Little Falls, Moss Island and the Erie Canal played major roles in  the  history of the Mohawk Valley. Today this area provides access to natural wonders, historic and scenic sites, and recreational opportunities.

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SURPRISE CATCH AT LITTLE FALLS
     "What's the biggest fish you've taken from this spot?"
     "A 40-inch tiger muskie."
     "Wow! How'd you get it in the boat?"
     "With one of these nets, but it wasn't easy."
     I was talking to DEC Fisheries Biologist, Jack Hasse as he and his crew of three prepared  to "shock" some fish on the Mohawk River at Little Falls.  Their mission that morning was to check the population of blueback herring, a major forage fish in that area of the Barge Canal System, but  a variety of other fish were lifted into the boat for observation.
 
 

It's not a bass and it's not a pike,
but it put up a heck of a fight.
 

    Jack piloted the boat and monitored the power supply that fed enough juice to a fan of underwater-electrodes to incapacitate a fish for a couple of seconds. Enough time --- sometimes - -- for one of the net-dippers to scoop it up.
    While we crisscrossed the waters at the lower end of Little Falls and near the Power Generating Plant ,  the "dippers" managed to boat a number of herring and a couple of big smallmouth bass. A few big carp also came to the surface but quickly recovered and dove to the bottom. On previous surveys they had  "shocked"  walleyes, bass, sheepshead,  suckers, carp ... and the tiger muskie mentioned earlier.
    With this info in hand,  I called my brother, Walt. He had fished the Barge Canal extensively in the Frankfort and Ilion area and taken hundreds of bass, a bunch  of walleyes and plenty of other fish.  He had never fished the Little Falls area, but was more than willing to give it a try.
    While we had breakfast at the Ann Street Restaurant at Canal Place in Little Falls, I explained that we'd have to launch his boat at the west end of town and then pass east  through Lock 17 to reach the waters below the falls and power plant. This 40.5 foot lock is one of the highest lift- locks in the world, so going through it would be an experience in itself.
    And so it was.  First we had to tie up above the lock and get a two-day permit from the Lock Operator. The permit was issued on-site but the $10.00 fee (for a 16-foot boat)  was to be paid by mail to the Canal System. ( A yearly permit can also be purchased for traveling throughout the Barge Canal System.)  With permit in hand, we entered the huge lock in Walt's small boat  and rode the "hydro-elevator" to the lower level.  For awhile we were two small peas trapped in a very big pod. A strange feeling, that soon passed when the massive gates opened and we motored out of the lock, around  Moss Island and up the Mohawk River to Little Falls.
    At one time these impassable rapids on the Mohawk River were a major deterrent to travel up and down the valley.  Compared to the big falls at Cohoes further downstream, they were considered the "Little Falls".  Long before there was a cross-state canal this section of the river was bypassed by a series of navigation locks. Today the canal  still  bypasses the Little Falls section of the river. The land between is Moss Island.
    Walt was astounded by the geologic formations on Moss Island and below  the falls. This area of the Mohawk looks like smallmouth heaven --- lots of rocks and  rushing water. Unfortunately by the time we got there it was 10  a.m. and a very bright sun was lighting up the water.  Smallmouths don't normally like the sun, but we managed to hook a few of them on plugs and jigs right under the falls and near the power plant outlet. None of them were as  big as the ones I saw from the shocking boat.
   When Walt's rod bent to the water and the spinning reel drag screamed in agony,  we both got excited. This was no bass. Could be a  tiger muskie. But then again, it could be a big carp. Both wrong.  After a five minute battle a slab-sided sheepshead came to net.  Heh, they're not pretty, but they fight hard and grow big in the canal.
    Fact is most of the fish in the Barge Canal grow big. There is plenty of water, lots of feed and not many people really know how or where to fish it.  The few who do take plenty of fish.
    Some of the obvious fish havens like the water around dams, bridges  and below the Falls and power plant hold fish most of the year and can be fished from shore or from a boat or canoe. Worms, minnows and crayfish are all good baits, but plastic jigs and plugs take lots of fish.
    General fishing regulations apply, but one or more seasons are open throughout the year.  Some of the biggest walleyes are taken in mid winter by fishermen who brave the cold and fish deep with big minnows below dams and falls.  Most  canal anglers prefer spring through fall fishing. They start as soon as the walleye season opens in May and hang it up when smallmouth season ends in November.
    Really serious anglers take advantage of the winter months when the canal is closed and the water is low to locate rocks, logs, holes, points and other "structure" that will hold fish when the water is up.  There are many such locations and walking the canal in the winter is the best way to find them.
    Not everyone is that serious about finding fish havens, but there are other ways to locate  fish. One is to troll minnow type plugs.  The canal depth drops from 5 to 15 feet, so one plug trolled in shallow water on one side of the boat and the other just off the bottom in 15 feet of water can catch fish and find fish havens.
    Trolling is a bore to many fishermen and most  canal  anglers don't have power boats, so they  fish from shore or from a boat or canoe at  hotspots. In addition to the water below The Falls and power plant, some of the most productive areas on this stretch of the canal are: Five Mile Dam,  the mouth of Nowadaga Creek near Indian Castle, and, depending on water flow, the mouth of every stream that enters the Canal.
    My brother's favorite fish finder is a night crawler or crayfish drifted on the bottom at the droppoff at stream outlets. By casting into the mouth of the stream and letting the bait drift into the canal and  over the "ledge", he has located and caught walleye, smallmouths, sheepshead and a pile of big panfish.  Once he  finds the spot, he uses plastic jigs or crankbaits .... unless all they want is live stuff.  Incidentally, he doesn't keep any of the fish he catches.
    Well, he might keep a 40-inch tiger muskie.

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Moss Island:  Something Different Every Time

A few days ago, October 4, 2000 to be exact my wife, Gert and I revisited the "Canal and River Area" at Little Falls. This was Gert's second visit, but I had explored this fascinating area of the Mohawk Valley a number of times in the past few years. I never failed to discover something different.
    After breakfast at the Ann Street Restaurant and  a quick tour of the huge gift shop across the road---where Gert always finds something different---we crossed the Mohawk River bridge, taking time to watch the ducks and to marvel at the rock formations and the ancient stoneworks on both sides of the river. Next stop, Benton's Landing, a small park and tie up on the Erie Canal.
 
 

Moss Island potholes are unique
in the Mohawk Valley.
 

    Turkey vultures soared overhead as we walked east on the Power Station Access Road and crossed the power dam  to Moss Island. The gated walkway is closed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
    A sailing yacht was entering the lock, so we walked to the far end, crossed the top of the lock and hiked down to where the canal and river meet; a good spot to take a few photos. After the boat had passed down the canal, we climbed the stairs to the top of the lock and returned to the island.
    We spent the next hour exploring this tree-covered island, climbing from rock to rock, looking down at the huge potholes so unique to the area. I had forgotten how many oak trees were on the island; the trails were covered with acorns.
    On one of the many side trails, we came to four large concrete blocks with cut off wooden posts sticking out of them. Once again I discovered something new on Moss Island. I recalled a photo of the island featuring a huge sign welcoming visitors to Little Falls. This had to be the pilings for that sign.
    As Gert and I hiked to Cathedral Point where columns of eroded potholes face the river, I recalled the day my daughter, Bridget and I visited the island a couple of years ago. She wrote a magazine article about the outing, so I'll let her tell it in her own words.

    "It's not easy to find a place where you can hike, rock climb, fish, canoe,  explore ancient rock formations and watch big boats going through the highest lift lock in New York State, all within walking distance of  a restaurant that serves a great breakfast.  Well, Moss Island at Little Falls is such a place.
   "Last  August my father and I spent a morning exploring Moss Island and the area around Lock 17 of the Barge Canal.  We parked the car near a quaint little restaurant on the canal front. This area of Little Falls has recently been restored and features some nice restaurants and shops.
    "After breakfast  we walked through the canal area, crossed over the power dam and onto the island.  While my father was most impressed with the huge lift lock, Profile Rock captured my attention.
    "This massive rock face, that looks like the profile of a man's head from some angles, is perfect for beginning rock climbing enthusiasts.  As we walked towards the trail head at the other end of the island, a  young couple draped in climbing gear headed toward this popular climbing area.  It would have been fun to watch but we had an island to explore.
     "We took a short path that lead  to Power Station View which is a point on the east end of the Island that has (surprise) a view of  the power station that takes advantage of the drop from the canal to the Mohawk River. This, I thought, is the perfect place to bring my class when we learn about energy and power.
    "From the overview we followed the trails through the woods that led to Cathedral Point, the most  intriguing  part of the island. This maze of pot holes, some 20-feet high and more than 10-feet  wide,  were formed thousands of years ago when this area was the outlet of a huge inland sea. Rapids and waterfalls, almost beyond comprehension in size and volume,   whirlpooled  granite rocks and boulders, cutting and grinding  holes into the softer dolomite found in this region.  The sides of most of these pot holes eroded out over the years, leaving  cathedral-like formations facing the river.  A few intact pot holes are also on the island.
    "Dad and I climbed in and out of the pot holes,  taking pictures of each other. It would have been more fun to scale down the inside of some of the higher pot holes, but we didn't bring a rope.  I'm surprised my father didn't think of that.  Anything for a good picture.
    "As we walked around the island, dad pointed to the falls just upstream where he and my uncle had fished for bass. He also pointed to the area under a bridge where a couple and two children had launched a canoe and paddled along the island, past  Cathedral Point and the power plant and up to the falls.
    "On the way back to the canal lock dad noted the variety of  trees and shrubbery  covering the Island. We identified birch, oak, cedar, pine and maple along with shad and blueberry bushes
     "As we stood at the railing overlooking  Lock  17, we watched it fill up for a boat traveling  west on the canal. It took 20 minutes. As we stood there, we chatted with the man that  works the lock. He told us it's  40 1/2-foot lift is the  highest in New York State, and one of the highest in the world.
    "When the lock gate opened, and the boat was on its way, we walked across the bridge to the other side of the lock. Here we explored the remnants of  an original lock of the Erie Canal; very small in comparison to the present day Lock 17. Close by is a small pond or portion of the old canal where we saw bass, bluegill and sunfish darting about in the shallow water. Again I had a vision of bringing my class here for a history lesson and the fun of  watching fish.  Fishing is not permitted in this area.
    "By the time we headed for the car, the ledge  near Profile Rock was almost covered with ropes and rock climbers.  I wondered.  Nahh. I'll try that without my students.
     "Moss Island can be accessed from the Little Falls canal front area off Route 167 on the north side of the canal  or from the parking lot  under the overpass bridge off Route 169 on the south side of the canal."

     After taking a few photos of each other standing atop Profile Rock, Gert and I  hiked back to the car. Our two hour hike had taken us back in time, brought back memories and gave us a new appreciation for Moss Island.

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Copyright 2002

For more information about the history of  Little Falls: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyherkim/littlefalls.html

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Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on  Mohawk Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Little Falls, select New York, press GO!

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