[the saltydog]

It looks like I might be picking up a second residence in the Albany, NY area, just Southwest of the city. Anyone familiar with fishing close by, I'm fine with put and take at a close distance for a quick outing. Also what's available within an hour drive?

[Horseshoes]

Canada, isn't it?

[mvendon]

It looks like I might be picking up a second residence in the Albany, NY area, just Southwest of the city. Anyone familiar with fishing close by, I'm fine with put and take at a close distance for a quick outing. Also what's available within an hour drive?

Hi saltydog,

If it's for trout, it's pretty terrible. If it's for other types of warm water fish during the warmer months, it's not bad at all. You have to travel pretty much out of the general area for trout. It's only getting gradually worse as the years go by too. A good example of just how bad it is. You can look at a Delorme atlas of New York, and read about Catskill creek. It's printed as having brook, brown, and rainbow trout in it. I belong to the Clearwater chapter of TU. They did a redd survey around four or five years ago on this stream. The grand total, 4 redds! There's pull-offs, quite a bit of un-posted stream access, lots of really nice looking pools that have nothing in them but minnows. In the lower stretches, it's good for smallmouth. I can't name one stream in the area that has even stayed about the same as far as trout fishing goes in the last ten years, let alone going back to the 70's or 80's.

Regards,
Mark

[David Legg]

Ouch... it hurts to hear about that. What has led to the problems with the stream? Is it an agricultural issue or construction, or is it because there are so many fishermen tramping in and out that the stream has become inundated with bank sediments, or was there a major change in water flow that prevents sediments from washing out?

One of the biggest problems facing our western streams was the restriction of water flows which prevented sediments from being displaced. Changes in water flow management have really helped to restore a lot of our water. I also read of a river where fishermen inadvertently caused the sedimentation, primarily by acclerating bank erosion through careless access. I recall that they restricted some access areas and improved others to help restore that river.

Unfortunately, these things never get fixed quickly, and these days, the more expensive problems might be pretty tough to take on with all the government budget issues. Luckily our TU chapters are well organized out here, and have quite a bit of momentum. I just saw where a new river improvement project was completed with some federal funds not far from my house. Part of that project involved bank restoration.

I hope something changes for you out there. In the meantime, smallmouths can be fun.

[smalliestalker]

Hey Salty...I live in Cobleskill, it's about 35 minutes west of Albany.....I fish 6 days a week....from mid-march until mid nov......if you are willing to drive a little there is great fishing all around you.....The warmwater fishing in NY is amazing, from my house I can drive 15 minutes and be on 3-5 lb largemouth, 2-4 lb smallmouth, walleye, pickerel, more monster panfish then I can count, 30 minutes will put me into pike and muskie, 15 minutes will put me in coldwater for brookies and browns......Let me know what you want to catch, and I'll see if I can help you out, point you in the right direction....There is more great water in upstate NY then most people know about......Good luck with the move....PM me for info...

[the saltydog]

smalliestalker, I'm so happy to hear your news.... i was deciding on if I should let my wife move on her own. Sounds like I have a lot of tying to do since I have mostly trout flies.... we are looking at moving to guilderland.

will pm shortly

[AlexC]

I work about 3 minutes from Guilderland, live about 20 minutes north. The fishing here is awesome. It's all warmwater(second to none) other than stockers within the hour mark. From 1-3 hours out, the trout fishing is excellent; or if you get bored with trout you can be standing in the ocean; or in a Lake Ontario trib. Shoot me a PM when you're settled in.

[mvendon]

Ouch... it hurts to hear about that. What has led to the problems with the stream? Is it an agricultural issue or construction, or is it because there are so many fishermen tramping in and out that the stream has become inundated with bank sediments, or was there a major change in water flow that prevents sediments from washing out?

One of the biggest problems facing our western streams was the restriction of water flows which prevented sediments from being displaced. Changes in water flow management have really helped to restore a lot of our water. I also read of a river where fishermen inadvertently caused the sedimentation, primarily by acclerating bank erosion through careless access. I recall that they restricted some access areas and improved others to help restore that river.

Unfortunately, these things never get fixed quickly, and these days, the more expensive problems might be pretty tough to take on with all the government budget issues. Luckily our TU chapters are well organized out here, and have quite a bit of momentum. I just saw where a new river improvement project was completed with some federal funds not far from my house. Part of that project involved bank restoration.

I hope something changes for you out there. In the meantime, smallmouths can be fun.

One of the worst factors has been that we've had at least 5- 100 year floods since January of 1996. Some of these have been from the remnants of hurricanes following a drought summer. In some places, the entire stream bed has moved. Trees have fallen in, huge sections of banks eroded, etc. Siltation is probably the main problem for the lack of trout reproduction, but that's just a guess on my part. No ones doing any kind of a study as to why its declining, but it is. I have a stream in my back yard and I haven't seen a trout now in two years. They used to venture up in late spring/early summer from some deeper pools that were downstream from my house. In the eighties, I used to see a group or a pair here and there up and down it. Not anymore. I used to go to the upper Schoharie creek in the Catskills for trout. That's been going downhill for years. Two years ago, I met a guy that's on a couple of other forums that was doing a catching survey during the spring there. I was close to one of the best pools on that entire upper part, and he told me no-one had caught a holdover from it as far as he knew that year! It was always a given that it held some in the years before.
I do fish for smallies and other warm water fish. Smallmouth are obviously way more adaptable and can bounce right back population wise after one of these floods. I've also noticed that their numbers aren't that effected by these floods if there's a lot of structure like big sharp edged rocks and boulders in
places compared to where its just small round rocks on the stream bed with an occaisional boulder here and there.

Regards,
Mark

[oatka]

I work about 3 minutes from Guilderland, live about 20 minutes north. The fishing here is awesome. It's all warmwater(second to none) other than stockers within the hour mark. From 1-3 hours out, the trout fishing is excellent; or if you get bored with trout you can be standing in the ocean; or in a Lake Ontario trib. Shoot me a PM when you're settled in.

I was going to say PM AlexC but he beat me to it! But, now you even have his permission to do that.

So, here's what you do. You settle in, contact Alex, and then butter him up nicely to take you out and let him play guide.

[FoulHooked]

I work about 3 minutes from Guilderland, live about 20 minutes north. The fishing here is awesome. It's all warmwater(second to none) other than stockers within the hour mark. From 1-3 hours out, the trout fishing is excellent; or if you get bored with trout you can be standing in the ocean; or in a Lake Ontario trib. Shoot me a PM when you're settled in.

I was going to say PM AlexC but he beat me to it! But, now you even have his permission to do that.

So, here's what you do. You settle in, contact Alex, and then butter him up nicely to take you out and let him play guide.

second.

great warmwater close, coldwater within a reasonable drive. dont listen to alex though...he has no idea what he's talking about

[the saltydog]

OK Gents - I'm feeling much better. I had planned on getting into some warmwater fishing this year down in Pa and had picked up a 5wt outfit in preparation. I have been looking for an excuse to buy a kayak or canoe. The wife is up there this weekend finding a place to rent for the first year and I'm back here in the snow with the dogs, so I have all weekend to get some new flies tied.

I'll reach out to all you guys and bring the beer once I get settled in and the wife gives me the pass.

Thanks guys.

Greg