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Not to be confused with the stream that bears the same
name on Lake Erie, Eighteen Mile Creek located near Olcott
in western New York is blessed with strong runs of trout
and salmon that originate in Lake Ontario. The creek
is located in Niagara County immediately north of Lockport.
Eighteen Mile Creek is also known by the name Burt Dam
and is really more then a creek; closer to a small river.
With its close proximity to the fish rich Niagara Bar,
Eighteen Mile is a tributary worth investigating.
Eighteen Mile Creek is typical of western NY tributaries,
enjoying World Class angling opportunities for trophy
salmon, steelhead and brown trout. The runs are similar
to its watery cousin just east in Orleans County, the
Oak Orchard River. King salmon are the first to arrive
in mid to end of September. The Kings are large, often
pushing water in large V-wakes as they negotiate shallow
runs. The huge salmon so exposed often draw "fishermen" in
large crowds. The practice of snagging is illegal,
but some creative rigs are often used to harvest the
salmon! In October and November, good numbers of brown
trout will be holding in the shallow runs and small
depressions with fly anglers drifting the usually suspects
like glo bugs, scrambled eggs (the fly was originated
on this waterway), carpet flies, beadhead nymphs and
woolly buggers. Steelhead and "domestic" rainbows also
can be found in the Fall, shadowing the salmon and
picking off an easy meal of salmon eggs. Winter fishing
is excellent, with holdover brown trout and steelhead
arriving on select freshets from January through May.
Eighteen Mile Creek has a short stretch of classic
driftable water below the Burt Dam. The stretch may
be only one-half mile and compounds the problem of
angler crowding. At Burt Dam there is a turbine hole
and overflow pool. They both spill simultaneously into
a narrow stretch of white water and tail out into a
nice long, curved pool. The creek is productive all
the way through to just below the trestle bridge. The
contours of the creek are not abrupt and at first glance
the water may seem none to inviting. But the brown
trout and steelhead will hold in the flat water that
is often deeper then it looks or small depressions
and around any structure like rocks and boulders. Wading
is generally a calm affair, just watch your step in
high, discolored water or when attempting a crossing
of the white water just below the dam.
Eighteen Mile Creek can get discolored from rain
or snowmelt events. The savvy angler will know that
it can still be fished effectively when there is just
less then six inches of visibility. In-fact, when the
water is too clear, spooked fish are the norm and legitimate
hookups are difficult.
All manner of flyfishing techniques are employed
on Eighteen Mile Creek. The lower stretches just above
the trestle bridge are conducive to long casts on a
floating line and swung flies. Little or no weight
is usually needed. Equally productive through this
stretch are strike indicators and tiny egg patterns.
The cover here is mostly open and casts can be made
in the traditional overhead manner Approaching the
fast water just below the dam, long leaders with weight
added off a dropper or tag end of the tippet and leader
junction are employed in the same manner as fishing
most other western NY tributaries. Running lines are
seldom employed, as the only time it would be a better
method then traditional setups would be when the creek
is too high and turbid to fish anyway. Flyfishing the
turbine hole or overflow pool may be the only spot
where a "chuck and duck" running line method will work
best. You won't miss much if you leave that water for
the spin fishermen.
Traveling anglers from the south can get to Burt
Dam directly via Route 78 (Transit Road) or from Routes
63 or 98 passing through Medina or Albion to the east
and proceeding west on Routes 104 or 18. The NYS Thruway,
Lake Ontario State Parkway and Interstate 17/86 will
get anglers to western NY from points to the south.
There is one angler's parking lot on Route 78 on the
east side of the creek at the town of Burt. The lot
is marked and a trail from the parking area leads right
down to the best water upstream.
Eighteen Mile Creek is targeted by many anglers sometimes
too eager to latch onto a huge salmon. Flyfishing is
enjoying growing popularity on the tributary and genuine
sportsmen are the rule during late Fall, Winter and
Spring angling times. The waterway is a consistent
producer of trout and salmon and during peak runs it
seems as if some fresh fish arrive each day. Don't
overlook this nice sized tributary and you may be rewarded
with a hot day of fishing where you'll remember each
thrashing hookup vividly. |
