MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2003
Chapter 11- The River
Delta Dam to Ridge Mills
Discovery: Tail-Water Fish & Wildlife
June 13, 2001 65 degrees - predict mid 80s Sunny
At the bottom of the hill on the east side of Delta
Dam is a small parking area carved from a shale cliff. From there we carried
the canoe along a trail to the riprap below the dam. It was a beautiful
morning: sun bright, sky blue, already 65 degrees with mid 80s predicted.
riprap on the east side of Delta Dam.
At 8:25 the early morning sun was already hot. We
welcomed the cool air coming off the whitewater cascading down the front
of the dam. The pools and runs below Delta Dam have always been popular
with local fishermen. These cold, oxygenated waters have produced some
impressive trout, walleye, northern pike and carp. With great expectation,
Denny and I cast plugs, spinners and jigs. Carp were jumping, clear out
of the water, but neither they nor anything else would take our lures.
I was surprised to discover so much shallow water and weeds just downstream
from the dam. 
We had three miles to go, so after a half-hour of
fruitless fishing we drifted downstream under the remnants of the old Black
River Canal Aqueduct and the 1910---but still in use and recently refurbished
--- steel through-truss bridge. A small flock of mergansers ran off the
water, flew over the bridge and circled overhead.
Below the bridge, we zipped through a short rapids,
and fished the runs and pools below. No follows, no fish, until 9:30
when we passed the Rome Fish Hatchery.
River Canal across the Mohawk River well into 1900s.
The Rome Hatchery produces almost two million trout each year. More than a few of them find their way into the river, so this area is another popular fishing spot. We didn't catch anything opposite the hatchery, but just downstream after we passed through another short rapids, Denny cast to the waters near two large boulders . . . and caught a 14-inch brown trout.
Below the rapids, the river flattens and runs between wooded banks, providing
occasional glimpses of meadow and pasture through willow, maple, basswood
and boxelder. Along this stretch we saw a merganser with a raft of ducklings,
and a couple of muskrats pushing grass across the river. A young heifer
poked her head through the brush giving us the once over with big brown
eyes.
ducks flew overhead. Those spots in the sky above the bridge are megansers.
Our next stop was the "Junkyard Pool" where cars,
trucks and farm equipment provide exceptional big trout habitat. A number
of 20-inch browns have been taken from this pool over the years. No lunkers
came calling this time, but I did catch two small browns near the lower
end of the pool.
Just downstream was the pool where Mark Eychner
had taken a 19-inch, 2 1\2-pound brown when we canoe-fished the river while
I was researching Canoe-Fishing New York Rivers
and Streams.
At 10:25 we approached a rocky bar at the mouth
of a small stream. Eight mallards sat on that bar, getting more and more
nervous as we drifted closer. Well out of "shotgun range," they jumped
skyward and flew downstream. Below the tributary, at a bend in the river,
concrete slabs supported the riverbank on one side; phlox, ragged robin
and forget-me-nots colored the other.
Denny fishes from a small island near one of the big-trout pools located on this stretch of river.
The next bend in the river revealed the Ridge Mills Bridge, our takeout. There is plenty of good trout water along this stretch, so we continued to cast the shoreline until we beached the canoe at 10:45.
We didn't catch any of the lunkers that reside in this tail-water section of the river, but in a little over two hours we saw more wildlife, wildflowers and wild places than many people see in a lifetime.
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk
Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Rome, select New York, press GO!
Select Rome, N.Y.
