Monday, April 27, 2009

The Catch of the Day


My only catch today was not a fish. Still, thank you, St. Peter.

How Can I Escape This Irresistible Grasp?


Today, I went up to Five Islands Park in New Rochelle. The weather and my unusual sleeping patterns prevented me from going fishing last week as I originally planned.

I bought two dozen bloodworms at Jack's and four eels.

I got to the dock around 1:30, at high tide. It was sunny, warm, and the water was perfectly still.

I had bloodworms on two lines. I used an eel on the third. I had trouble picking up an eel in the bucket. Even with a rag, I couldn't get a good grip on it. I dumped some of the water in the bucket to make it easier, but one of the eels slipped out into the water. After some more struggling, I managed to grab one and attach it to the hook.

Once again, I remembered to seek St. Peter's intercession. Although I didn't catch any fish, he didn't disappoint.

I didn't have a single bite all day. I reeled in the lines and attached new bloodworms a couple of times. Since the eel continued to live, I didn't dump it for a fresh one.

I don't remember the exact time, but I reeled in the line with the eel to check it. It felt heavier than usual. Did I snag some garbage? When I pulled it out, I saw that I caught a crab. It didn't seem hook itself, but it got tangled in the line. It laid on its back on the dock. Its span measured 12 inches. Using my foot, I gently pushed it back into the water. (These things bite, you know.)

I stayed until 5 PM. I dumped the bloodworms and the two eels in the bucket in the water. I released the eel on the hook in the water, very much alive.

I wonder where the fish were. Did they stay away because of the heat or was Holy Thursday's triumph a fluke?

Although I'm glad I caught something, I found today's fishing experience unpleasant. Eels are slippery, and they smell bad. But I know I'll probably experiment with them on the Hudson River.

Monday, April 20, 2009

The Catch of the Day


The first catch of the day turned out to be the biggest, measuring 19 inches.

Thank you, once again, St. Peter and St. Jude.

Cold Comfort for Change


Yesterday (Sunday), I went fishing on the Hudson River in Riverdale. I bought two dozen blood worms and one fresh bunker at Jack's.

High tide in Riverdale was about 5:50 PM. So I got there around 3 PM. It was sunny, breezy, and warm at first.

I used bloodworms on both lines. I had no action for the first 20 minutes or so. I remembered to ask St. Peter for his intercession, and he delivered once again.

Around 3:40, I caught my first fish. As I was reeling it in, I knew it was larger than any of the fish I caught here previously. I pulled out a striped bass. It measured 19 inches. When I picked it up to remove the hook, I saw that it left a sizable pool of blood on the ground. It completely swallowed the hook, which slashed its gills. Since there was no way of removing the hook, I just cut the line and threw the fish back.

I eventually tried fresh bunker on one line, but I didn't have any luck. Using a bloodworm, I caught another striper. This one measured about 14 inches. I returned it to the river.

As the evening set in, the temperature dropped significantly. I'm glad I brought a jacket. Throughout the day, I took notice of the barges that were sitting on the river. I counted ten of them. Why were they just sitting there?

I caught one more striper with a bloodworm. This one was small, about nine inches or so. He, too, was sent safely on his way.

In the evening, a very pleasant Jewish man brought his young son over. The man's accent suggested Israel or Russia. He was very curious about fishing and asked a few questions: What kind of bait do I use? Are the fish I catch safe to eat? How do I know if I caught something? When I attached a fresh bloodworm to my hook, he told his son to observe my technique. I showed them a picture from my digital camera of the big striper I caught, and they were both impressed. The man and his son soon left. The father was very nice and gracious, and I hope he takes up fishing.

I packed up and left at 7:45. Catching the big striper told me there are large fish to be caught in this area. So I shouldn't expect to catch small fish here.

We'll see what the week brings. I would like to try Kenisco and use eels for bait, both in New Rochelle and here in Riverdale.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

The Catch of the Day (and a Self-Composed Fisherman's Prayer)


And the Lord, in his mercy, did smile on the broken-down, washed-up writer and repentant sinner, delivering unto him, on this windy Holy Thursday, in New Rochelle (the adopted home of Henry Louis Gehrig), a large formidable, striped bass....

Thank you both, St. Peter and St. Jude.

Ice Is Forming on the Tips of My Wings


Today, on this Holy Thursday, I went up to Five Islands Park in New Rochelle, where I failed to catch a single fish in four previous attempts. Although it's been a chilly Holy Week, it was a little warmer today. I left my jacket at home, which turned out to be a mistake. Why did go back to an area where I have had absolutely no luck? I was eager to try blood worms.

I got one frozen bunker and two dozen blood worms at Jack's. As I walked to area, I immediately picked up the strong wind. There were three teenagers on the dock, so I started fishing nearby in shallow water.

The sun was out. The tide was going out. It was quite windy. Certainly, these aren't the fishing conditions I look forward to.

The teens eventually left, and I moved to the dock. By 1:45 or so, I had three lines in the water, all with blood worms.

After one strong wind gust (which lead me to conclude that I wouldn't catch anything and going fishing today might have been a mistake), I asked St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, for help. He soon delivered.

I was sitting in my chair and catching up with my novenas for the day when I had action on one of my lines. I got up, reeled it in little, and noticed the line moving away from shore. I began to reel it in and felt something sizable on the line. I got it to the dock, reached down into the water, and carefully pulled out a big striped bass.

I was ecstatic! I finally caught something in Five Islands Park, and I caught something big today. The striper measured about 20 inches. I unhooked him, thanked St. Peter for his intercession, and released the fish back into the water.

Much later, I reeled in one line to check it. I noticed I had something, but it wasn't a fish. Was it garbage or perhaps a crab? It turned to be four or five mussel shells stuck together. A couple were empty, and the rest were closed. It took a little effort to pry my hook loose. I threw the shells back.

I eventually attached a piece of thawed-out bunker to one line and placed fresh bloodworms on the other two. Unfortunately, I didn't have anymore bites.
The tide was going out. The wind got stronger. The temperature also dropped noticeably.

Thinking I had a great day fishing, I packed up my gear around 4:30. I dumped the bunker in the water. I don't know why, but I didn't dump the worms in the water, as I usually do. I was planning to throw them in the garbage. As I was leaving, I noticed two kids with fishing poles making theie way to the dock. I told them about the striper I caught. I also gave them the rest of my blood worms. They were grateful since they had only lures and no live bait.

Today's success established my faith that this area can be good for fishing. I had been losing hope in it. We'll see what happens in the next few months.

Monday, April 06, 2009

The Catches of the Day


A perch. (I'm lucky it stood still for a second while I snapped the picture.)



An 11-inch striped bass.


Thank you, St. Jude.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Coming Through in Waves

The forecast called for a pleasant Palm Sunday. So I decided to go fishing. During the late morning, I fell asleep watching Alien (1979). After waking up in mid-afternoon, I left the house. I didn't know whether to try Hudson Park in New Rochelle or the Hudson River in Riverdale.

I went to Jack's and bought one frozen bunker, two frozen herring, and two dozen blood worms. I decided to go to Hudson Park. When I got there, however, I saw how bone-dry the area was at low tide. Since I didn't think I would have any luck, I immediately headed to Riverdale. I got there around 4:20 or so. I intended to stay until dark or until someone with a badge kicked me out in order to lock up the area.

I brought two poles with me and went to the last viewing area on the promenade. There was a couple sitting on one of the two park benches. I politely said hello and began to bait my lines. The bunker needed more time to thaw out. So I used one blood worm and one herring. I carefully cast my lines, making sure to avoid snagging my line on the nearby bush or hitting the couple on the bench. I took out my camera, and I noticed it wasn't charged. So I had to use my Blackberry Pearl to take pictures.

Conditions were near perfect. It was a bright, sunny day with a slight breeze. (By contrast, we practically got a wind storm yesterday.) I didn't need my jacket.

As I waited for a bite, I listened to my iPod. The couple eventually left. I then prayed my novenas for the day (including for a friend who is seriously ill). Not too long ago, I prayed a novena to St. Jude, asking to catch a lot of fish this season. He delivered.

I got a couple of bites in the first hour with the blood worm, which raised my hopes that I would not leave here disappointed. A man showed up, said hello, sat down on the bench, and began reading.

After about an hour, I had another bite. I reeled it in and lifted a striped bass out of the water. It didn't weigh much but measured nine inches. I threw it back. This turned out to be the first of seven fish I caught today. I haven't caught this many in one day since starting this blog.

I then caught a fat, little perch, which measured eight inches. I returned him to the water. After the bunker thawed, I attached a piece on my second line. I kept using blood worms on the first, which caught the striper and the perch. I didn't have any luck (meaning bites) with the bunker or herring. But with blood worms, I kept getting hits, so I soon switched my second line to them. Since I bought two dozen of them, it seemed like the smart thing to do.

As the evening set in, I kept getting hits, occasionally on both lines at once. I caught one more perch and then four more stripers. The the second striper I caught (and the fourth fish of the day) measured 11 inches. It was the longest fish I caught today. (There others were about the same size.) I threw them all back.

I gave up around 8 PM. I dumped the rest of the bait and went home.

What puzzles me is why I never had much luck with blood worms when I fished the Hudson River in Dobbs Ferry. But the two of three times I've fished here in Riverdale, the fish (and not just the perch) went for the blood worms. (Time will tell if I catch a catfish here.)

I know I'll be back here frequently, but I'll try not to get too complacent.

This is what a broken-down, washed-up loser like me needed... a good day.