Limestone Creek
Limestone Creek begins it’s flow north at Deruyter Reservoir, and continues 25 miles until it combines with Butternut Creek north of New York State Thruway. The upper reaches of this stream are small, brush lined and freestone and make suitable habitat for wild brown and brook trout. From Route 20 to the Village of Manlius the streams gradient is lower, the stream slows and widens as it meanders through a valley. The section of stream from the village of Manlius to the Village of Fayetteville is very popular with anglers for many reasons. One reason for it’s popularity with anglers is it’s close proximity to metropolitan areas. Limestone Creek is one of the most fertile and productive for trout this is another reason this stretch is so popular. The lower section from Fayetteville, to it’s confluence with Butternut creek, is a slow meandering stretch that gets warmer in the summer, but may hold some big trout mixed in with some warm water species.
Onondaga County Park Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery stocks over 13,000 brook and brown trout annually into the creek at public access points, some of these fish are over 14” long. While most of the access points are at road right of ways there is over 1.75 miles of public fishing rights (PFR) on the stream. There are no official PFR parking areas, anglers use unofficial pull offs and public park access to get to the water. The section of water from Route 20 north to it’s junction with Butternut creek is open year round for trout fishing.
Great water quality, Good public access, year round fishing opportunities, close proximity to populated areas and a good mix of wild and stocked trout make Limestone creek very popular with anglers
For more information please visit The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website.
West Branch Limestone Creek:
The West Branch of Limestone Creek can be considered a smaller identical twin to it’s larger namesake. The West Branch begins in the cedar swamps of southern Pompey, and meanders north over freestone and bedrock for nearly 9 miles before connecting with the main stem Limestone Creek.
Access is limited to bridge crossings and public parks lands.
Onondaga County Parks Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery stocks over 850 brown trout annually into the creek, with most of the stocking being done inside Onondaga County Parks Pratt’s Falls. The West Branch has issues with development that have reduced the amount of shade over the water, and subsequently the stream suffers from some thermal degradation but some wild and holdover trout still find a way to survive.