Eight days ago (Wednesday, April 23), I returned to Hudson Park in New Rochelle in search of striped bass and flounder. I was on vacation. That was a fishing trip I will no doubt remember for the rest of my life.
I started fishing around 11:30 or so, about two hours before high tide. I had three lines in the water, using fresh bunker and herring for bait. For the first couple of hours, I didn't even have a single bite. To draw attention to the bait, I reeled in the lines a little and soon recast them. A few times, I even replaced the bait.
I don't remember the exact the time, but I finally got a hit. When I started to reel the line in, I realized I had something sizable. I caught a glimpse of the fish as it neared the surface of the water, firmly hooked. It looked like it was at least 20 inches. As it got closer to the shore, I realized it was a striped bass.
My effort attracted the attention of the older gentleman fishing next to me. He came over to watch. Another man who was sitting in his car also took notice. As I have written before, it's about 10 feet from the parking lot, where I fish, down to the water. I managed to get the fish right below me at the water's edge. It looked like it might have been perhaps two feet long, maybe an inch or two longer. If you recall, the biggest fish I ever caught was a 22-inch striped bass in the Hudson River in Dobbs Ferry four years ago.
As you can guess, when I tried to pull it up, the line snapped. The striper disappeared below the water. I was disappointed, but not emotionally wrecked. My mistake was not pulling it up on some nearby rocks, which slide into the water. If I managed to get the fish up on the rocks, which are smooth, I might have been able to pull it up, measure it properly, and photograph it.
The older gentleman, who had no luck fishing, consoled me. At least my effort provided some thrill to an otherwise disappointing fishing experience. I told him, "I'll remember this for the rest of my life." (Of course, should I ever catch something as big, I doubt the experience of last Wednesday will be as significant as it now is.)
I stayed until 3:30. I didn't have another bite. I was also a little tired.
However, I did profit a little by acquiring more knowledge about the area. The gentleman told me I could also fish across the water at Five Islands Park, which was a small, metallic fishing dock. The city of New Rochelle owns the park, and I already have my fishing license and New Rochelle fishing permit. It's something to try next time.
