MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2003
Chapter 12 - Tributaries
Jacob Zimmerman's Creeks
"You can call me Zimmerman or you can call me Timmerman . . . "
When Jacob Zimmerman came to the Mohawk Valley in
the early 1700s to trade with the Mohawk Indians and purchase land at present
day St. Johnsville, he didn't realize he would sire both the Zimmerman
and Timmerman families. But, as was often the case when English clerks
translated German names to legal documents, more than one spelling created
seemingly different branches of the same family. In this case it also provided
different names for the tributaries that flow through the village of Saint
Johnsville and the nearby hamlet of West Saint Johnsville.
Both streams flow approximately 10 miles and descend
over 1000 feet from their sources in the hills north of the river. Along
the way they meander through woods, meadows and pastures, cut through gorges
and plunge over waterfalls before easing into the Mohawk River.
Zimmerman Creek was prime water for mills.
Jacob Zimmerman built his first gristmill here and, over the years, more
than 20 industries utilized the water in the lower two miles. Today this
section of the stream features a spectacular waterfalls, remnants of old
mills and bridges . . . and a unique concrete "water dome."
Discovery: Zimmerman Creek - Glitter of Gold
April 29, 2003, 60 degrees, Sunny
I
followed Paul Flanders north
out of St. Johnsville. A mile or so up Lassellsville Road we pulled into
a parking lot that overlooked a huge concrete water dome and a small reservoir.
"From here we walk." Paul said as he pulled on his calf-high rubber boots.
It was 9:45 a.m. when we started down the road to
the bottom of the gorge. Five minutes later I was amazed to discover a
beautiful waterfalls. It's just a few feet from Lassellsville Road but
hidden from view. Which explains why I didn't see it on my travels through
this area.
Over the rush of water, Paul noted,
"It's called Scudder Falls. Named after a mill that was once located here."
Although
Paul prefers to fish the creek a little later in the season with wet flies
and nymphs, he rigged a combo rod with a spinning reel and prepared
to fish this early Spring water with worms. As usual my ultralight spinning
rig was tipped with a 1/8 ounce gold Phoebe.
Paul passed up the plunge pool at the bottom of
the falls and drifted a worm through a pool just downstream. I waded into
the creek to photograph the falls, and then continued downstream past the
water dome and reservoir.
Paul caught up to me while I was photographing the waterworks. I asked
him if he had caught anything in the plunge pool.
"Didn't fish it. Saved if for you."
Nice guy.
We continued downstream through a streamside
forest of basswood, hemlock, cedar and maple, and discovered patches of
yellow Coltsfoot blossoms, and white flowers Paul identified as Bloodroot.
I had no problem crossing the creek in hip boots,
but the water was too deep for Paul's boots, so we headed back toward the
falls on opposite sides of the stream, losing track of each other.
I lost a lure and caught a few snags. No fish.
When
I got back to the falls Paul was walking up the road and didn't hear my
yell, so I fished the pool at the bottom of the falls. My third cast produced
a hit, the fourth a full-colored 9-inch brown.
From the parking lot, we walked up to the
Lassellsville Road Bridge where Paul showed me the remnants of an ancient
keystone bridge located under the highway bridge. When I waded into the
creek to take a photograph, Paul warmed, "Be careful!" and pointed behind
me. I was only a few feet from the top of the falls. Stupid!
It was around noon, so I suggested a trip to the
village for lunch. Soup perhaps? Paul lives nearby, so he insisted on soup
at his house. Unfortunately, his can opener had a tantrum and threw parts
around the kitchen. Fortunately it was only a few miles back to Saint Johnsville.
We returned to the creek at 1:30. After leaving
my Jeep near the bridge on Youker Bush Road, we drove a half-mile down
Lassellsville Road and parked Paul's truck near the bridge.
"This will be a totally different experience. Up
here the creek runs through pastures, meadows and woods, away from the
road. It parallels an old road that used to run through here."
We could see the old keystone bridge from the top of Scudder Falls.
I unwittingly risked my life to take this photograph.
My luck changed at 2 o'clock when I broke out of
the woods into an alder-lined pasture. A sun-splashed pool next to a large
rock gave up a 9-inch brown. While I was releasing the fish, Paul walked
up the opposite bank. He still hadn't caught a fish, but noted there was
a deep pool under an old bridge just upstream.
There
must be a huge brown trout in that pool, because we fished it with lures
and bait and never saw a fish. A good fly or bait fisherman might take
that "pool hog" at night or just after a thunderstorm.
It was an especially beautiful day. Deep blue sky.
Wispy white clouds. White and yellow wildflowers. Bright green skunk cabbage.
Pale green trees just starting to leaf. Water rushing over rocks. Heat
of the sun on the back of my neck. Breeze in my face.
I couldn't contain myself. "This is beautiful!"
Paul replied "It gets better." And it did.
Paul fishes a run below a cliff in the hemlock woods.
I
walked around the next three good holes and runs, leaving them for the
nice guy. I resumed fishing along a stretch of water where the streambank
had been excavated. I was surprised to see so much evidence of heavy equipment
activity on a trout stream, but it didn't seem to bother the fish because
I caught three more browns. One was a 10-inch beauty.
below this abandoned iron bridge.
With the Youker Bush Road Bridge in sight, I sat on the stream bank and waited for Paul. He joined me at 3:30. He had caught one fish. Usually worms work best early in the season, but on this beautiful day the trout in Zimmerman Creek preferred the glitter of gold.
For more information see: http://www.fortklock.com/creek.htm
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Saint Johnsville select New York, press GO! Click on margin arrows to follow Zimmerman Creek upstream.
