Chapter 11 - The River
West Leyden to East Ava Rd
Hotter Than Expected
May 2, 2001, 70 degrees, Sunny
Expectations? Low. According to the topo map, and from what Denny could
remember as a youngster growing up in West Leyden, this section of the
river was not impressive. No gorges, no waterfalls, not much water and
no trout. If it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to explore the entire
river, we might have skipped this 3-mile stretch. That would have been
a mistake.
Because this wasn't trout water, we decided
to wade downstream. After leaving Denny's car near the bridge on East Ava
Road, I drove up Route 26 to West Leyden and parked along the road on the
east side of the river. It was 9 a.m.
While Denny walked down the road and cut over to
the river, I climbed down the bank near the bridge to take some photographs
and to make a few casts. A crew working on the bridge, gave me the once
over, and returned to their industry. I managed to take a few impressive
photographs of West Leyden Dam and snag a few not-so-impressive branches
from the pool below the dam and bridge.
I continued downstream, under a white footbridge.
Behind the West Leyden Fire Department, a gold Phoebe cast into a large
stone-lined pool produced two small brown trout and a horned ace. After
passing under a snowmobile bridge behind the Milk Plant Restaurant, I fished
the pool at a bend in the river. A fish followed my lure into shallow water
and gave it a rap. The next pool gave up a 9-inch brown. That was my last
fish of the day.
Just south of the village the river turned away
from the road, entering an area of second growth maple, poplar and scrub
elm. Patches of skunk cabbage poked up through dark brown leaves. Crows
and blackbirds announced our presence.
Around 10 a.m. I waded by a pile of downed trees
where wooden pallets, plastic buckets, tires and a bicycle had collected.
Downstream from this isle of junk, on the other side of the river, a hay
rake rusts in a prison of second growth hardwoods. Streamside, old willows
hang low over the water. They have witnessed many changes over the years.
Here and there skunk cabbage and bright yellow daffodils
contrasted sharply with brown grass and leafless vegetation. Spring had
raised its beautiful head along the upper reaches of the Mohawk.
It was getting warm, so I sat in the shade of a
stand of white pine and waited for Denny. When he arrived, we fueled up
on cookies and water and resumed our downstream trek.
Denny discovered this egg-filled turkey nest.
At 10:30 we saw the red barns and a snowmobile bridge
that mark the section of river that swings towards Route 26 before turning
back east and entering an area of open pasture and meadow. The streambed
in this area is mostly rock and cobble, but the river is very shallow.
We
were halfway across this open area when a lone mallard and a dozen Canada
geese took flight. They weren't happy.
At 11:15 we came to an unusually wide section. The
water was too shallow for trout, but minnows scurried about and caddis
fly larva wrapped in twig coats dotted the rocky stream bottom. At the
lower end we discovered the remnants of an old dam. For the next mile or
so we found acres of old beaver cuttings on both sides of the river and
remnants of more dams. Must have been great trout fishing in this area
when these beaver dams were in their prime.
Along one section, the river passes between stream-hugging
alders and a stand of hemlock and birch before returning to hardwoods and
wider sections of water. When we broke out into this open area, a merganser
"ran" off the river, and two mallards jumped from a downstream pool.
At 12:30 we came to the stretch of river we had
explored previously. It was hot and we were tired of sloshing down the
river, so we cut east and then south through the woods towards the car.
As is often the case, we walked separate routes. I took the high ground
through hardwoods and Denny walked closer to the stream. I saw three deer
and Denny discovered a hen turkey on her nest.
While I went back to photograph the egg-filled nest,
Denny made a beeline for the pool below the East Ava Road Bridge where
he caught and released his first, second and third trout of the day.
When we loaded our gear in Denny's car it was 87
degrees. Like this discovery trip, much hotter than expected.
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type West Lyden, select New York, press GO!
Click on margin arrows to follow the path of the Mohawk River.
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