Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Can You Show Me Where It Hurts?

Yesterday (Monday), I followed up on a pledge to try a new place to fish. (Complacency has always been a big problem with me.) I picked Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson in northern Westchester County. The park is adjacent to the Hudson River.

I tried scouting it late Saturday night, but I missed the exit and ended up in Putnam County. After checking a map, I found it Sunday afternoon. I drove up the Bronx River Parkway, switched to the Sprain Brook Parkway, and then the Taconic State Parkway. I got off at the exit for Route 9A, which took me to the park. I had to pay $8, as a non-resident, to access the park. Since it was a Sunday, the park was packed with visitors. I asked a man who fishing with his girlfriend what type of fish were in these waters. He said that someone recently caught a 40-pound striper. He also said there catfish in the water. I thanked him and wished him luck.

After picking up bait (two dozen bloodworms and two fresh bunker), I got to the park around 3:30 PM. Before fishing, I had some lunch at a picknic table. Since it was a weekday, the park was relatively deserted.

The day turned out to be a disappointment. After doing a little research on the Internet and checking the map, it seemed I didn't really fish in the Hudson River, but Croton Bay, which is in the southern part of the park. (You can see land across the water in the above photo.)

I started out by using bloodworms on two lines and a piece of fresh bunker on the third. The weather was sunny, and it was quite windy.

It seems the bottom of Croton Bay is quite rocky. I kept getting my lines caught on the bottom. When a fish hook gets snagged on a submerged rock, it's very difficult to get it loose, especially from shore. It's almost like hammering a mountain-climbing spike into rock. After fishing for about an hour and 45 minutes, I ran out of sinkers. (At one point, I did see one my lines moving, suggesting a fish was nibbling on it.) So I gave up.

I should rescout the park and find a more suitable place to fish, especially on the Hudson River.