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May 19, 2003 |
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Fishing the Birch Creek
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This week we explore Birch Creek, a lovely Shandaken stream and tributary of the Esopus Creek. Birch Creek begins life as a rivulet of trickling cold water on the southern flanks of Halcott Mountain, in the nearby Town of Lexington. The little stream picks up steam as it crosses Upper Birch Creek Road and enters Shandaken. The stream flows through the old Reisser Farm at the end of Lower Birch Creek Road, which is now part of the Catskill Forest Preserve, and then continues southwest along Lower Birch Creek Road. At Birch Creek Road, the namesake creek turns south and flows into Pine Hill. After passing by exiting the hamlet, the stream flows past the Pine Hill Lake Day Use Area, behind the NYCDEP sewage treatment plant, and along the foot of Belleayre Ridge to Big Indian where it merges with the Esopus. The total length of Birch Creek is 7 miles.
In 1910 the stream was dammed to form Pine Hill Lake. That dam washed out in 1950, then was rebuilt and washed out again in 1968. Being a typical cold, rocky Catskill stream, it is no surprise that Birch Creek holds trout. Some impoundments on streams can be beneficial to trout if they stay cold through the summer, however most dammed ponds allow water to be significantly warmed, which is a detriment to trout downstream. So when the NYSDEC bought the Day Use Area property in 1985 and rebuilt the lake in 1988, instead of damming the stream again they made the lake separate from the stream. This prevents stream water from being heated as much, and creates less of a barrier to fish passage. There are still a couple of spots that trout have a hard time passing when water is low, and the Catskill Mountain and Ashokan-Pepacton Chapters of Trout Unlimited have been working to make it easier for fish to pass those barriers. Anyone looking under the Elm Street bridge in Pine Hill will see wooden beams that make the water ‘pile up’ into deeper pockets, which help fish pass over the flat concrete floor of the box culvert.
Birch Creek certainly does not hold the number or size of trout as the larger Esopus, but it can be a good choice for those who like catching colorful wild trout in small runs and pocket pools, using light tackle. The easiest access to Birch Creek is at the Day Use Area, and now and then you will see fishermen trying their hand beneath the covered bridge. Chris has caught fish just above this spot in the series of beautiful beaver pools. Pine Hill Lake itself also holds fish, both trout and warm-water species such as bass and sunfish. The Day Use Area and the Reisser Farm are currently the only places where there is guaranteed public access to Birch Creek. The NYCDEP, however, is in the process of acquiring land along almost a mile of Birch Creek. The remainder of the creek runs through private property - much of it unposted (always ask permission to enter private property).
After our recent rainy weather passed and the streams came down a bit, Chris spent an evening fishing along Lower Birch Creek Road. This is quick, shallow water where one has to look carefully for the subtle signs of a run or rocky pool that might be more than a few inches deep and hold small trout. Often these trout are less picky than their larger cousins and will hit just about any fly, but they also can be spooked easily. It’s easy to lose flies in the low branches of trees hanging over the stream, so a delicate approach is a must. Like other small Catskill tributaries, you will rarely encounter or even see another person fishing. These are places where the rewards of solitude are chosen over the rewards of large fish. Chris expected to catch a brook trout or two, but ended up landing nine wild trout during the course of working upstream for almost a mile. Five of the fish were brown trout and the others brookies; all between 5 ½ and 7 ½ inches long. The highlight for Chris was catching all of the fish on the same fly (a homemade wet fly) without losing it in the trees. At the end of the day though, after three hours of fishing, the lucky fly was finally lost in a high branch.
A few days ago we were treated to a special wildlife sighting at the Reisser Farm. There was common loon swimming in the larger pond! This is the first loon we’ve seen for sure in the Catskills (though a couple times we thought we saw them on a reservoir, but couldn’t be sure). It was a real treat to have a loon up close on such a small pond, diving when it saw us and then resurfacing across the pond a few minutes later.
- Chris and Aaron
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