Get There Attention

"The bass are there; I promise. No, they must be there." This is my mantra at the beginning of every season and when I come to think about it, Prospect Park newbies must here this echoing within their own soul as well. But they are there, aren't they? Yesterday, I hit my favorite cold water spot in the park behind the Ice Skating rink. They tell me that good cold water spots capture the most amount of sun within the day and have mud bottoms that retain most of the heat. Fish are cold blooded, and thus seek out these warmed spots. Or at least that is what they are suppossed to do. Yesterday, they did not do what they were supposed to do.With my two piece rod, 14 lb line and rattle shad dangling I made my first cast. I threw it right across a stretch of sun beaten water and reeled it fast to get the rattling to go, but no bite. I threw it again, slightly deeper into the sun rays, hoping to snag a bass with not even a nibble to reward my efforts. After the 116th cast, the questions started to seem more like statements: Did they take the fish out? They did take them out. Did the ice kill em' off? Hey, maybe it was the ice that got rid of em'. Whatever the case may be, I did everything in my power to get there attention, and it failed.

Normally, during the earlier times of the year ie. March, April and May, bass are in different stages of spawning. Specifically, cold weather bass will be staging for pre-spawn feeding frenzies. And all you have to do is get there attention and they will smack your hook with no problem. For this type of situation, my go to bait is genarlly a rattling shad. It typically contains to treble hooks, a lipless body and ball bearing that create a rattling noise when jigged correctly. But then again maybe they weren't in that mood yet. Only time will tell.

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Decide on Your Opening Day!

Welcome to another exciting year of fishing NYC parks and other commuter friendly haunts of old and new. Hopefully, this year I will have a chance of showcasing other lakes aside from Brooklyn's Prospect Park, and maybe sub featuring some saltwater trips that I will take this season. Congratulations to me, for yesterday marked the official opening day of my personal fishing season, and hopefully, yours is around the corner. Yesterday, while at work I began to rummage through some old in-promptu photos, stored in my cell phone, of some fish I caught at Prospect Park in the past years. I've had my current phone for over two years, and I luckily have alot of storage space. Fortunately, I discovered a new function within my phone. It seems that the date and time of the picture is stored along with the photo. Yes! I have been unknowingly keeping a visual fishing log. And although the recent warming trend has reminded me of a past year of March fishing, now I would have evidence.
And there it was; on March 26th 2007, at around 3:30 pm, I caught a spinner bait bass in Prospect Park. Now, if only my cell phone recorded temperature as well. But do not allow me to mislead you into believing that a mere time signature on cell phone photos influenced me into dusting of the old pole and scrouging around the tackle box for fishing jigs. The truth of the matter is that I hadn't been out at all around Prospect Park or any lake for that matter. In the past years, I've at least prodded around the lake with my polarized shades or even through some jigs at an ice clear opening in the lake. So why haven't I've gone fishing earlier? Why haven't other fisherman gone fishing earlier? What really decides the day that we go back on hunt for the largemouths and panfish?
For me, it was the four meetings that I had at work, and missing lunch, and the pizza slice that I so wanted that slipped out of my hand into a dark NYC puddle as I ran to explain to the police officer who was waving a small palm pilot like object at the registration sticker of my car, that I just needed two minutes to ward off starvation. With nothing else available for consumption, I swallowed my pride and drove home and made a decision to go fishing that day. Welcome Back. Read more!

Expect the Expected And Nothing More

Fortunately, I have rarely been skunked fishing out of Prospect Park. For those who may not be familiar with this type of terminology, "skunked" means to go fishing and catch no fish. Even when I first started out, this was not a problem. Now, it may have taken me two hours to catch a very tiny bass or fish of some sort, but I always walked away with a good time. I learned to expect what is expected. Early this morning around six o'clock I get this phone call from my cousin who lives about ten minutes away. He decided that he wanted to take his girlfriend for her first fishing experience and wanted to know if he could borrow some extra gear for the excursion. Being the fishing enthusiast that I am, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and jumped out of my warm bed to shuffle through my things. He told me that he wanted to target bass in Prospect Park, and really that he just wanted to walk and talk with her in the morning and had no expectations for catching.

As I found my extra poles and pulled out an extra pack of worms, this stuck with me. What should NYC fisherman expect from a day on the lake? I can tell you that I've come to expect at least one fish, but is that to be expected knowing how finecky fish could be at times? I thought again while I found a new pack of hooks and I paused. Without a doubt I know that I can always find beautiful scenery and a chance to think as I fish. And if I'm with a friend, I can find a good time to talk and share. It seems my cousin and his girlfriend were in for a treat today. Even if they don't catch any bass, I know that they will be content because they will have met their expectations of shared time on a beautiful lake.

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Quiet Approach

I remember the lisp of Elmer Fudd contorting "SHHH" right before the "I'm hunting rabbits" part and that's about all I know of hunting. My recent experience fishing in the Prospect Park has taught me, though, an even more important truth about hunting: whether you are in search of deer or fish, these animals have developed a keen sense for their predators which are not lions or beers in big cities, but us. Therefore, I have developed six rules for how to catch Large Mouths in highly pressured areas.

Rule #1 If there are people fishing around you, go to another fishing spot. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you will never be able to control the actions of those fishing around you. You can only control you. Other people will ruin all of the rest of the rules for you.

Rule #2 Fish may not have ears like me or you, but they can hear. I have been on my cell phone talking away and marched right up to the lakeside only to see 3 and 4 pounders swimming away. On the other hand, I have quietly casted my line 20 feet or farther from the shore behind a tree and hooked bass right where I usually walk. In fact, I even watched a frog hop after my worm as I was retrieving it, and swallow my bait.

Rule #3 Do not wear really bright colors. If you can see them, chances are that they can see you.

Rule #4 Tread lightly. I was quietly fishing the other day and was casting a swirl I saw underneath a low hanging tree branch when three fellow anglers stomped their way up to me. I actually saw the fish that I was hunting turn towards my bigfooted friends and swim away.

Rule #5 Soft Casts. Sometimes you should make a splash to attract fish, but most times a smooth splashless entry of your bait into the water is more agreeable.

And finally, Rule #6 Have Patience. This type of shore fishing is slow and tedious, but should provide results. I watched a loud mouthed man curse everything including himself one day at the lake. As soon as he left, I saw two big bass swim to the shore line where he was standing. Both the fish and I were glad that he was gone.

Tight Lines

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There is nothing more fun for a first time fisherman than actually catching fish. Sure, the actually experience of holding a rod and dangling a hook is new, and thus, exciting, but how long does this captivation last. Well I’ll tell you; your child, girlfriend or wife will smile just about as long as it takes for that first bead of sweat to trickle down their face. They won’t last long. The best way to combat this problem is to target a species of fish that is easy to catch and a lot of fun to land.

In Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY, this fish is a sunny or any of his cousins. They are located along just about any shore line. Prospect Park, for better or worse, boasts a million of them, and pound for pound, they are one of the strongest fighters you’ll encounter. So what do you need to catch them? Any starter rod and reel combo tackle will suffice. If you have more than one type of set-up, always err on the side of less as these fish rarely reach the 1 pound mark in Prospect Park’s waters. Here are a few websites that provide great information on fishing for sunnies at lakes in general:

1. http://www.gameandfishmag.com/fishing/crappies-panfish-fishing/gf_aa066504a/
2. http://www.ehow.com/how_2312005_catch-bluegills.html
3. http://www.allsands.com/sports/fishing/panfishbluegil_tcj_gn.htm

I will provide a few tips that have worked for me at Prospect Park. First, try to use a #10 hook. This is a very small hook that can fit in the mouth of any sized sunfish and will provide a lot of opportunities to catch. These hooks, more than likely, will come already tied to a piece of monofilament seeing how the eye is small and hard to tie onto. Simply, attach you line from your set up with a basic fishing knot to the rigged hook. (See fishing knots on 7/23 post) For bait, there are plenty of options. Most people use bread or small pieces of dough. They both work just fine, but you can opt for a live worm or grub as well. The live worm will wiggle in the water and disperse a more natural scent, but it has been my experience that these fish bite bits of anything just as good. Don’t forget to attach a small bobber about 6-12 inches up from your hook. The placement of the bobber will also depend on how shallow the water is. You would want your hook and bait to rest about two inches above the lake floor.

When I first started fishing, I came to the park and had my same set-up, a starter rod and reel combo that I had used for bass primarily. I went to the tackle store and asked for sunfish hooks and bait and the gentleman gave me $30 dollars worth of equipment. I didn’t need it. I walked the shore line for an optimal place to fish for these shallow water critters and came across an older gentleman with a very simple rod. He had no reel. It was an old fashioned cane pole with no eyes along it except for at the very top. Attached to that singular eye was a piece of light fishing line about double the length of his 7 foot pole. He also did not have a popper, just an old white Styrofoam cup. I watched him pull his line to his free hand, tear a piece of Styrofoam from the cup and place the small white dot on the tip of his hook, and that was it. He pulled up fish after fish. I caught, but not like he did. He looked at me and laughed a hoarse nasal “who sold you that crap.” I kept quiet and smiled. He must have mistaken my silence for irritation because he offered to me the secret of his technique. He said “My friend. I was jus joshin wit ya. Listen to me. It’s all about the free fall. Nothing else matters.” And you know he was right.

What makes Prospect Park Lake different from any other lake in the world is that it is located in NYC and it is used by many people. There may not be many fishermen, but there are tons of visitors. And what do these visitors love to do? They love to feed the ducks, swans and pigeons. And they feed them tons of bread nonetheless. Whatever pieces of bread the birds do not eat, the fish find. It seems that these sunfish around the park have been trained to react to the falling of white objects from above. It is an easy meal for them, and as a result, it is an easy catch for us.
Next, I noticed that this older man fished areas that people feed birds at. And now so do I. This is not to suggest that you can’t catch sunnies anywhere else. Just look for small disc shaped craters in the lake floor. Sunnies spawn in these craters all summer so you will always find fish around and in them. Have fun and remember that it’s all about the free fall.

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Why Fish NYC?

It certainly is not for the recognition. Most spectators think I’m daft. As I walk around the lake with a rod and reel in hand, I constantly draw the same questions from park goers: “What are you going to do with that stuff?” as if my rod and reel are just as out of place near a city lake as walking around with a pair of skis in hand. I’m going fishing, and not just me. Everyday men and woman alike, from all walks of life, flock to the shorelines of this city’s finest parks in search of what I believe Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, had in mind when they successfully built both Central and Prospect Park.

Escape. Yes, fishing may be a form of escapism. Walk the archways of Olmsted and Vaux, and immediately you are in another world. It is possible in Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY, to enter the Grand Army Plaza entrance, walk for five minutes and find yourself in a setting that has few reminders of the bustling civilization on the outside. Walk to one of Central Park’s lakes and realize that other beings inhabit the space of the city as well, and they swim where they are not supposed to be. Through fishing we can experience the unexpected, we can discover our own treasure and we can return to it, for free, again and again.

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With the Right Tools, Fear Is Not a Factor

I have a confession to make. The touch of a wiggling fish against my thumb or any digit of my hand used to creep me out. Don’t get me wrong; I landed them, but in the past you would have caught me on any given day holding a taunt line staring down at an acrobatic fish doing better somersaults than any circus de soleil performer I had ever seen. It just took me a bit more time to remove the hook. However, when I watched Roland Martin or Bill Dance, who have to be 50+, boldly “lip” a Large Mouth bass just as easily as my grandmother would pinch my cheeks, something within me would awaken. After watching these seasoned veterans of the sport gracefully handle fish, I would hear a voice from inside say “You can do it!” Fast forward a couple years to the present, and I realize that I can. It just takes the right tool. A main tool of my fishing gear is a “fish lipper”. It is a great way to not only avoid touching a game fish directly (if you have issues like me), but this lipper also protects the fish as well.

As I recently discovered, bass and other fish have a protective slimy coat that protects them in the water from bacteria and other potentially harmful organisms. If handled incorrectly, this coat could be removed, which could bring danger to the fish. Now, this would be no problem if you were keeping the fish, but if you plan on fishing any of the NYC public lakes, be advised that the lakes enforce a strict catch and release policy. A lipper comes in very handy.

Another tool that no fisherman should go without is a reliable pair of pliers. These serve as line cutters, hook removers and bait augmenters on every occasion. Fishing without this tool can be very irritating. If you thought I had a problem lipping a Large Mouth, imagine me trying to remove a hook from that fish’s mouth while lipping it. It’s not a pretty site.

There are many tools on the market for aspiring fisherman. Some are necessary while others are not. If you plan on fishing NYC lakes, I recommend a good lipper and pliers; they will save you time and discomfort.

Tight Lines!

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