Normanskill Creek - Albany County

[Connie Bear Orion]

In my travels I came acrossed the Normanskill creek in Albany County. Looked like a nice place to fish.
I see a few people are in the capital district on here.

Would someone fill me in on the particulars of this creek?
Specifically what kind of fish are in there?

The DEC does not list anything stocked there.

[adkmoose]

The Normanskill is basically 2 seperate creeks. The upper creek flows into the Watervliet Resevior and the lower creek starts at the outlet dam.
I grew up on the upper creek, while it is a great looking piece of water it holds little game fish. Mostly suckers and eels and the occasional bass.It is a great canoe water , wide and slow.
I have heard stories about good trout and bass fishing below the dam but have never seen any proof of either.
Maybe someone else can add more .

[Dick]

Some more opinions and info here (I have NO knowledge of fishing whatsoever):

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=351581

http://users.nac.net/chasstamm/hrfanjorg/fishingr.htm

http://www.uhls.org/ISpy/guil/guil-french.html

http://www.cnyflyfish.com/forum/itemView.php?msgID=37

http://findlakes.com/watervliet_reservoir_new-york_vacation.htm

http://www.myfishfinder.com/fishing_forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=0e47f59687937d9bfc8696b2717774fd&topic=2106;prev_next=next

Dick

[Connie Bear Orion]

Thankyou all 3 of you.

The Normanskill near Delmar holds some nice bass. If you're not too obvious about it, park along the road leading to the Normanside County Club and walk across the cart path that bisects the fairway. It sort of peters out, then you walk down the fairway to the creek. Nice Smallies in here.
Or, you can head under the Normanskill Bridge connecting Albany to Delmar. Head out towards the farm where the APD keep their horses and you'll see a parking lot for the nature trail. Walk the trail a few hundred yards and you'll pass a fenced dog park and community garden. If you avoid going after heavy rain, nice bass fishing here. Good idea to go REALLY early in the morning so you're down on the creek before the golfers come out. Or go on a rainy day or just before dusk and fish until you can't see any longer.
I like to to chase bass with a fly rod. Good spot for streamers, clousers, and deer hair poppers. Pound for pound, nothing like a smallmouth on a fly rod.

Speaking of bass, the best bass fishing around are the golf course water hazards. Hardly any that don't have big bass. The water is loaded with herbicide runoff so be sure to do catch and release. A still evening, water like glass...Toss a deerhair popper and prepare to get wet from the explosive strikes.

The Normanskill is basically 2 seperate creeks. The upper creek flows into the Watervliet Resevior and the lower creek starts at the outlet dam.
I grew up on the upper creek, while it is a great looking piece of water it holds little game fish. Mostly suckers and eels and the occasional bass.It is a great canoe water , wide and slow.
I have heard stories about good trout and bass fishing below the dam but have never seen any proof of either.
Maybe someone else can add more .

But the problem is, I don't know the area real well.
I was traveling down rt 85 when I went over the normanskill.
I see its a construction zone but when that is done I figure next time i cut thru there I will cast a line.

Is that the area where the fish are?

[Connie Bear Orion]

You can get there from 85, but the best thing is to get onto Delaware Ave in Delmar. You can access the Normanside C.C. a couple of blocks north of CVS, and if you head further north, you cross a bridge over the Normanskill and just take one of the side roads that go under that bridge.
For some fast action, there's an abandoned country club out in New Scotland. Its all overgrown and has 5 ponds loaded with bass. Most of them are small, but on a good day with no wind, I can catch bass as fast as I can toss them back and get the fly back into the water.

Ok.
Thankyou.
The Rt. 85 bridge was being worked on when I went thru, so Delaware Ave would be better.
I will just have to get my map out to find it.

[adkmoose]

Hint , It is private property. The owner will probably not give you permission but he also probably will not do anything if he catches you . Chances are you will never see the owner, but it still does not make it right.
It is not LEGALLY posted but it is not public land .

[Connie Bear Orion]

Hint , It is private property. The owner will probably not give you permission but he also probably will not do anything if he catches you . Chances are you will never see the owner, but it still does not make it right.
It is not LEGALLY posted but it is not public land .

So i can exploit the loophole and do some fishing.
In that case until the owner asks you to leave its not illegal.

But its not really worth it. Creates a negative view of fishermen.


Thanks for the tips Peakbagr, but I think I will stick with the delaware ave tip.

[Connie Bear Orion]

You're right, its not posted, and we've been fishing it for years. Ever since we DID run into a representative of the owner who said it was OK.
And that is completely beside the point, as I don't know anyone who hunts, fishes or hikes who turn around when encountering an open piece of woods just because there there isn't sign that says 'public welcome'.

And Connie, don't worry about fishing there. Dozens do without a problem.
And I'm close enough to walk there.

Oh ok cool.
Then I will check it out.

I misread ADKmoose's Post.
I took it as he has been there.
Now I see the "probably"

If I know its private property, posted or not, and I know people are unwelcome I tend to stay away. No point asking for trouble.

But if lots of people do it and no one cares, ok I am in.

But your right. If its unposted and I am not sure its private, I go.

Hint , It is private property. The owner will probably not give you permission but he also probably will not do anything if he catches you . Chances are you will never see the owner, but it still does not make it right.
It is not LEGALLY posted but it is not public land .

[adkmoose]

Oh ok cool.
Then I will check it out.

I misread ADKmoose's Post.
I took it as he has been there.
Now I see the "probably"

If I know its private property, posted or not, and I know people are unwelcome I tend to stay away. No point asking for trouble.

But if lots of people do it and no one cares, ok I am in.

But your right. If its unposted and I am not sure its private, I go.

I have been there WITH permission.

[Connie Bear Orion]

Connie,

Lets make plans to fish it together some time.

Next time I know I am gonna be in the area long enough to fish, sounds like a good idea.

[Edmund]

Fishing in the Normanskill

I fish there all the time; I usually go where the creek empties into the Hudson, along South Pearl St.
I have caught freshwater grunts, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, white perch, sunnies, channel cats, bullheads, carp and eels. Towards the middle of the summer, I've even caught blue crab as they wander up from the Atlantic.
It's a great place to fish.

[Edmund]

I fished there this evening

...and my friend caught one of the nicest bullheads I'd ever seen. The thing was huge. I regret we didn't have a scale or tape measure to record it for our angling posterity.
Earlier today I was catching lots of white perch, annoyingly small. I had one hooked and was reeling it in when thunk. it 'hit', then suddenly began to fight, hard. What I reeled in was a largemouth bass that was attempting to swallow the perch I'd hooked.

[Hobbitling]

I fished the country club ponds today. wow, you weren't kidding! big dumb and hungry. crappies, bluegill, and bass. caught quite a few. set em all free. took a little searching to find, but it was worth it. also saw a ton of coyote scat.

[Edmund]

Some friends and I launched a canoe at the bridge where So. Pearl crosses the creek. We paddled until we reached the mouth of the creek at the Hudson. We caught beautiful bullhead and channel cats -big and fat, along with the usual white perch and eels. A great fishing spot!