May in the Adirondacks

May is that pivotal month when the snow on an ordinary year is slowly but surely disappearing and there is an explosion of new life. Migratory birds are filtering in on a daily basis and there songs fill the air as they search for mates and twitterpate. It is a great time to observe them as they rush about building nests and they are highly visible before the trees become fully encased in foliage. Once they lay the eggs they become less active as they make themselves and the nest locations less visible to predators. With not many biting insects yet in full attack mode and the now mostly nice days I think it is the best month of the year for birdwatching up here. The insect hatches in the river accelerate with each passing day as the ground water begins to reach that magic 55-65 mark. The sun is still at a more direct angle and it heats the cobble rock in the rivers all day long and the trout love to move out of their shadowy lairs and feast on the insects which are migrating from under the rocks to begin their brief lives as winged adults. In the late afternoon as the sun reaches its zenith it quite often becomes very intense and I have experienced amazing, savage action during this witching hour. As the sun makes you feel good so it does for the trout. I read an article in fly fisherman magazine years ago that was about why trout feed and the gist of piece was that in the spring, the faster water temps rise from cooler to 65 the more oxygen that the water can hold and can even become super saturated with oxygen. This drives the trout into an absolute feeding frenzy where they will throw caution to the wind. It sure explains some of the amazing days I have experienced up here. Twice in my life I have had days where I caught over 30 browns in the 17-21 inch range in a single day. I looked up to the sky and asked what did I do right to deserve it!!! I only wish I had had someone along to film it, that is why my son is in training. May can also be a tough month when cold fronts drop down from Canada making the area resemble coastal Alaska. In May I recommend avoiding the deeper valley streams in the heart of the mountains that stay cool into June and July and prowl the foothills for warmer waters. Pretty much you can count on great action from the middle of May on up here. This is also turkey season and there are an amazing amount of them here, more than most people realize. Chances are you stop at some farms and ask permission you probably will get a yes and don’t be bashful about flipping the farmer $25 or so for this access, God knows these farmers could use it.