# Au Sable help please



## FirePower (Aug 24, 2005)

Need some help here from anyone who knows that river, have not fished up there since I was a little kid, I just bought myself a little float pontoon and wanted to fish all day this weekend from morning till dark. Will not be fly fishing, so I know that eliminates some areas of the river. I am planning on bringing the 4wheeler to drop myself off at the river and leave the truck at the pickup area, where are my best bets for doing this as I have no clue where to go, I don't know a single road or bridge up there. ANY HELP would be greatly appreciated! It is so hard to try and figure this out on a map when without anyone's personal insight. Im also concerned with the float distance as I would rather fish more rather than trying to waste the day away trying to get to the finish.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Launch at Rea Road, which is about 1/4 mile downstream from the dam - and just past the dam parking lot, on the left, if you are traveling north on the road to the dam. Park your takeout vehicle @ the Ausable River Store, where River Road crosses the river. Or, if you want the complete experience, park your takeout vehicle at the mouth, and run all the way down. There are a few good spots to fish, right in town. 

Be careful. There is a LOT of wood in the river. Last week there were hardly any signs of bedding fish. Darker water seemed better.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

That's a long way for a pontoon :SHOCKED:

Are you targeting trout or steelies?

For trout you may want to try Parmalee to Luzerne County Park


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## Troutlord1 (Jun 6, 2007)

Or launch at Wakeley and fish down to Town Line or to Conners or Mcmasters!! Or Mcmasters to Parmalee but thats a long float too!!I would be too afraid to float below Mio in a pontoon but I am a wuss!!!:lol:


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## 4lbtest (Feb 28, 2007)

Couldn't help myself after reading troutlords post, but when I was many years younger me & Jim would fill a 17ft canoe with everything including the kitchen sink, put in at Wakley, drift to white pine & camp, drift to rainbow bend & camp, stop at all I can describe as the "burn't out cabin" just an old foundation and camp on the powerline there, then it got fun, just about sank at Mcmasters, didn't hit Parmalee till dark, camped right there at the launch, pulled out early am and poked down river way to slow till we hit the Mio pond in the dark, did the pond in the dark, portaged around the dam at about 11:00 pm, set up camp just the ther side of the dam till we got booted out by consumers early the next morning and continued on down 4 more nights to 4001 bridge, 8 nights & 9 days of the best trout opener I will probably ever have, lots of brokkies, bow's, and browns, several 20' browns, one spectacular brown 24' colored like a big boy gets hooked jaw and all I have in a 11' framed picture of him on the wall, ahhhhh being young, single and unemployed.....sorry guys you can shoot me now, but that trip will go to the grave with me and I'll be smiling!


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## Troutlord1 (Jun 6, 2007)

Now that is one a## LONG FLOAT!! Sounds like great memories thought!!


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## FirePower (Aug 24, 2005)

trout, brookies browns, rainbow, whatever.... not particuarly steelies though. would love a nice brown. So what it sounds like is up river from the mio pond and float to that?


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## Troutlord1 (Jun 6, 2007)

Brookies,Browns and Bows above Mio,Browns and Bows below Mio!Most of the Bows above Mio are scattered thru most of the middle sections of the fly waters but are more abundent and widespread below Mio.


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## Ralph Smith (Apr 1, 2003)

FirePower said:


> Need some help here from anyone who knows that river, have not fished up there since I was a little kid, I just bought myself a little float pontoon and wanted to fish all day this weekend from morning till dark. Will not be fly fishing, so I know that eliminates some areas of the river. I am planning on bringing the 4wheeler to drop myself off at the river and leave the truck at the pickup area, where are my best bets for doing this as I have no clue where to go, I don't know a single road or bridge up there. ANY HELP would be greatly appreciated! It is so hard to try and figure this out on a map when without anyone's personal insight. Im also concerned with the float distance as I would rather fish more rather than trying to waste the day away trying to get to the finish.


Between Mckinley and 4001 is a good stretch that you can fish in a day. Its open to all methods, and baits. Used to tube it as a kid all the time. Might be able to get someone in the area to spot your vehicle for you. You can also do a short section, or canoe upstream than back down by droppin the canoe north of Alcona park along river. There are some trails that travel quite a ways upstream along river. You might even be able to camp at the park, and canoe down to your site and get a ride back to vehicle. Its not far beneath 4001.


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## RollingRock (Nov 30, 2004)

McMasters to Parmalee is a nice 6-7 hour float, including fishing time. If you want to go a little farther than that, you can go to Luzerne County Park and add another 1-1 1/2 hours or go to the Whirlpool (a.k.a Cherry Creek bend) and that'll add another 3 hours. Quite few spots to fish along that entire stretch.

Enjoy!


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## 4lbtest (Feb 28, 2007)

Put in at Mio and drift to Commins Flatts, or Mckinley, either canoe livery in town will spot your vehicle I use Gotts, $20. I drift fish from Mio to commins in about 3 hours, stoppin & hole hittin along the way...fIgure a few more hours to fish to Mckinley


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## Firemedic (Apr 5, 2005)

FirePower said:


> trout, brookies browns, rainbow, whatever.... not particuarly steelies though. would love a nice brown.


Then you don't want to fish from the Foote down.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Try to keep your floats to 3-4 miles for fishing

A stiff up-river wind will make for a miserable day in a pontoon


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