The Catch(es) of the Day

The first striped bass:



And the smaller second one:



   At least, I caught something.

The Catch of the Day: An August Fish

My only catch and perhaps my very first "August fish" turned out to be an impressive, 17-inch striped bass.

Where the Speechless Unite in a Silent Accord

I hope the three of you who regularly visit my fishing blog will forgive three months of silence.

My last fishing trip was on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 on the Hudson River in Riverdale. Fortunately, I was smart enough to take detailed notes.

I decided to go fishing that particular day on the advice of In-Fisherman's solunar calendar, which forecast excellent fishing for August 6.

In a previous post, I wrote about my frustrations with fishing in August. I am pleased to report that I finally caught an "August fish."

According to my notes, I started fishing at 10:45 AM. I picked the first area on the promenade instead of my usual one. It was sunny, warm, but with no wind.

I began with two lines in the water. At 11:10 AM, I reeled in a 17-inch striped bass. I was overjoyed, not only because I finally caught an "August fish" but because it was also a large one. As is my custom, I thanked God for delivering it and soon released it.

At 11:25, I had a third line in the water. Using three rods in such a small space can result in the lines getting tangled. So I have to make sure I cast them far apart. If there is a moderate wind, I then use only two lines in Riverdale.

The fish were certainly active. In a 20-minute span (11:45 to 12:05), I experienced a number of hits, including a big one, but I failed to hook anything.

As the day went on, the weather began to change. The clouds moved in and eventually blocked out the sun. It also cooled quite noticeably. The tide was also receding.

I changed the bait frequently and recast my lines. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch anything else. Happy that I caught something and something large, I went home around 1:45 PM.

The Catch of the Day

This was my only catch of the day: a 17-inch striped bass. I returned him to the river, which later took my beloved Ugly Stick.

The Catches of the Day

A small perch.

A small striper.

The fish I caught were so small, they could have been used as bait. Still, it's better than nothing.

Thank you, St. Peter.

The Catch(es) of the Day

My first perch of the day:

I caught these two perches by hand, after losing them in the rocks below:

A striper:

Thank you, St. Jude and St. Peter.

The Catch(es) of the Day

A striper:

A perch:

Thank you, St. Peter and St. Jude.

The Only Catch of the Day

This is the only fish, a 10-inch striper, but, as always, I'm glad I caught something.

Thank you, St. Peter and St. Jude.

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.

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.

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.

The Catch(es) of the Day

A striped bass:

A carp:

A perch:

Thank you, St. Peter.

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.

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.)

Yesterday's Catch

This was the first thing I caught, a striped bass. It looked like it was about a foot long. (A note outside of Hudson Park Bait and Tackle reports that striped bass fishing is "excellent.")

The black thing in the lower left-hand corner is my foot.