Swinging a Streamer on The West Canada Creek Photo by Wendy C.
When the water receded to 200 cfs around 5pm March 19th, I landed two beauties (one around 18″) in the trophy section using #6 black stoneflies fished at the head of a pool. Sunset was around 6:30pm.
The lower portion of the West Canada from Trenton Falls flowing south through a picturesque valley to the Mohawk River at Herkimer is one of Central New York’s premier trout streams.
It offers everything a fly-fisher could dream: deep pools, long runs, classic riffle water, large brown trout, and good aquatic insect populations. There is also a year-round fishery. Fishing with nymphs and streamers during the winter months can be a fun and sometimes productive outing on warmer days. The section from the gate at Trenton Falls to the Route 28 bridge is catch and release and only artificial lures may be used and as a result can produce some large fish, although there are large fish throughout the river.
The West Canada has good populations of stoneflies. During the winter months, fishing stonefly nymphs, wet flies, streamers or woolly buggers sizes #6 to #12 will produce fish when fished slow and deep or deep with a swinging presentation.
Hatches of caddis and mayflies start in the spring and continue throughout the summer and into the fall.
Hefty Fall West Canada Brown Trout taken by stripping a wet fly back upstream. Photo by Matt Chapple
Hatches start with some Quill Gordons (Epeorus pleuralis) in April, but the hatches become heavier in May with the emergence of the Hendricksons (Ephemerella subvaria) and caddis. There are a variety of mayfly hatches and nice caddis hatches throughout the season well into the autumn, so be prepared with Elk Hair Caddis with green, tan, or gray bodies as well as Caddis emergers and pupa which are effective patterns at times when fish selectively feed on ascending caddis.
I did this hatch chart years ago. The timing of hatches and abundance may have changed over the years, but this is a general idea of what to look for.
Fishing Comparaduns and sparkle dun patterns in the slick, long pools during mayfly hatches and fishing high riding Wulff-style flies in heavy riffle water can both be productive. This is a great dry-fly river and fishing dry flies, in my opinion, is the most enjoyable way to fish for trout. I have also caught some gorgeous fish casting larger dry flies, such as a Stimulator, when fish are not rising. This is called prospecting or blind casting a dry fly, and it is really fun. Good places to blind cast a dry fly are in faster riffle water and the heads of pools and in deeper water around boulders.
Some other exciting hatches are the Golden Drakes (Potamanthus distinctus) in July, the White Fly (Ephoron leukon) in August and September, and Blue Winged Olives in the autumn.
West Canada Yellow Drake During a Summer Hatch Photo by Wendy C.
When fish are not surface feeding, nymphs, wet flies and streamers can also take fish. I have taken some of my biggest fish using nymphs or wet flies on the West Canada. Prince Nymphs, Stonefly imitations, Woolly Buggers, soft hackle wet flies and streamers, with a touch of yellow or chartreuse, can be effective.
Access to the West Canada Creek is very good. Route 28 follows along the creek for the entire lower stretch and provides numerous access points. No need to stay just in the catch and release section as there are fish throughout the river and many great spots to explore. The West Canada Creek is subject to releases from the dam. A water level of 900 cubic feet per second is a nice fishable level for the stretch just below the gate at Trenton Falls, but levels from 500 to 600 are my personal favorite. Even during higher water releases, the slower sections can be productive.
One of the most fascinating hatches of the year is the white fly hatch. Photo by Wendy C.
There seems to be some misconception that the West Canada is a true tailwater type of fishery. However, the two reservoirs above the lower section of the West Canada are not deep and get warm during hot summers, and the water fed by the dams is not cold water. The West Canada suffers the same, or worse, rise in water temperatures as a freestone stream and generally shuts down by mid-July if the summer is hot. During the summer it’s important to monitor the water temperature as it will warm to above 70 degrees F during these warm spells. After a cooler summer night, water temperatures will be lowest during morning hours, and anglers can take advantage of periods of lower temperatures in the morning but should monitor water temperatures carefully.
This absolutely gorgeous brown took a swinging #12 tan soft hackle wet fly in May of 2023. Photo by Matt Chapple
A pair of Cedar Waxwings enjoy a meal of Tricos too
There are many small streams in Central New York, like theOriskany Creek that produce excellent hatches of the Tricorythodes or tiny white and black mayfly. The Tricos start to emerge sometime in July when the summer starts to heat up. Look for them as a swarm-cloud over the riffles of the stream, which indicates a strong population. They exist in good numbers in streams with some silt. One of the most beautiful sights of the year is looking up into the morning sun and seeing a cloud of Tricos performing a mating dance over the water. Though they are incredibly small, ranging from size 20 to 26, these tiny mayflies can provide some of the most exciting action of the year. The hatch is usually very reliable. Once the first hatch starts sometime in July, hatches usually occur every morning until the first really hard frost.
The Oriskany Creek low and clear, but a nice 62 F during Trico Hatch.
Male Tricos, which have an entirely black/dark brown body, emerge overnight and take refuge in the streamside trees and vegetation until the emergence of the female duns. Females have a white abdomen and a black thorax. Emergence of the female duns will occur in the morning anytime from sunrise to 9am depending on the weather. A really hot morning will cause an earlier emergence and colder weather will push the hatch later. From sunrise to emergence fishing a sunken fly is possible, and during the emergence you may elicit some strikes with a dry fly/surface presentation, but the best action comes when the Tricos molt and mate. Some publications have stated that Tricos duns molt into spinners in the air. It is thought now that they must land to molt. Some of them may take flight with the partially molted exoskeleton still attached to the tails. This may give the illusion that the spinners are molting in the air. The spinner fall will happen in a relatively short period of time, sometime from 9am-12pm. After the adults mate and die, there will be countless dead and dying Tricos drifting on the surface of the water , in the film or just below the surface. Because the Tricos are so small, it can look to the un-aware that the fish are rising to nothing! They can feed on the dead spinners for quite a while after all the spinners have dropped as they drift downstream.
A stealth approach is critical to success on smaller central New York streams. The water will most likely be very low and clear. Casting accuracy is also important. Fish spook very easily in the low clear water of summer. The best tackle to use for these small central New York streams is a 3 or 4 weight 7 to 9 foot rod, which will help with a delicate presentation. Cast well above rising fish 10-15 feet if possible in slower water. The stealth of the cast is not as critical if fish are taking spinners in more choppy water of a riffle or head of a pool. Use 7X or 8X tippet, and a leader of at least 10-foot to aid in the stealth of your presentation.
One my favorite flies to fish the trico hatch has been the Trico Hare spinner or dun. It is easy to tie and is very suggestive to trout.
Trico Hare Spinner Tying Specifications
Trico Hare Spinner
Hook
#20-#22 dry fly(I like straight eye hooks so I have room to thread the tippet)
Thread
White 8/0
Tail
Snowshoe Hare Foot under-hair
Body
Abdomen
White thread
Thorax
Black Beaver Dubbing
Wing
Snowshoe Hare Foot under-hair tied flat (spent wings) or upright like a comparadun also works.
Don’t let the hot summer days put an end to your trout fishing. Get out in the morning and challenge the trout and yourself with a Trico imitation. Both the Oriskany Creek and Sauquoit Creek in central New York produce good hatches of Tricos.
