New Yorks Best Kept Secret
Most of the bass fishing I do now days are centered around my clubs tournament schedule. I get a great deal of enjoyment out of the competitive aspect of the sport. The thrill of the hunt can get your heart racing and set your blood to boiling. It’s a fix I find difficult to do without. Those lazy, hazy days of fishing for fun and pleasure are sadly now few and far between. Lately however, I have felt the pangs of a passion hidden deep within me begin to stir.

Once upon a time, in the land of hon-a-lae, I endeavored to satiate my fishing needs by stalking the illusive "bronze God" of the waters, Micropterus Dolomieu, better known as the smallmouth bass. For me the absolute high was fishing for smallmouth in small rivers, creeks and streams. I covered most of New York State in this quest and in my travels fished such streams as the St Regis, Raquette, Oswegatchie and Grasse Rivers in St Lawrence County, the Indian River and Black Rivers in Jefferson and Lewis County, the Unadilla, Chenango, Tioughnioga in Cortland and Chenango County as well as the Susquehanna River around Oneonta. In the western part of the state I have sampled the waters of the Gennesse River close to Wellsville and Cattaragus Creek south of Buffalo. Roundout Creek, Catskill Creek, Otter Creek, and quite a few others have reserved a place in the ingrams of my memory to be cataloged and accessed whenever I feel the longing for a peaceful and whimsical journey. There is one place I failed to mention however, and that’s because I have kept it a secret from all but my closest of friends, Schoharie Creek in Montgomery County. Perhaps its time I let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

Schoharie Creek is a two-stage fishery. Below Schoharie Reservoir the fishery is predominantly trout, both browns and rainbows with an occasional brookie (rare) thrown in for good measure. There are few if any smallmouth in this section, at least I have never caught one or heard of any being caught by others. The section above the reservoir flowing north to and into the Mohawk River is more suited for smallmouth bass and a more than healthy walleye population. It is this section, more precisely from the town of Middleburgh north to Rt #161 (crosses over the creek a few miles south of Fort Hunter) that this article will attempt to cover as thoroughly as possible.

The best way to cover this creek in its entirety would be to fish it from a canoe. It’s absolutely perfect for this approach. However, lets assume you’re on foot, as I usually am when fishing here. No fancy get up, in fact during the summer months I fish in a pair of cut-offs and old sneakers. In the fall months, a pair of hip boots will fill the bill quite nicely. Equipment is simple, an ultra-light spinning rod & reel combo spooled with 4 pound test (six pound in the fall) and a pocket full of assorted grubs and lead heads. I do allow myself a few hard baits such as a "River Runt", a "Tiny Torpedo”, a "Rebel Wee Craw" and a #7 Rapala (Silver Black) all kept in a small plano that fits snugly in my back pocket. Now that we're all geared up, lets start at the Rt 161 bridge.

Park to the right of the bridge before you go over the creek. Walk down the sloping embankment and head to your right along the stream. The fishing is fair at best below the bridge, though I once caught a 3 pounder there on a #7 Rapala in the late fall. About 150 yards from the bridge the stream widens out and shallows up. This area has plenty of chunk rock and the current moves slowly and tight to the far bank. I like to wade out a bit and cast to the edge of the current with grubs or if you’re there close to dusk, a Tiny Torpedo. The better smallmouth and walleye seem to lie in this section and I usually wont fish it beyond the big bend on your right unless I plan to make a day of it. There is some great fishing past this point, but its a long walk back in to the better areas in a section I refer to as "The Lost Valley", but if you ever got back there....lol

Moving on...get in your vehicle and head back to Rt#30 and take it south, a right turn. Take this to Rt#127, in Bramans Corners. Make a right here and take it down into a small hamlet. When you cross over the bridge if you look to your left you will see a very large pool below a waterfall break; this is your destination. Make a left at the end of Rt#127 and take it down a few hundred yards where there is a small pull off on your left (DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE DOWN THE SMALL DIRT ROAD TO THE WATER.... THE LAND OWNER WILL HAVE YOU ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING....BELEIVE ME). Now follow the dirt trail, next to where you parked, down to the water. Walk to the left and you will be at the foot of the large pool you saw from the bridge. Fish this pool from both sides, thoroughly. Two of the 4 pound smallies I have caught in this creek have come from this pool along with a pair of five-pound walleye. The best time to fish this pool is early morning or after 4 in the afternoon. The grub has always been my bait of choice here, though I have caught a few 2 pound smallmouth on the Tiny Torpedo fished in the a.m.

Back on your way again...to Rt30. Make a right turn (south) and stay on Rt30 until you come to the intersection of Rt#20 in the town of Esperance. Make a right turn and take it as far as the bridge, but don’t go over it. On your right will be a small service station with a dirt road that runs parallel to Rt20 for about 100 feet. The Service Station owner doesn’t mind you driving through down to a small parking area above the stream. Walk down to the stream and fish the pool directly in front of you. Its not the best area, but does hold a decent fish or two on occasion. I don’t particularly care for the area to your right, though one of my friends always goes in that direction and reports good results. I prefer the area south of the bridge a few hundred yards where the riffles end in a long and shallow pool that is less than 3 feet deep. This pool is slow moving, and loaded with small boulders...and TONS of crawfish. Plan on loosing plenty of lead heads in this pool, but the fishing can be worth it. If your not getting bit in a half-hour, move past the point on your left and head towards the bank with the tall trees on a fairly steep shoreline (mud bank). You will know what to do when you get there. I caught a 4 pound smallmouth here late one fall and my friend caught a 7 pound walleye, both on pumpkinseed grubs.

On the road again....take Rt#20 over the bridge (West) until you come to Rt#30A, then make a left, heading south. Take this about two miles down and look for a turn off on your left (unsure of the road). As soon as you make the left there is a bridge that crosses over the creek. Go over the bridge, turn around and park by the bridge next to the cornfield. You can fish both ways here, but I prefer to cross over the stream (wade accross) and fish to the right. There is a pool above the fast water that can be great, especially if the water is low and they can’t escape from the back of the pool. Wade out until you are almost waist deep and cast to the far side. If they are in this pool, the fishing can be outstanding. The grub and Tiny Torpedo have caught me quite a few fish in this pool. Now head back, re-cross the stream and go under the bridge and fish this section. You will have to wade out and cast to the far bank (houses on this bank). This spot holds fish year round, especially walleye.

Your on the road again...get back on Rt#30A and head south a few hundred yards. There is a DEC fishing access sight on your left. Turn in here and park down by the creek. Their is a large pool here that holds plenty of smallmouth and walleye. I like to cross the creek where it narrows, and fish it back into the pool on the far side. Don’t spend too much time in this pool. I have caught plenty of smallmouth here, but usually they are no larger than 12 inches. There are more interesting spots that await you ahead, so lets keep on trucking.

Stay on Rt30A south until you come to Rt#7. Make a left turn and your first right...don’t cross the bridge. This road runs parallel to the creek. Park under the Rt#88 bridge and climb down to the stream. Fish it to the left (north). This is the only area I have had some success at in this section of the creek. This is another spot where you shouldn’t waste too much time. If the water levels are high, it can be great, if not you will be lucky to pick a few fish.

Get back in your vehicle and make a right turn on Rt#7, cross the bridge then make a right (south) on Rt30 and stay on this road into the town of Schoharie. Just as you are about to leave the town, make a right on Bridge Street and take it over the bridge. Turn around and park on the right next to the bridge. Cross on foot over the bridge and go under it and fish here and to you right. Continue around the bend, past the fast water until you come to a fairly long pool. This pool is usually loaded with fish, both smallmouth and walleye. On one trip a few years back I caught 5 smallmouth that would have weighed close to 15 pounds (not the norm) and a limit of walleye that was almost as heavy and I DIDNT MOVE 10 FEET. It was in October, the water was high and moving and the fish were stacked at the head of the pool. I had a fun time here with Pat X last August and while we caught plenty of fish, none were over 2 pounds, though a few were close if not two pounds.

Most of the smallmouth you will catch here are between 8 and 13 inches, but there are plenty of fish in the 1 1/2 pound to 2 pound range to make things very interesting. As I have mentioned, there are quite a few quality smallmouth here and on occasion I have been lucky enough to have run across them when they were in a feeding mood. Remember that there is always the possibility you will run into a "bonus" walleye as well. I strongly recommend you purchase a New York Gazateer by DeLorme. It’s the bible for stream fisherman. It will show you how to access every stream, creek and river in the state. Now that I have let the secret out of the bag, please promise to respect the resource. Enjoy what this wonderful river/creek has to offer and treat her as gently as I have, she deserves it.


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