For a few weeks each year in the Adirondacks, if the weather is fair and the wind is calm, there's a chance to see fish fly. Brown trout, lake trout, rainbows, splake—all rain from the sky, flopping through the air and touching down with a splash in the remote waters of the North Country. What may seem like a celestial event to an angler on a quiet pond surprised by an airborne school, is actually a highly coordinated delivery effort led by Steve Grabowski and his staff at the Rome Fish Hatchery. Help is also provided by the Adirondack and Chateaugay hatcheries, with support from other partners. DEC stocks hatchery-raised fish in bodies of water all over the state, for both recreation and restoration. Most are delivered using specialized trucks that transfer fish directly from a road or paved access point. But to supply the more than 300 ponds and lakes in the backcountry of the Adirondacks, the only way in is by air.
SPRING
Delivery Method: Helicopter Drop Window: Early May Species Stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Domestic Brook Trout, Splake, Lake Trout, Atlantic Salmon, Round Whitefish Number of Fish Stocked: 64,210 Number of Waters Stocked: 67
There was action on the ground near the shores of Indian Lake on the morning of May 1. Grabowski, who invited me north for a day of spring air stocking, was busy directing a tanker truck alongside a helicopter waiting on its landing pad. With 25 years of experience, he’d already made the careful calculations to ensure the correct number of fish now being skillfully netted from truck to chopper would be delivered to their intended location. Biologists determine these numbers based on year-round research on population changes and water quality, with input from angler surveys.
After a safety briefing and logistics rundown, I climbed aboard the UH-1H II “Huey” that would soon drop approximately 300 pounds of rainbow trout into the upper reaches of the Hudson River. I strapped into the rear-facing jump seat, anchored between two 50-gallon tanks filled with water, fish, and foam from the attached aerators. Maintaining stable oxygen levels is essential to reducing stress on the fish throughout their journey. The engine sounds started to build and vibrations in the cabin increased as we waited for take-off. When the thrumming of the blades reached its ultimate pitch, a speckled tailfin suddenly broke the surface next to me, throwing a drop of water on my coat. I watched it absorb into the fabric and when I looked back out the window, we were in the air.
The trout and I were flying in the capable hands of Pilots Patrick Hogan and James Bak. DEC partners with New York State Police for these stocking missions, which are a favorite among troopers in the aviation unit. I could see why. It was a beautiful sunny day and despite the din from all the machinery, there was a quiet peace in the air. We were supporting ecological balance in Adirondack waters while soaking in an aerial view of the vast mountain wilderness.
We lowered into a valley just above a narrow channel where water crashed against rocks and gushed over drops. I’d never imagined the Hudson so close to its mountain source, wild and pure. Pilot Hogan gave me the all-clear to unstrap and start scooping. Using a net with a shortened handle to maneuver more easily in the cabin, I did as Grabowski instructed me earlier. Starting at one end of the tank, I gently swept along until there was plenty of drag. I hoisted up the net and paused in surprise at the wriggling mass of fish I held, clearly eager to be free. I deposited them in a chute directly in front of the jump seat that led out through the floor. The trout slid quickly down the metal chamber and in an instant, they were home. When the tanks were empty, we turned back toward Indian Lake. The pilots had 10 more trips to make that day and there were fish still waiting on the ground.
FALL
Delivery Method: Helicopter and Fixed-Wing Airplane Drop Window: Early September Species Stocked: Temiscamie Brook Trout and Brook Trout Heritage Strains, including Windfall, Horn Lake, and Little Tupper Number of Fish Stocked: 235,960 Number of Waters Stocked: 281
Four months later, on a Sunday night in September, I was packing for another day in the field with the Rome Hatchery team. The fall stocking program largely targets bodies of water not visited in spring and I’d be making a delivery via fixed-wing airplane. Weather conditions are closely monitored, and flights often get postponed. I zipped up my camera case and received a text from Grabowski: Still on for tomorrow. I’ll be making fish tacos for lunch. When I arrived at the Poplar Point boat launch at Piseco Lake the next day, 522 pounds of Temiscamie Brook Trout hybrids were waiting in the now-familiar tanker truck. This is a strain of fish crossbred to tolerate the higher acidity levels found in Adirondack waters.
The midmorning sun was warming the chill out of the day and sparkled on the calm water of the lake. An engine droned in the distance and soon a bright blue Cessna 185 appeared above the hills on the far shore. It skidded to a smooth landing 50 yards out and taxied with precision on its twin floats to the dock. Captain Tom Payne, of Payne’s Air Service out of Seventh Lake, was ready to begin the day’s 11 flights to 31 small lakes and ponds hidden within the region’s most remote terrain. The team jumped into action. Water was pumped into four compartments of the holding tank in the rear of the aircraft. Fish were netted from the truck and carefully weighed in buckets on the dock before being transferred to the plane; the Cessna could accommodate 100 pounds on each run.
When the plane was fully loaded, I stepped across the water from the dock into its small cabin. With the tank taking up most of the rear, there were only two seats. Captain Payne and I sat shoulder to shoulder as we motored across the lake and into the air. A blanket of green stretched endlessly in all directions over the peaks and valleys of the landscape below. I noted the occasional dark puddle made by the small bodies of water rarely visited by humans.
The fish splashed behind us as we approached their destination: Metcalf Lake. “Ready?” asked Captain Payne. We flew above the lake lengthwise between the shores. “Now!” I pulled the cord that released a hatch at the bottom of the tank. In a cloud of water and scales, the Temiscamies rained down. The drop poses no real harm to the fish, as survival rates are extremely high.
After a few more successful trips, Grabowski fired up his portable grill at the picnic area near the launch site and started frying up fresh coho salmon. Like magic, a taco buffet soon appeared on the table. The hungry team broke for lunch. Between mouthfuls, I asked if we were eating New York State hatchery-raised fish. “Maybe,” Grabowski said. “I caught these in Lake Ontario last weekend.” Fish are stocked there too, but these didn’t taste like the flying kind.