Onondaga Cave State Park

[Midwest troutbum]

Has anyone fished the spring at Onondaga Cave State Park? The spring I am referring to is located at the base of the cliff below the parks main office and main cave entrance. It can be accessed through the campground entrance road. Would anyone know if fishing is even allowed in this part of the park? If some of the vegetation was dredged out of the larger pool below the spillway and a few deeper pools were created it would have potential for a small trout park.... Possibly could provide another trout and smallmouth fishing opportunity for the State Park system someday..... It was hardly noticeable to park visitors until several years ago when the park office was moved and modernized and the campground access road was re-routed off the top of the hill. Before that the spring was inaccessible except for a foot trail from the campground to the spring at the base of the cliff. Most cave visitors never see this part of the park.

[Stoneroller]

now you gotta go start a thread about building more trout waters....

[Midwest troutbum]

Any new opportunity for special management trout or smallmouth fishing in this state would be great....

[mic]

I'm pretty sure the spring is only accessible by the trail between the campground and conservation house. I don't think there is any fishing there, and it is pretty small. It drains into the bigger ponds below the spring alongside of the road. It appears to be very shallow and choked full of moss.

[Gavin]

If you want to trout fish near Onandaga...take Possum Hollow Road over to Blue Spring Creek...maybe a 10-15 minute drive.

[Greasy B]

I'm not sure of the volumn of water from this spring but it's unlikely it has enough to sustain trout. Fact is most every spring capable or that should be developed to support trout already does. however there is an existing swale in Maramec Spring Park that has both the available water and head pressure to be developed into a small version of the catch and release stream at montauk. It just needs a hydrologist and a budget and of course a desire.

[Geoff]

There are soem bluegill and such in there. nothing really big though

[Smalliebigs]

If you want to trout fish near Onandaga...take Possum Hollow Road over to Blue Spring Creek...maybe a 10-15 minute drive.

Don't make it too easy for them Gavin......lol

I hope your summer has been going well and the kiddos are having some pool time away from Satan farting here the last week or so.

[Midwest troutbum]

I believe I have fished Blue Spring Creek near Sullivan before... If it is the creek im thinking of along Highway N it is always way to warm this time of year....chock full bank to bank of local people playing in the fishing holes too.... way to full to even cast in without hooking someone. Mostly a winter stock fishing creek... Its been a while since viewing Onandoga spring, but it was always much cooler water and a deeper overflow pool.... Just way to overgrown and not managed as a trout pond.

[ozark trout fisher]

I believe I have fished Blue Spring Creek near Sullivan before... If it is the creek im thinking of along Highway N it is always way to warm this time of year....chock full bank to bank of local people playing in the fishing holes too.... way to full to even cast in without hooking someone. Mostly a winter stock fishing creek... Its been a while since viewing Onandoga spring, but it was always much cooler water and a deeper overflow pool.... Just way to overgrown and not managed as a trout pond.

Sounds like you really like Blue Spring Creek and want it to yourself:)

You're right that it's too warm to fish right now. You'd get skunked and if you did catching anything it would almost certainly die. 10 months of the year it's good fishery though, but like most spring creeks the fishing isn't always easy...I know all that brush along it makes it a tough cookie but that's a big part of why it can hold wild 'bows. You'll either come away cussing or smiling, sometimes both.

If you're in Onondaga Park you've already got plenty of really good fishing anyway, trout or no. Both the Meramec and especially Huzzah/Courtois can be waded there and are excellent places to fly fish for smallmouth, provided you don't go on a weekend.