Lee Wulff and Art Flick water — plus stocked-and-wild…

• The Catskills: Cradle of American Fly Fishing

  The Beaverkill, Willowemoc, and Neversink rivers of the Catskill Mountains are where American dry fly fishing was invented — and Theodore Gordon, the…