First carp of the afternoon

Unlike the month of September, carp have begun to be finicky.  Their behavior
has changed.  They do not eagerly feed on dried dog food.  Even corn doesn't work.

After five hours of fishing, I caught only two fish.  The one pictured above was taken on a dry fly
and rather than netting; I pulled it onto the boat ramp and took the picture

A friend netted my first carp.  This one was taken less than twenty feet from shore.  It slammed my fly but my fly line had tangled into a knot.  So in the middle of the first big run across the lake; I had to keep the fish hooked and take apart the knot that was stuck in my guide!  I got lucky and managed
to control the carp until my fingers pulled the knot apart.

Overpeck Creek County Park

It has been several years since my last visit to Overpeck Creek Park in Teaneck,
New Jersey.  There are carp and sunfish. But on this visit I couldn't even buy a fish.
I'm finding that fishing gets slow at this time of the year.  Overpeck is 157 acres large.

The first inhabitants of the area were Ashkineshacky Native Americans, who lived around Leonia. Approximately a thousand Native Americans had their seasonal activities, collecting shells for wampum and hosting their bath festivals in Overpeck Creek.^[1]

In 1954, the president of the Bergen County Park Commission, A. Thornton Bishop, proposed a plan to build a county park. This park was originally planned to rival Central Park in New York City.^[1]

In the 1950s, Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park, and Teaneck donated municipal land for the development of the Overpeck County Park. During the 1970s, Teaneck's municipal government, under then-Mayor Eleanor Kieliszek, sold a 350-acre parcel of land to Bergen County, which was later incorporated into Overpeck County Park.^[2]

Henry Hoebel Area was the first area to undergo development; the other areas remained undeveloped and were used as dumping sites for garbage and car tires until they posed environmental hazards to their surroundings. The park vicinity was notable being filled with solid waste. Ridgefield Park and Teaneck filed a lawsuit against Bergen County because the park land was not developed and used properly. The project began in 2003 and the expanded park opened in 2010.^[3]

In 2002, the Teaneck Creek Conservancy and the Bergen County Parks Department began to establish a 46-acre (190,000 m²) environmental and cultural park as part of Overpeck Park.^[1]

No name 7' 6", 3 piece, 3/4 wt fiberglass fly rod

In a recent post, I mention that I had purchased an inexpensive fiberglass fly rod on eBay,
a few years ago.  The total cost for the rod was less than twenty dollars.

Well, I was able to locate it.  I fished with it in Prospect Park at the lake.
I matched it with the Spanish made Ghost, semi automatic fly reel and a five weight line.

The beauty of glass fly rods is their ability to work well while being "overlined and underlined".

Bloodworm flies

My three piece, 7'6" 3/4 weight No Name fiberglass fly rod.

Close up view of Ghost semi automatic fly reel.  It is very much like a Vivarelli semi automatic
fly reel, except for the drag system.

The rod handled the five weight line with ease.  Too bad I couldn't locate more fish!

Dennis catches a big large mouth bass in Prospect Park Lake

While fishing in Prospect Park Lake, I came upon my fishing buddy Dennis.

Here, he is landing, what makes fishers come to the largest fresh water lake in New York City
The opportunity to catch big bass.

Wow!

A big largemouth bass on spinning gear and a crappie soft bait

A passer-by admiring Dennis' fish

My eleven foot 2 weight fly rod with the Maxcatch automatic reel and 4 weight fly line.

The lake in Prospect Park

Fred and Bill's excellent adventures

Fred Thorner fishing for carp in Golden Pond.  We met by coincidence.  I was there to try and
catch carp with elk hair caddis. Golden Pond is one of the kettle ponds of NYC.

The weather was great the water was relatively clear and the turtles behaved themselves
I  missed a few hook sets.

Later we went to several more carp ponds in the area.

My seven weight rod with the Franco Vivarelli Goldstar semi automatic fly reel.

Fred's carp at a small pond in Hempstead, New York

He used a fly tied. with Mc fly material.  The fly is slow sinking!

Another small carp pond in Roslyn, New York

All I was able to catch in Golden Pond; on an egg pattern soaked in floatant. 

Looking south at Golden Pond.

Looking north at Golden Pond.

End of summer

I hadn't been to Nutley , New Jersey in more than a year.

The "mud hole" as it is known is home to some of the most difficult carp to catch.  I went there
hoping my past experiences would give me an advantage.  There was algae and few carp to be seen
No carp were hooked.

I made a visit to this lake in North Bergen.  Woodcliff Lake, located in James Braddock Park
(named after heavyweight champion James J. Braddock - 1935 - 1937) is 16 acres large.  I caught
a three pound bass here years ago. 

But never a carp; which was the reason for my return this day.

Sunset at Woodcliff Lake.  No fish, a perfect "Skunk".

A good day of carp fishing

This is a day one dreams about, five hours and only daylight can stop you from greatness!

I caught ten carp.  Yes, a few were "cutie pies" but a carp is a carp.  I will savor this day
for awhile.

This was the largest of the day.  Look at the belly.

Carp

Not much to say here.  I had a good day.  I caught five and Dennis caught more for a total
exceeding twenty!

Note, Dennis' shoes and my carp net.

Biggest carp of the season

Here is the largest carp I have caught this season.  I've had some O K days and days
where I have caught nothing!

It took me more than thirty minutes to net this one.  The whole time it  resisted capture
I thought it was a "cutie pie", a carp that is new to the lake and weighs less than five pounds.
The name "cutie" was derived from what a passerby said after a carp was netted and displayed for photographs.

As I removed my fly I noticed that there was debris in the carp's mouth.  Old fishing line and
a forgotten carp hook.

A Boobie fly.