Archers Club finishes busy month welcoming fishermen from several states
Photos by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – These fishermen try to catch trout and salmon on Friday afternoon in the Oak Orchard River. They parked at the St. Mary’s Archers Club and fished in the oak Orchard.
St. Mary’s has room for about 50 vehicles to park each day at $10 a vehicle.
There were vehicles from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan as anglers made the trek to catch the big fish in the Oak. Some fishermen also came from Croatia and France.
Mark Wildschutz (left), a longtime St. Mary’s Archers Club member, and Tom O’Hearn, the club’s president the past 8 years, stand outside the clubhouse at St. Mary’s, where the wood was stained. The club also has sided a pavilion, done concrete work, and made other improvements to the property.
“It’s the camaraderie,” said Wildschutz. “You meet all kinds of people.”
He lived in Texas for about five years before moving back to Orleans County, with the Oak Orchard River one of the big attractions. Wildschutz lives right around the corner from the Archers Club.
“For what we have here we’re pretty spoiled,” he said.
The Archers Club welcomed the anglers from mid-October until Sunday. The club typically makes its space available to visitors for a month during the fall fishing season.
Club member Howard Palmer was there everyday to open the gate on Clark Mills Road by 5 a.m. People can then fish until about 4 p.m.
St. Mary’s closed access to visitors during the Covid pandemic in 2020 but has welcomed them back since.
The club normally serves breakfasts and lunches, but was short on help this season and made coffee and hot chocolate, bagels and peanut butter and jelly available. O’Hearn would like to bring back the bigger meals next year.
O’Hearn has been a member for 28 years, first drawn to the Archers Club so he could go camping by the water with his son.
The club has 125 members who pay a $100 annual fee for access to the property.
The club hosts weddings and many parties for its members.
The Archers Club has a setup in a prime area of the county’s world renown fishery. Visiting anglers are happy to pay for access to the river.
Anglers are grateful for a calmer experience while fishing near the Archers Club. Up closer the dam, the fishermen said tempers often flare in the closer quarters, with fishermen bumping into each other.
“It’s combat fishing up by the dam,” said one fisherman named Nate from Pennsylvania.
He and a friend made a 6-hour drive to fish at the Oak Orchard. He and a friend named Matt try to come to Orleans County about three times a year.
They appreciate the Archers Club sharing their space with out-of-towners.
O’Hearn said the club realizes they play a big role in the county’s tourism, welcoming fishermen who they visit other local businesses.
