The clouds eventually moved in:
Friday, June 21, 2013
Changing Weather
When I started, it was sunny, humid, and with only a few clouds in the sky:
Then came the fog and rain:
The George Washington Bridge vanished once again:
By the time I left at 4:30, the sun was shining again (although I didn't capture it with my digital camera).
You Know You're Nobody's Fool
My last fishing experience was ten days ago, Tuesday, June 11. I've been a little distracted and run down recently, which I hope explains the frequent delays in posting. My three regular readers should not worry. I have no plans--and no need--to return to the disabled list. Anticipating that I might update my blog days later, I wisely decided to taje detailed notes during the trip.
I returned to Alpine, New Jersey once again. This time, in addition to bloodworms, I also bought a pint of clams at Jack's to use as bait. A search of my blog's archives shows that I used clams twice before, but I didn't catch anything with them.
Anticipating the traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway, I left home around 10 AM. After picking up the bait, I got to Alpine around 11:15 or so, and had three lines in the water by 11:30 AM. The solunar calendar reported that the best time to fish began at 12:49 PM. The area, as I prefer, was deserted. When I started, the sun was out, and it was hot and humid. So I removed my jacket.
A short time after I began fishing, I started getting hits with the clams. Since this happened long before the "best time," I hoped I would have a great day fishing. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch anything with the clams. Whatever was going after them was just playing with the bait--just nibbling and picking at it--while avoiding the hook. At one point, from a distance, I saw something large stick its head out of the water maybe to catch a fly. I don't know if it was a fish or some other animal. Most fish tend to jump out of the water rather than sticking their heads out.
At 12:30 PM, I reeled in a perch. It was small, measuring between nine and ten inches. I threw it back.
I continued to have hits with the clams and even the bloodworms for the next hour, but I couldn't catch anything. As usual, I began to get frustrated.
At 1:49 PM, I had my second and third catches of the day. I caught two small crabs that were stuck together. The smaller one was somehow attached below the larger one. Was the smaller the offspring of the larger? I managed to throw the larger one back. The smaller one, however, crawled away, and every time I went near it, the little crab began moving and snapping its claws. So I left it alone.
When fishing, I've caught crabs before. However, the experience reminded me that a number of the many hits I've been getting were likely crabs snapping at the bait and smaller perch. Still, a fisherman shouldn't get picky.
At one point, I had a hit that caused my rod to tip over. It seemed like a big fish, but it let go.
I also had to deal with the rapidly changing weather. By 2:19, the rain started. A brief fog once again obscured the George Washington Bridge. (The Elizabeth Dane, fortunately, was nowhere in sight.) By 3:30, the sun was out again.
The tide was going out. The "best time" had passed. I thanked God for what I caught. I gave up at 4:30.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
And If There Is No Room Upon the Hill
Another day, another belated post.
Nearly a week ago, on June 6--the anniversary of the D-Day invasion--I returned to Hudson Park in New Rochelle. I got up there in the mid-morning to take advantage of the solunar calendar's recommendation for the day. I had wanted to try Alpine again, but, with the usual traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway, I didn't think I would arrive on time.
The day was another disappointment. In about two hours of fishing, I had only one bite. I made another early exit by noon or so. After I packed up, I went over to this nice black lady who was fishing not too far from me. She said she had no luck either.
I guess the fish were on vacation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
