There's Someone in My Head, But It's Not Me

The three of you who regularly read my blog have been probably wondering where I've been the last five months. No, I didn't drown accidentally. I didn't take up golf.

I did go fishing three more times since the June 11 post. I just posted the account of my July 2 trip. A few days after that, I tried the Esopus Creek in Ulster County. I went fishing for only 30 minutes. I kept losing the lures on the rocks in the shallow water. I just gave up in frustration.

In August, I went on a party boat for the first time since 1981 or so. I went with my two cousins and several other people. The trip was organized as part of my cousin's bachelor party. We went out on Jamaica Bay, off Howard Beach in Queens. We were out for four hours. The fishing all around wasn't that great. I didn't catch anything. Still, I had fun.

So why didn't I post anything since mid-June? If you recall, I didn't even start fishing until mid-May, missing the early, and for me, the best part of the season.

For me, it's been a very tough year. I've been distracted, emotionally drained, frequently tired, burned out, and hurting physically. I've also had a few long bouts of depression. My job performance and freelance work have both suffered notably. I guess 2007 is a year I would prefer to forget. My life has become a series of Pink Floyd songs.

So now, in mid-November, it's too cold to go fishing. I put my gear away last month. I plan on spending the next few months addressing these personal issues and trying to improve my physical and mental health. I will also scout new areas where I can fish. I hope to bounce back and start fishing again in mid or late March. So keep me in your prayers. I can use them.

So see you next spring.

The (Only) Catch of the Day

This is the first sea robin I ever caught. It was less than a foot long. Despite its ugliness, I'm glad I caught something. I threw it back.

I'll See You on the Dark Side of the Moon

On Monday, July 2, I decided to finally experiment with a little night fishing. I got three fresh bunker and three frozen herring from Jack’s, and I went back to Hudson Park.

I started fishing at 7 PM when the sun was still out. I didn’t check the tide charts, and I got there at low tide. Sections of the marina were practically dry, and you could see the mud.

I had a few bites but no luck at first. I was thinking that the crabs were toying with me again.

It eventually got dark. I wasn’t really worried about safety. The New Rochelle Police Department’s Harbor Unit is stationed right near the parking lot, and the police often make their rounds. There were also other fishermen and the usual park visitors.

Last time I fished here, I noticed a lot of fish jumping out of the water like they were in a frenzy as the sun was going down. I didn’t see that this time. Maybe it was the tide.

I looked for the moon in the night sky, but it wasn’t there. The moon, a full one, finally creeped over the horizon.

I often reeled in my lines to check the bait. Often, the hooks were clean. Other times, the bait was partially eaten. Since I had plenty of bait, I often replaced it on the hooks. (The ice in the bucket preserved the bunker and the herring for hours.)

As the night dragged on, I got frustrated. I asked God to let me catch just one fish.

God answered my prayer. At one point, I decided to check one line. As I was reeling it in, I realized I had hooked something. I didn’t feel like a fish. Maybe it was a crab, an eel, or garbage. When I pulled it out, I saw that I did a catch a fish. It was probably the ugliest one I ever caught. It had these black eyes and large fins that seemed like wings. It took me a few days to learn that I caught a sea robin. I threw him back.

I had more bites but no more luck. One fisherman got lucky and caught a 22-inch striped bass, which he returned to the water.

Around 11:30 PM, I decided to call it a night.

I’ll definitely try night fishing in Hudson Park again soon, but at high tide.

Fisherman's Note: I wrote this perhaps a few days later when my recollections were still fresh. I saved it on my laptop, but I never posted it until now.

The Catch(es) of the Day

I've caught a couple of crabs before, but this is certainly the biggest one I ever caught. I didn't get a chance to measure it, but its span seemed to be about a foot wide. I returned this monster to the deep.

This is the second striped bass I caught this year. I caught him when it was practically dark. This one measured 18 inches. I eventually sent him on his way.

Now I Got That Feeling Once Again

In the afternoon (on Sunday), I headed up to Hudson Park. I went to City Island to pick up some bait at Jack's Bait and Tackle. I spent about 20 minutes looking for a parking place. I finally parked illegally and left my car's blinkers on, indicating to any police or traffic enforcement officers that I would return. I got two fresh bunker. They didn't have any herring.

The area in the parking lot where I usually fish was crowded with fishermen. So I went to a different side.

I started fishing around 5 PM. The tide was coming in. It was overcast and pleasant. There was no wind. I invoked St. Peter's intercession to help me catch a big fish.

I didn't have a single bite the first couple of hours. I checked and replaced the bait periodically. I put the bunker in ice water to preserve them.

At one point, I checked one of my poles. I hooked something but it wasn't fish. It turned out to be a black bag. There was a mussel attached to it.

A short time later, I hooked something else. I thought it was more garbage. But it turned out to be a large crab. It had a head as large as my fist. Its span was about a foot wide, give or take a couple of inches. It got tangled up in my line. I held my pole over the guard rail and cut the line to set it free.

For years, crabs have been stripping off my bait and deluding me into thinking I had a bite. Today, I evened the score by catching their king.

If you like to fish alone and in peace, Hudson Park is not the place to go. A number of people showed up by sundown. One of them blasted his car radio. Despite the distraction, they were very nice and quite curious about fishing.

Around 8 PM or so, I got a big bite. I scrambled to my pole. But whatever it was let go or managed to unhook itself.

As it gradually got dark, I noticed a lot of fish jumping in the water. I decided to try an experiment. I retrived one line and removed the sinker. I attached a bobber to keep the bait off the bottom. No fish went for it.

As my day was winding down, I had one last big bite. I reeled it in. I pulled it up into the parking lot. It was a striped bass. I quickly put it in the bucket. "Thank you, Lord!" I said loudly, drawing the amusement of a nearby couple. This one measured 18 inches. The locals were impressed. I removed the hook and threw it back.

I stowed my gear away and went home. I had a great day, to which I am thankful to God and St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen.

My late-in-the-evening success reinforced the idea that, next time, I should try fishing in Hudson Park from 8 PM to 11 PM.

Wade's Bait and Tackle (Valhalla)

This is Wade's Bait and Tackle new location in Valhalla. It is on 36 Broadway, not too far from the Kensico Dam.

UPDATE: Wade's Bait and Tackle is now located at 7 W. Stevens Avenue in Hawthorne, New York. The new phone number is (914)-747-0762.

No Navigator To Find My Way Home

This afternoon, I went up to Kensico. I haven't been there since last July. I left my home around 3 PM. The challenge was to find Wade's Bait and Tackle at its now not-so-new location in Valhalla. Wade's closes at 4 PM on Sundays.

I managed to find it easily, near the Kensico Dam, and got there at 3:50. I bought a dozen sawbellies. The lady at the shop gave me a receipt for the sawbellies and told me to keep it to show any DEP personnel. Apparently, there has been some health problem with some types of sawbellies.

Before going to my usual spot, I saw in my car, listening to the end of the Yankee game. I couldn't believe they got swept and are now 12 1/2 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox.

I got to the rock at 4:30. At first, I couldn't my little bait net. So I had to reach into the bucket and get the sawbelly by hand. I had two poles in the water.

The sun was shining bright. It was warm. There was little or no wind. The water was still. I lost about four or five sawbellies while casting. They just flew off the hook.

I later developed a problem with one my poles. When I tried to cast my line, it just dropped after about 10 feet like it got stuck or tangled. The line in the reel didn't seem tangled. I tried several times, but the same thing kept happening. I then put the pole aside. I just didn't feel like respooling the whole thing.

I stuck with live bait, and I never used Krocodiles or other lures. I just laid back on the rock, resting my head on my tackle box.

I had a couple of bites, but I didn't catch anything.

By 8:15 PM, I was winding down. I actually had one more bite. I held my fishing rod in anticipation, but nothing. I dumped the sawbellies that were left in the water.

It was disappointing that I didn't catch anything. Still, the experience relaxed me.

I Knew the Waiting Had Begun

After last week's success, I decided to try Hudson Park again. It was overcast, and the temperature was in the low 50s.

The bait shop didn't have any fresh bunker. I got two frozen bunker instead. The nice lady told me that they would thaw quicky if I put them in salt water while they were still in the bags. I also got a dozen worms.

I started fishing around 12:45, about 90 minutes or so before high tide. It started to drizzle. It was cold. I wished I brought my jacket. At times, the wind blew hard, knocking over my poles several times.

I tried the worms first but had no luck. At 1:15, I was able to switch to bunker.

When the rain got worse, I took refuge in the car.

I had three bites but nothing hooked. I recast the lines several times and changed the bait once, but I didn't catch anything.

I asked an old fisherman who was on the other side of the lot if he had any luck. He said no.

I guess it wasn't our day. Around 4 PM, I gave up.

The (Only) Catch of the Day

This was the only fish I managed to catch today. This striper measured 17 inches. I threw him back into the Long Island Sound.

(Thank you St. Peter.)

Low Tide/High Tide

I took this shot around 3:30 PM. You can see how low the tide was.

By 8 PM, it was almost high tide.

Coming Back to Life

Today, I went fishing for the first time in 2007. The weather, personal issues, work, and a family emergency (that was favorably resolved) delayed the start of my fishing season.

I went up to Hudson Park in New Rochelle. Around 2 PM, I was napping, and I came close to canceling the trip. But I really needed to start fishing. I got a large coffee at the gas station to wake me up.

I picked up two bunker at Hudson Park Bait & Tackle. The gentleman told me they didn't have "fresh" bunker. I forget the exact term he used. I was grateful it wasn't frozen.

I started fishing around 3:15 PM, not too long after low tide. It was sunny and a little windy. A couple of times, the wind blew my fishing rods over.

I had no action the first couple of hours. I attributed it to low tide and the wind. As the tide came in, I start getting a couple of bites. The gentleman at the bait shop told me that "evening fishing" was excellent.

At one point, I prayed to St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, to allow me to catch at least one fish. He delivered. Perhaps around 5:30 PM, I finally had a big bite. It nearly pulled my rod in the water. As I was reeling it in, it was clear that it was a big fish. I managed to pull it up into the parking lot. I'm lucky my line didn't snap.

I caught a striped bass. It measured 17 inches. It's the largest one I've caught since 2004, when I caught a 22-inch one out of the Hudson River in Dobbs Ferry. I threw it back.

I had a few more bites, but didn't catch anything else. I left at 8:15 PM.

For me, just catching one relatively big fish always makes a fishing trip a success.

Return of a Man Called Horse

I had hoped to start fishing again in late March. Although it's almost May, I still haven't been to the water.

Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been cooperating. I took vacation last week, and we got clobbered with a Nor'easter and some colder-than-usual weather.

I've also been a little tired and distracted by work and personal issues.

I hope my mood and fortunes improve by this weekend.

On the Turning Away

This is a vehicle bridge that leads to some waterfront area, on the Hudson River, in Dobbs Ferry. (The address of the property may be 145 Palisade Street.) I fished there for 14 years from 1992 to 2006. Now the area is closed, which means no more fishing.

Perhaps the owner, whoever he is, got tired of all the garbage people left in the area and carried out his threat to seal off access. Last year, however, I heard a rumor that the owner was looking to sell the property. It seems that this is what happened. There were other businesses and people who also used the area for years. I guess they got evicted.

Over the years, I have enjoyed some great fishing at the dock. I will certainly miss it. Maybe the situation is temporary, and fishermen will be welcome back there one day.

Then again, nothing lasts forever.

Why Can't I Meet Women Like This?

The visually stunning young lady with the beautiful smile is Miss Erin Ehlers, who graced the cover of the Long Island Metro edition of The Fisherman (November 30, 2006).

She is certainly every young, single fisherman's dream.