Sometimes It's Just Luck. 
July 26, 2002, 60 degrees, Rain
It was raining when we waded into the Mohawk River near Frenchville
and started up Wells Creek. Summer-low water exposed "fields" of cobblestones.
Deer tracks perforated gravel bars. A long sweeping pool against a gravel
bank looked like trout water.
A good day for fishing and seeing wildlife, but
not for photography. Not quite.
Concrete walls keep the road from falling into Wells Creek.
Wells Creek starts as Big Brook in the hills
east of Frenchville and cascades for about a mile and a half through a
winding gorge before easing into the Mohawk floodplain. Along the way it
picks up the waters of Beaver Meadow Brook, Gulf Creek, Gifford Creek
and some smaller tributaries. The gorge is also the path of the road between
Frenchville and the hilltop hamlet of Steuben, so the stream and the road
run side by side much of the way.
We left Denny’s car near the bridge that crosses
the creek about a mile and a half up the gorge, and then drove down to
Frenchville. It was 9:20 a.m. when we started fishing the river and
the pools near the mouth of the creek. We didn't raise a single fish. A
kingfisher swooped low over the water and flew up the creek,
scolding all the way.
potholes in the flatrock streambed.
We waded under the Route 46 Bridge at 9:40, noting
the new bridge and the abutments from the old bridge. Above the bridge
we discovered streamside patches of Queen Ann’s lace, plus willows, poplar
and elm. Despite the lack of sun, a variety of colors were visible in the
rock and cobble streambed. Glacial deposits from far away places.
Upstream, Wells Creek flowed through limestone topped
with shale. Water had sculpted the streambed, creating waterfalls, troughs
and small potholes. Here and there cobbles and boulders rested on flat
rock. Concrete walls and quarried limestone kept the road from falling
into the creek. Maple, hemlock and birch lined the opposite bank. Patches
of tiger lilies grew streamside.
Wells Creek Valley was quite beautiful, but the overcast sky
and shade in the steep-sided gorge were not conducive to taking good photographs.
Nevertheless, I clicked away with two cameras, hoping to capture one or
two good scenes.
Gold spoons and spinners cast to pools and runs,
and below waterfalls were ignored. Except for a pair of black ducks and
a few songbirds wildlife was scarce.
We passed the mouth of Gifford Creek, stepped
up a series of waterfalls and discovered a house and red barn. Just upstream
was an iron girder bridge. A road sign near the bridge marked the end of
Oliver Road. A nearby sign, faded by long exposure to the elements, read
"Brookside Supply - Taylor Outdoor Wood Furnaces."
Just above the bridge, on the right side of the
creek was a rock ledge covered with green moss. Nature's outdoor carpet.
The ledge was well shaded, but I photographed it anyway.
with predominantly-green vegetation.
It was 10:50 when we waded up a series of waterfalls
into the mouth of Gulf Creek and headed upstream. At the first bend we
discovered rock and cobble bottom, a glacial boulder and a large patch
of bee balm. Their bright red blossoms contrasted sharply with the predominantly-green
vegetation. There was very little water in this small tributary, so we
returned to the main stream. 
Back at the mainstream---called Big Brook in this
area---we discovered a series of channels, potholes and some relatively
deep pools. A couple of small fish followed our lures but wouldn't hit.
I cast a Phoebe into a run just below a deep pool. Halfway through the
run, a fish took the gold lure. As I released an 11-inch brown trout, Denny
remarked, "At least we didn't get skunked."
even under grey skies.
This section veers away from the road and features the longest, deepest
pool in the entire stream. A rope dangled over the middle of the pool from
a downed hemlock. Nearby a huge slab of limestone sat on edge near the
water. The upstream face was covered with white and fluorescent orange
paint. This was obviously a popular swimming hole and party place. I learned
later it is also the best trout hole on this stream.
is the best fishing hole and most popular party spot on the stream.
While
Denny fished the swimming hole, I continued upstream to the bridge where
his car was parked. Above the bridge I photographed a patch of tiger lilies
with a glacial boulder in the background. It was my last photograph of
the day.
boulder marked the end of this discovery trip.
We met at the bridge at 11:45. In 2 1/2 hours we had hiked through one of the most beautiful gorges in the Mohawk Valley, almost got skunked fishing, saw very little wildlife and, as you can see, took some exceptional photographs because of the low light conditions. Which illustrates that sometimes you don't have to know what you're doing if you're lucky.
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk
Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Frenchville, select New York, press GO!
Click on margin arrows to follow the path of
the Mohawk River north to Wells Creek.
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