Golden pond ( A kettle pond)

Looking east, an another kettle pond.  Last season I caught several small carp
here by the lily pads.  This year things are different.  Algae !  While there are
open spots on the surface, there is a green weed growing underwater too.
 Flies are covered in this mess after the fly line is retrieved.

A trumpet swan patrols as it's spouse sits on their nest.

What you see in this picture is a combination of lily pads and an invasive weed
clogging the ponds surface.  In the past this pond was fairly clear as far as
visibility goes.  On this visit I could not see any fish in the water.

A significant effort has been made to make the pond water accessible since last year.
The south side of this pond has been "opened up" to permit fishing and hiking on the
south shore.  Trees and debris have been  removed to establish fishing beats.

Tucked away in Crocheron Park in Queens, Golden Pond is one of the lesser known bodies of water in NYC. Compared to nearby Oakland Lake it is small but it is a pond that can pack a big wallop. While the western half of the lake is shallow, muddy, and full of carp; the southeastern end of the lake is home to some surprisingly large largemouth bass and crappies. A low amount of aquatic vegetation in spring contributes positively to the angling experience as there is less chance of having your tackle caught in the weeds.

Physical Features

Area: 1.5 acres
Depth: 4 feet

Oakland Lake ( A kettle pond)

It is well into spring time but I am having difficulty locating places to fish.  Algae
seems to cover the surface of many lakes and ponds in New York City.  I went to
a few of the kettle ponds in Queens.  Oakland Lake  has a healthy population of
bluegills.  However, for most of the fishing season there is a thick carpet of algae
on the lakes surface; making fly fishing almost impossible.

Originally formed as the result of glacial action during the Ice Age 15,000 years ago, Oakland Lake is a kettle lake, part of the Alley Pond Park system in northeast Queens. It is surrounded by glacial boulders and is fed by underground springs and a ravine that flows into the lake from the south. The lake served several purposes until it was transferred to New York City’s Parks Department in 1934.

The Parks Department notes:
“In the 1930s, Works Project Administration (WPA) workers lined the brook feeding Oakland Lake with blocks, and later, the brook and a small pond leading into the lake were filled. In 1941 officials from the Sanitation and Health Departments worked with WPA workers to fill in nearby wetlands in an attempt to control the mosquito population. Three thousand people were put to work at nine Queens sites laying pipes, digging drainage ditches, and filling in and grading low areas.”

Healing Waters

            Surrounded by the north woods in Central Park, I showed  a veteran the
importance of the roll casts in and under trees.  The roll cast and single hand rod
spey casting techniques allow the fly fisher to fish where others lose their flies.

We fished a newly restored area between The Pool and The Meer.  As you can
see it looks like we are on the bank of a river but it is all man made.  No flies
were lost in the trees during this session.  I hope to be able to show these veterans
all the lakes and ponds of New York City.

Fly Fishing For Bass and crappie

The Pool in Central Park

Looking west across The Pool in Central Park.  This is one of the almost hidden
bodies of water in the park.  The Pool offers some exciting fishing during the
warmer months. The top water action can be almost non stop with what I call" club size bass",
bass that measure any where from  8 inches to 12 inches long.

   

They can jump and in spite of their size put up a decent fight especially on a 2wt fly rod.
 There are bluegill , crappie and catfish here in this shallow water too.  For some reason, unknown to me, The Pool is not a place that most people fish.  It is one of the few bodies of water that is not always brown or green during hot weather.

Last year, the water channel that leaves The Pool and meanders to The Meer was dredged, widen and  deepened to form pools where fish will collect in the future.  It almost looks like a quiet stream.
I saw a couple of turtles and "club sized bass" in this pool between The Pool and The Meer.

This is all made made but it looks like a real stream too.  In time it will be interesting to see
how this canal fishes.  Tenkara?

Tenkara fly fishing (Japanese: テンカラ, literally: "from heaven", or "from the skies") is a traditional type of fishing practiced in Japan that should not be confused with fly fishing. Primarily used for mountain stream trout fishing, tenkara is one of the most popular methods of angling among fresh-water mountain anglers in Japan.

Fly fishing The Meer

Back fishing at The Meer for the first time this year.  The water is in so so shape.  This means
vegetation has started to grow and algae will cover the lake by the end of May.  This is not what
 I had hoped to find. My plan was to catch a carp here for the first time.

The first thing I noticed as I arrived was a big grass carp about fifty feet from the shore.  It appeared to be feeding.  My opinion is that the lake needs a few more of these mammoths to control the water plants that cover The Meer.  If  the weather is spring like, the lake is almost unfishable before
summer arrives.

I have been doing some volunteer work for The Healing Waters Program.  The program takes veterans and teaches them the sport of fly fishing.  It has helped veterans deal with war related injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

We had planned to bring some vets to learn to fly fish at this lake.  But in spite of the fact that fish
are here,  I would not call what I did today to be fly fishing.  There is so much vegetation in the water
that your fly has to be cleaned after each time the line is retrieved.

My chief complaint with The New York City Park's Department is it's ineffectiveness at keeping
the ponds and lakes algae free.  Lakes should not smell during the summer months!  

I had a pretty good day of fishing with nymphs.  The fly of the afternoon was a #12 Zug bug.
Bluegills and Golden Shiners were very active along the shore line.   Warm weather usually causes fish to spawn.  However,  I did not see a lot of  bass or panfish sitting on their beds.

The shiners were especially large; almost 12 inches long.  Normally, I catch shiners with size
#14 flies because their mouths are so small.

My Thinkfish Bold semi automatic fly reel has returned from a spell in Spain.  I got this reel in 2010  and the drag was not working properly.  I discovered that Thinkfish appears to be out of business.  It took some detective work to locate a fly shop that could fix  the drag.  The reel sat in customs until I could demonstrate that this was not a new purchase.  I fished a 2 wt fly rod.

Yes I did chum for carp just before I left.  I'll be back.