Crestwood

Dennis and I went up to Westchester to fish the Bronx River.  Dennis wanted to use his
spinning rod for the aggressive bass in the river.

We fished the quiet deep pockets of water.  I also showed Dennis where I had seen carp.
Carp are all the way down the river to The Concrete Park in the Bronx

Except for the bass and rock bass we located in one of the pools, fishing was slow

Still catching carp

I went to New Jersey for some carp.  The weather was warm but the wind was gusting
to twenty miles per hour.  I fished the shallow end of the lake.

I chum and they come until a fellow shows up with a remote controlled boat.  This caused
the carp to vanish and the geese to leave the water for the safety of the shore.  After watching
this motor boat cruise through the area where I had chummed; I asked  the fellow with the
boat to move his boat to the far end of the lake.  I told  he might be able to scare the fish
back to where I stood!

I did end the day on a good note.  This carp nearly got to my backing.  There is nothing
like the zing of a fly reel when a carp is on the other end.

On the bottom

It was windy and carp were hard to see in the off color water.  I noticed a few carp
tailing in water less than two feet deep.
 

In a situation like this I try to put my fly among the feeding fish.  If you do not spook them
carp may take your offering.  Presentation is extremely important.

there are at least two tails showing in the middle of this picture.  Notice how close they
are to the lake's edge.

Here a swirl is created in the water by the carp

A double swirl

I did hook a big one.  It headed south across the lake and then turned east down the
the lake.  I ran along the lake edge to keep the distance between the carp and myself the
same.  I never lost any backing but I could see it.  I 've used this tactic for awhile now
It allows the carp to make that long powerful first run.  This first is nearly impossible to
stop.  Except for large carp, if you can withstand the first run you will probably land the fish.
I lost this fish when my 8 pound tippet snapped.

Stump Pond

It was very windy ( gusts up to 20MPH) so I headed to Stump Pond on Staten Island
Stump Pond has crappie, BG's bass and carp.  It is located in the Staten Island Green Belt.

One can literally walk for miles in this area and be totally isolated from city life.  On a hot day the forest will protect you from the sun.  It is always quiet and peaceful. 

This is a picture of Ohrback Lake.  The lake belongs to the Pooch Boy Scout camp.  You can
fish there but a permit must be obtained from the Boy Scout Camp.  Big bass and big pickerel
can be caught there.

Stump Pond looking south.

Note the tree stumps protruding from the pond

The water was clear and because of the trees surrounding the pond there was no wind
in this area.

More of the stumps

Moss

Where there is a predator there are fish

Protected and windless

Tranquil and quiet.

shoe flies

My fishing buddy Steve has come up with a new pellet fly for carp.  It is made from flip flops.
Yes there is another use for your old shower shoes.  They are made from the sole.

They can be tied in a variety of colors, depending on your preference for flip flops.
They can be made as large or as small as you need.

I met Steve and Dennis for some late afternoon fishing at Central Park.  Steve had already
caught some carp in the morning.

Things looked really good as Steve began to chum and carp were feeding  but after
the release of the first carp of the evening by Steve, things came to an abrupt halt.

Dennis working at catching carp.  The lake was like glass, no wind, no turtles either.
There were no carp to be seen on the surface

This type of condition occurs when a carp or carps are frightened.  Carp emit an odor when they are frightened, which causes other carp to stop feeding.  I guess that is what happened to us

Muddy Water

The forecast was for showers and fog for most of the day.  I was looking for carp
behind the high school located on the Saddle River.

It was humid but dry.  This pond is beside the Ho ho kus brook.  The brook was muddy
due to the rain that fell earlier.

The brook headed down stream to converge with the Saddle river.  I spotted a tailing
carp in this brown swirling mess.  So I know they are here.

Further down, I detected a few more carp holding in the current and I did it without
my sunglasses!

Here is where the Ho ho kus Brook meets the Saddle River.

The Saddle River

A long quiet stretch of water just waiting for the fall stocking of trout.

We ran out of Day light

My fishing buddy Chris getting his Tenkara gear ready for some carp fishing.  Yeah I said
Tenkara, the minimalist form of fly fishing; no reel, no backing either. 

Chris and I decided to walk the Bronx River from North White Plans down to the town
of Hartsdale.  At Hartsdale we found this small pond which has at least one orange Koi.
It also has bass and appears to have a few carp.

Another view of the Hartsdale pond.

Waterfall at the end of the pond.  I expect to return here in the spring and do some further
exploration of these waters.

another long quiet pool on the Bronx River.

This is the pond we found in North White Plains.  Most parts can be waded as the bottom
is sandy.

The pond is surrounded by brush except in a few openings.  According to the locals
bass and carp are the targets.