South Sandy Creek is a small tributary to
Lake Ontario in
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
and
Lewis counties in the
U.S. state of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
South Sandy Creek flows from its source in the
Tug Hill region westward through the village of
Ellisburg before emptying into Lake Ontario.
History
During the
War of 1812 the "
Battle Of Big Sandy" was fought along the banks of the lower end of the stream. A public parking lot on
New York State Route 3 has a memorial dedicated to the Americans who fought and died here.
Sportfishing
Today, South Sandy Creek is known for its seasonal
salmon and
trout runs, and is a popular alternative for
anglers looking to avoid the crowds at the nearby
Salmon River.
Runs of
Chinook salmon occur from September through November, followed by
steelhead that enter the creek during November and remain until their spawning season is over in April.
South Sandy Creek is
stocked annually by the
NYSDEC
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...
; in 2013, 100,000 Chinook salmon and 28,750 steelhead trout were stocked in the creek.
The lower end of the river has a rock and mud bottom with deep, slow moving water. From the Ellisburg bridge upwards to the impassable waterfalls, the creek has a
limestone bottom with shallow holes and many runs and riffles.
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Jefferson County, New York
Rivers of Lewis County, New York
Rivers of New York (state)
Tributaries of Lake Ontario