Chapter 12 - Tributaries
Discovery: Old Dams in a Concrete Trout Stream
August 26, 2002, 70 degrees, Sunny
This
mile and a half of Sauquoit Creek was certain to be interesting historically.
Dams and raceways (canals) were constructed here during the 1800s to power
mills at both ends of the village of New York Mills. This area could also
be interesting trout water, considering the remnants of such structures
often create deep pools and runs.
After parking Denny's car at the Chenango Road Bridge
we drove back to Symeon's Restaurant to resume exploring Sauquoit Creek.
A few days earlier it rained all day, so the creek was up a bit, and when
we waded into it at 9 a.m., it was decidedly cooler.
. . . and the remnants of an old spillway.
I felt a little guilty getting the jump on Denny,
so I waited for him to catch up and fish the pools at the bridge. I hugged
the shoreline, crossed under the bridge and fished a long shaded run upstream
from the bridge. I was cranking a gold Phoebe at the lower end of the run
when a fish hit so hard it almost yanked the rod out of my hand. I never
saw that fish, but I caught two10-inch browns and had two more hits from
that same run. Hard to believe I was fishing just a few feet from Commercial
Drive (Route 5A).
According to the topo map, just upstream from the
bridge was a dam that used to feed water to a raceway that ran through
mills at the north end of the village. We discovered a limestone slab dam,
and then a concrete dam and what appeared to be the remnants of a large
dam and spillway. Below the stone dam and the concrete dam were good size
pools. Neither pool produced a trout, but Denny caught a small largemouth
bass from the lower pool.
While
Denny fished the pools and runs upstream from the concrete dam---and caught
two 10-inch browns---I explored the area around the old spillway and walked
through the woods looking for the old raceway. I found a depression that
may have been the raceway, but there was no water in it.
When I returned to the creek, I discovered a big
bend and a deep run that was encased in concrete. This poured concrete
bank marked the beginning of over a mile of concrete banks and stone riprap.
Some of the pools and runs along this stretch have to hold some big trout,
but getting to them is not easy, as Denny and I would discover.
We passed under the bridge at the south end of New
York Mills, near the junction of Clinton and Burrstone Roads. While Denny
fished the pools and runs in this area and caught a couple more browns,
I photographed the stream with the bridge and large mill in the background.
At 11:30 we discovered another limestone slab dam
and a long section of steel retaining wall where Denny caught another trout.
There was little evidence of the dam and raceway that fed the mills at
the south end of the village. The raceway had been filled in and a chunk
of concrete with some pipefittings imbedded in it appeared to be the only
remnants of the old dam.
Apparently
the creek bank in this area had washed away many times in the past, because
today much of it is poured concrete or stone-chunk riprap. In some areas
the riprapped bank was so steep we had to climb up and down holding on
to vines and small trees. There were many deep runs and some pools in this
section, but they were very difficult to get to and fish.
One of the biggest and deepest pools was below the abutments that once supported a railroad bridge. I risked my neck getting to it, but couldn't raise a single fish. Must be a huge brown living there.
It was 12:30 when I walked under the Chenango Road Bridge and climbed the bank to Denny's car. After changing to dry pants and shoes, we headed back to Symeon's where I had parked my vehicle . . . and where we had lunch. This time no one even mentioned hamburg.
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk
Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type New York Mills, select New York, press GO!
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