MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2002
Chapter 11- The River
Utica to Schuyler
Utica's Secret Wildlife Sanctuary
Practically everyone in the Utica area is familiar with Utica Marsh.
It's a unique piece of public land in the Mohawk River Flood Plain that
was put aside to provide habitat for wildlife and provide opportunities
for lovers of wild places to enjoy the outdoors . . . all within the city
limits. There are trails and towers to view ducks, geese, heron and other
wildlife in the marsh's ponds, fields and thickets.
Few people realize that just a couple of miles away
there is another sanctuary where wildlife abounds.I had no idea such a
place existed until Ron Gugnacki and I canoed the Mohawk
River from Utica to Schuyler.
We
saw great blue heron, mallards, Canada geese and a variety of other wildlife
on the Mohawk River between Utica and Schuyler.
Discovery: Does It Get Any Better
Than This?
July 26, 2000 - 70 degrees - Clear blue sky
After parking Ron's truck near the bridge on Dyke Road in Schuyler,
we launched the canoe just upstream from the Genesee St. Bridge in Utica.
It was 8:40 a.m. At 8:45 Ron had a big fish on but lost it. Not a good
sign.
With the sun and an East wind in our face, we paddled
downstream, past steep-sided riverbanks overgrown with cottonwood, willow
and young poplar. As we cast plugs and jigs to wooden pilings and fallen
trees, a great blue heron flew overhead, silhouetted against the deep blue
sky.
At
9:30 we carried the canoe over the dam that backs up the river for Utica's
Canal Harbor. Below the dam a huge pool, choked with logs and other debris
looked very fishy. An angler squatting on the bank told us this pool had
produced some impressive bass, tiger muskie and a variety of other fish.
He, nor we, caught anything that morning. From the lower end of the pool
three great blue heron took flight. One of them seemed to be squawking,
"Get out of my fishing hole."
We had to carry the canoe over the Utica dam. The downstream pool is filled with snags and according to some fishermen it's a great place to catch big bass, walleye and muskie.
This section of the river is manmade, moved north
from its original path to accommodate the railroad yards and station in
Utica. Prior to the railroad coming to town, the river ran by Baggs Square.
This was also the site of Old Fort Schuyler and the river crossing that
ultimately determined the location of the city.
Just downstream from the dam the river swings south
to its original course. Here the unofficial wildlife sanctuary begins,
for this is a region of bays, backsets, oxbows, ponds, islands, overhanging
willows and all manner of streamside vegetation to shield wildlife from
the outside world.
It was 10:30 when we followed the short channel
to the first pond. This shallow backset is surrounded by willows, and on
that summer day, was loaded with carp. In every direction we could see
their tails and fins breaking water. Their mud-cloud explosions preceded
the canoe as we paddled around the pond. We made a few casts with jigs,
but the feeding carp weren't interested. At 11 o'clock we returned to the
river.
Fifteen minutes later, we paddled into another pond.
It too was surrounded by willows and loaded with carp. It was also a temporary
home to five great blue herons, a cormorant, and a couple of wood ducks.
When we started to paddle into a small bay, it erupted with carp. They
were so anxious to get to deeper water that some of them actually bounced
off the canoe. Never had that happen before. Quite an adventure for a 10-minute
excursion.
Back on the river two female wood ducks entertained
us with a broken wing act while ducklings scurried to shore. At 11:45 we
beached the canoe on the bar at the mouth of Starch Factory Creek. While
Ron fished the large pool below the bar, I walked up the creek to explore
upstream culverts. In the pool below a "1912" concrete culvert I caught
two small bass. (See also Starch Factory
Creek)
When we launched the canoe, we encountered our first
brush with tricky water, a sharp bend of fast water that ran tight to a
pile of trees and brush. Fortunately, we avoided the tangled mess.
Just after we passed an old limestone-slab bridge abutment (right side
only) we approached four empty oil drums that were entangled in some fallen
trees. Ron couldn't resist, "Heh look, drums along the Mohawk."
drums along the Mohawk."
After passing into the Town of Schuyler, we explored
another pond and an oxbow where we saw deer tracks in the mud plus more
ducks and carp. Thus far we considered this a first rate discovery trip.
It paled in comparison to what lie ahead.
At 12:25 we drifted into the upper end of a huge
bend in the river. At the lower end, six great blue herons lined the bank.
When we were close enough to see their slender beaks, they pumped skyward
and flew in circles overhead. At almost the same time a small flock of
wood ducks and another of mallards jumped off the water. They were followed
by the raucous flight of some 50 Canada geese. As we sat awestruck by this
magnificent scene, a huge carp jumped clear out of the water.
Wow!
Does it really get any better than this?
The rest of the trip was anticlimactic. We paddled
up to the big crossover dam that's just east of Dyke Road, caught a few
smallmouths and walked up to look at the canal.
A few minutes after returning to the river, we were
greeted by a herd of cows as we beached the canoe below the takeout bridge.
The most difficult part of the trip was carrying the canoe up the steep
and narrow trail to the road. We had the canoe loaded on Ron's truck at
1:30. In just five hours we had seen more wildlife (and more carp) than
many people see in a lifetime.
Carrying the canoe up the steep path next to the Dyke Road Bridge in Schuyler was the most difficult part of the trip.
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk
Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Utica, select New York, press
GO!
Select Utica, N.Y. and click on right margin
arrow to follow the path of the Mohawk River from Utica to Schuyler.
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