A Visit With My Sister - Part 1

My sister came to visit, but I was sick and not at my best. The cats were terrified of her and hid almost the whole time. The dogs loved her and thought we were going hiking. We didn't really do that, though, as it rained almost continually. It was cold, wet, and miserable weather.

We did go touring, first to the Mohawk museum near the Canadian border. Alas, it was closed for remodeling. Next we went to a waterfall in a private campground. It too was closed, so we continued on to the nearby NYS trout hatchery. One man gave us a tour:

The staff was outside in the cold rain, and busy notching the fins of small fish in order to identify their origins later in life:

Inside the building, the tanks of hatchlings were full:

Tiny little trout, from the size of guppies to about 4" long:

The trout eggs are incubated in trays along the walls but it appeared this was the wrong time of year and the trays were empty:

He took us outside and showed us the bigger fish, some of them 3' long:

Alas, the giant, gold colored albino trout, which I've enjoyed on former visits, had all died (mostly from old age, he said):

We also tried to hike to a waterfall in Santa Clara, New York. Though the snow at my house was all melted, it was 18" and crusted over in the Adirondacks:

Each step sent my feet down through the snow and it was difficult to pull them back out because of the crust on top. We only went about 25 feet, but that was enough to cause me leg cramps and poor old Seamus, who crashed through the snow right up to his belly and was immobilized, was very wobbly afterwards. I had to help him stand up the next morning:

But the road was plowed and inviting, so we walked happily there for a short time:

We didn't go far, though, because a passing car made it clear that it was not safe for the dogs:

But we did get some gorgeous views of the St. Regis River. Somewhere down in that valley was the waterfall we didn't get to see plus other incredible sights. We'll try again, though, when my sister visits in better weather:

Another view of the St. Regis River, taken from a bridge as we drove away:

State Fish Hatchery In Chateaugay, NY-Part 2

I had just walked around the outdoor ponds at the hatchery (see yesterday's post) and was heading back to the buildings when I saw the "Display Pond," with what I guessed to be the boss's house up on the hill:

The pond was small but deep, and filled with giant Rainbow Trout, some of them at least 3 feet long. Sadly, none of the photos I took of them were use usable:

Then I walked farther, over to some giant blue tanks which were also filled with large trout. I particularly liked the yellow albino fish:

These were Rainbow Trout and very large, at least 2 feet long:

I tried to get a closeup of the albinos, but this was the best I could do:

Then I went inside, where the fish are hatched and begin their lives. A handsome and personable young fisheries man showed me around:


He explained that these indoor tanks were where the hatchlings begin their lives before being moved outdoors:

And these drawers were for hatching the eggs:

He took me back outside and explained that the yellow albinos I liked so much were Lake Trout:

Most of the other big fish were Rainbow Trout. He was very helpful and we talked for awhile. Then I thanked him and headed for home:

State Fish Hatchery In Chateaugay, NY - Part 1

It had been raining off and on all morning, so I used that as an excuse to travel to the village of Chateaugay, about a 50 minute drive, to visit the State Trout Hatchery:

I began by walking around the outdoor pools. These tanks, the closest to the office building, were for those smallest fish which had hatched indoors but were being moved outside for the first time:

From there I saw many concrete pools, all with fresh running water and automatic feeders:

I didn't find out if the wires were to hold tarps when it rained or to discourage predators - maybe both:

There were huge numbers of baby trout:

They were small, about finger length, so I suppose they would be fingerlings:

The Marble River was just over that bank but I didn't try to push through the wet foliage to see it. Besides, I didn't want to be barred from accessing the trout (as per the sign):

When I reached the end of the ponds, I looked back toward the office buildings. It was truly an impressive operation:

There was what appeared to be a maintenance area behind the ponds, but it was marked off limits. I got a kick out of the fish net, though. I suppose it would come in handy here:

I began walking back to the buildings, and noted the incredible beauty of the location. This trail would have led up the hill to the access road and was probably a shortcut for the staff. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A Visit To A New York State Trout Hatchery

We'd endured five days of chilly, rainy weather and at last we were promised a dry day. It was still cloudy, but I drove east to the town of Chateaugay to visit the New York State Trout Hatchery:

The hatchery was located in flat farm country, but was surrounded by pines and spruces. The Chateaugay River flowed just beyond those trees. Before entering the building, I explored the many "ponds" outdoors. Cold, clean water flowed through all of them continuously, and the first set were entirely covered with boards. I was told later that the young fish liked shade - and it also helped keep out predators:

The next set of ponds were open and contained 6-8" trout - many thousands of them:

Each pond was filled with baby trout:

And each pond was covered with wire, presumably to hold netting or tarps in the winter, and fed by a lively waterfall to keep fresh, aerated water moving at all times:

I walked up toward the building, stopping on the way to see the small display pond. It also was continuously fed with cold, aerated water:

Inside the display pond were very large trout, each of them two to three feet long:

I walked toward the buildings but first stopped to examine two large, circular tanks and one long, rectangular tank. The fish inside were huge and there were several golden, albino trout. I later learned that albinos are hatched every year, but most are stocked along with the normally colored fish. These were kept as a display:

I never learned to tell one species of trout from another, but I was told that they breed Rainbow, Lake and Brook Trout:

I entered the building and found many large, rectangular tanks and one worker:

The tanks had small fingerlings inside:

And the worker was cleaning Rainbow Trout eggs with a feather. The eggs at the hinged side were not yet cleaned, while the eggs closer to her were cleaned and ready to go. I thanked her for the helpful information she provided and began the drive home. But that also was interesting, and I'll post about the drive home tomorrow: