Clay Pit Pond, Belmont Massachusetts

I have an old friend who lives in the Watertown near Boston, Massachusetts. Usually, once a year, I go up to see him for a leaky canoe ride and some fishing. This year was the first time since
I ruptured my quadriceps muscle in 2013 that I was able to go and see him. .

The air temperature was above 85F. in the afternoon.  Fishing was slow and it was humid.
Once the wind stopped blowing I could see fish were feeding. The last time I fished here
I hooked 6 carp and landed 4 in less than three hours.

The day before I had to fish long and hard just to get two nice bluegills.  I used a white
wooly bugger.

 Clay Pond has limited access points and it was hard to fish through the bushes that lined the banks.
I plan to bring hedge clippers if I fish here again.  I was able to do a little wet wading. The shore line is hard and there was no danger of me sinking in mud and dead rotting vegetation.

This is a nice example of the carp in this Clay Pit.  This carp took my fake corn "pop up".
I used a 7wt, fly rod with Rio LT trout line which came in handy due to the lack of room for
backcasting.  This carp took more than 15 minutes to get it in my net!
I was very happy I brought my seven weight.

 Later that afternoon, down on the fishing deck on Charles River.  The river was clear with
 a few lily pads.  With the humid weather it was ideal wet wading weather.  But no one
was catching fish due to the heat.

Clay Pit Pond, also known as Claypit Pond, is a pond in the Boston suburb of Belmont in Middlesex County, Massachusetts situated between Concord Avenue and Belmont High School. It is a man-made pond, excavated as the source of clay for industrial brick-making on the site from 1888 to 1926. The Pond was formed in 1933 when the Wellington Brook was redirected to flood the site, making it an essential part of the drainage system for much of Belmont.

The Parry Brothers first opened a brickyard in the vicinity of the current Pond in 1888. In 1900, nearly all brick making operations in Middlesex County were merged into the New England Brick Company,^[1] which acquired the site and increased production to 15 million bricks per year with a work force of 75.^[2] By 1926 the highest quality clay was exhausted and the site was abandoned, reportedly leaving behind an 1884 Marion steam shovel at the bottom of the pit.

The Town of Belmont purchased the abandoned pit in 1927 for $22,500 to use as a waste dump site. However in 1933, the Town diverted the Wellington Brook through a culvert to flood the site with 80 million gallons of water, creating the Clay Pit Pond.^[3]

In March 2010, the pond overflowed onto the road after two days of rain, closing down the adjacent high school.

Spy Pond is a short drive from the Clay Pit.

Spy Pond and environs. The rail line on the right is now the Minuteman Bikeway.

Geological history[edit]

Fifty thousand years ago, the area of Arlington where Spy Pond now sits was covered a mile deep in ice by the Wisconsin Glacier. Fifteen thousand years ago, the ice began to recede, leaving depressions or "kettle holes" in its wake. Initially filled with water from the receding glacier itself and then by natural runoff, the kettle holes eventually formed small lakes and ponds throughout the area.

Spy Pond is now fed by a combination of groundwater and surface runoff from the surrounding area. Spy Pond currently has an average depth of 12 feet (3.7 m) and a maximum depth of 36 feet (11 m).

The pond has a two-acre (0.8 ha) island, Elizabeth Island, which was privately owned (but undeveloped) until 2010, when Arlington Land Trust (in collaboration with the Massachusetts Audubon Society) agreed to purchase the property and set it aside for conservation.^[3]

Cultural history[edit]

On April 19, 1775, Mother Batherick, an elderly woman who liked to gather dandelions by Spy Pond, managed to corral and take prisoner six Revolutionary War Redcoats who were fleeing their captured supply train.^[4]

In 1850, the Spy Pond Water Company began piping water to West Cambridge. The Spy Pond Water Company changed its name to the Arlington Lake Company when West Cambridge was renamed Arlington in 1867.

Ice harvesting at Spy Pond, from an 1854 print

During the Civil War the Union Army conducted training at Camp Sheppard near Spy Pond and following the war civilian rifle matches were conducted by the Massachusetts Rifle Association from 1875 through 1876 before their move to Woburn, Massachusetts.

The 19th century also saw Spy Pond become an industrial center as entrepreneurs sought to harvest the benefits of this natural resource for export. Spy Pond became a source for ice in the winter, cut into huge blocks for shipping, and pure water for nearby Boston in the summer. Businesses shipped Spy Pond ice as far away as India,^[5] installing huge amounts of infrastructure and equipment in the Arlington area in the process. This led to the development of the local railroad and large-scale manufacture of ice tools.

In the 1970s, the Wetland Protection Act was passed classifying Spy Pond as a great pond under Massachusetts law. Despite this classification, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts uses Spy Pond for drainage from Route 2, resulting in what Cori Beckwith, administrator of the Arlington Conservation Commission, describes as a "slightly hazardous" sandbar and states that "its [sic] costly" to remove.^[6]

Spy Pond sandbar

Wildlife[edit]

Canada goose at Spy Pond

Birds[edit]

Bird enthusiasts have tracked the native and migratory bird populations of Spy Pond for a number of years. They report that almost one hundred and twenty species of birds make their home in and along its shores at some point in the year. This list includes 32 swimmers and 86 non-swimmers.

Among the bird population, Canada geese are the most notable and controversial residents.

Fish[edit]

Spy Pond was stocked with fish through the 1990s, but budget cuts have meant no stocking since then.^[7] The pond contains a variety of species, including American eel, bluegill, carp, largemouth bass, white perch, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, black crappie, white crappie, and tiger muskellunge.^[8] However, according to Rodney Zukowski, owner of Arlington Bait and Tackle, given the 10–12 year lifespan of tiger muskellunge and their inability to reproduce, it is believed Spy Pond no longer contains them, as the last stocking was over 15 years ago. Bucket biologists [1] have illegally introduced northern pike in the last few years, some reaching more than 40 inches.^{[citation needed]}

Cryptid[edit]

An old Spy Pond legend tells a tale of a Komodo Dragon purchased off the black market in 1990 and released onto Elizabeth Island in the middle of Spy Pond. Children of Arlington affectionately refer to this cryptid as "Lizzie" or "The Spy Pond Monster".

Alley Pond, a Kettle Pond

When it comes to stream restoration efforts in the New York metro region, Saw Mill River in Yonkers is the local celebrity. But inside an interchange in eastern Queens is a pond that was filled in the 1950s and restored in 2000. It lends its name to one of the largest parks in the city, a vast landscape of forests and wetlands that has its own nature center and adventure course.

In the second half of the 20th century, the view above was nothing more than a loop inside a cloverleaf interchange, later modified to allow for the reforestation of the surrounding slope and restoration of the pond. In the 21st century, if one ignores the highway noise, it has an appearance of an unspoiled landscape.

The pond is located at the southeastern corner of the interchange of Cross Island Parkway and Long Island Expressway. The pond’s waters flowed down from the slopes of The Alley, a five-mile glacially-sculpted valley in eastern Queens. The headwaters collected into alley creek, which flowed north towards Little Neck Bay, an arm of Long Island Sound.

In the colonial period, the site of Alley Pond was a scenic stop on West Alley Road, where travelers stocked up on goods. Gristmills were built on many local streams, harnessing the flow to grind wheat. The last of such mills was built by James Hedges in the 1760s, damming the creek to form Alley Pond. The structure burned down in 1926. Next to the mill, the Burhman general store operated from 1828 to 1929. At the time of its opening, it was the only store in the area. It was demolished after The Alley was acquired by the Parks Department in 1929.

HIDDEN WATERS OF NYC: THE BOOK

Purchase the book

Poolside Green Park

This pool has been on Staten Island for years but I just found it.  It has a natural source of water.
 It is small but holds some big carp.  This was my third stop of the day on Staten Island.
The first stop was a pond near a Home Depot.  I was not able to determine if fish were present.
The second place was a body of water inside an Industrial Park.  I plan a closer look in
the near future.

Even though it is summer I saw no signs of Blue Algae here.  The aerator seemed to do it's job
There is not much shoreline but the shore is fishable.  It is a quiet peaceful place to fish.
It looks as if the bank of the pool has been newly renovated.

Project Healing Waters Bronx River trip

MISSION STATEMENT

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities including education and outings.

501c3 Information

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Maryland. PHWFF is dependent on tax-deductible, charitable donations and the help of numerous volunteers to meet the educational, equipment, transportation, and related needs of its participants.

Recently, I took a few veterans fly fishing to one of the rivers I fish.  The Bronx River is New York City's only fresh water river.  It has been given a new life since the county of Westchester no longer
dumps raw sewage into it.  As a result of stopping the dumping of waste the river's water has steadily improved.  Largemouth bass, carp and other panfish offer good fly fishing opportunities from Valhalla all the way down to where the Bronx River and The East River merge.

In fact, just below where the river becomes tidal, in The Bronx, fishers can also pursue
stripe bass and, blue fish.

Unfortunately, The day of our trip to the river it rained heavily in the morning.  When we arrived in the afternoon,The Bronx River was a muddy brown.  Normally, this river offers sight fishing and even wading  where the river bottom permits.

I hope to be able to take more veterans to the local waters where I fish this fall.

Pike on the Passaic River

Things have been kinda slow the past few weeks due to Blue Algae. It is in most of the lakes
in the Greater New York area.  Both New York and New Jersey are suffering from this bloom.

As a result, I have not been fishing as much as I normally do.  However, the rivers seem to be fishable.  So I decided to see if I could catch a pike or two in the Passaic river.  I went to a part
of the river I haven't fished in a long while.

The Passaic River is stocked with Northern Pike in New Jersey. Both the fresh water and the tidal parts of the Passaic river hold big pike; thanks to the department of environmental protection.

My favorite flies are the six-inch sunfish ( with a rattle) and a big black gurgler.  In the past, these flies have caught pike for me.

I fished outside of my usual time period.  Normally I fish for them during the new moon cycle.  I like to fish three days before the new moon and or up to three days after the new moon.
This time I fished with the outgoing tide.  The Franco Vivarelli Goldstar is a dependable
semi automatic fly reel; sturdy enough for salt water fishing.  It was matched with my Fenwick fiberglass fly rod, a 7 weight.

The afternoon was pleasant with almost no wind.  Even the carp which were nearby were
feeding on the surface.  The quality of the water has also improved.  I have fished the river here
since 2004 and in three feet of water, I could see the river bed!

Until a few years ago I never saw crabs here.

I had no luck catching a pike but as the tide moved out I noticed the tomb of the
unknown carp fisher.

NYC Bass Fishing: Central Park Smallmouth

No one has been able to explain how smallmouth bass got into turtle pond but they are there.
In fact, it has been an open secret between both fly fishers and fisher types, for many years that this cold water fish is thriving in the center of New York City.  For a time fishing in Turtle Pond was forbidden.  However, the ban has been removed and now the pond can be fished  in broad daylight
instead of "vampire fishing" in the dead of night!

The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus. One of the black basses, it is a popular game fish sought by anglers throughout the temperate zones of North America, and has been spread by stocking—as well as illegal introductions—to many cool-water tributaries and lakes in Canada and more so introduced in the United States. The maximum recorded size is approximately 27 inches and 12 pounds. The smallmouth bass is native to the upper and middle Mississippi River basin, the Saint Lawrence River–Great Lakes system, and up into the Hudson Bay basin. Its common names include smallmouth, bronzeback, brown bass, brownie, smallie, bronze bass, and bareback bass.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1Description
• 2Habitat
• 3Migration
• 4Angling
  • 4.1Tackle
• 5Footnotes
• 6References

Description[edit]

The smallmouth bass is generally brown, appearing sometimes as black or green (seldom yellow) with red eyes, and dark brown vertical bands, rather than a horizontal band along the side. There are 13–15 soft rays in the dorsal fin. The upper jaw of smallmouth bass extends to the middle of the eye. The smallmouth's coloration and hue may vary according to environmental variables such as water clarity or diet.

Males are generally smaller than females. The males tend to range around two pounds, while females can range from three to six pounds. Their average sizes can differ, depending on where they are found; those found in American waters tend to be larger due to the longer summers, which allow them to eat and grow for a longer period of time.

Their habitat plays a significant role in their color, weight, and shape. River water smallmouth that live in dark water tend to be rather torpedo-shaped and very dark brown to be more efficient for feeding. Lakeside smallmouth bass, however, that live in sandy areas, tend to be a light yellow-brown and are more oval-shaped.

They have been seen eating tadpoles, fish, aquatic insects, crayfish, frogs, small mice and birds, and even French fries.^[2] There are two recognized subspecies, the Northern smallmouth bass (M. dolomieui dolomieui) and the Neosho smallmouth bass (M. dolomieui velox).

Habitat[edit]

The smallmouth bass is found in clearer water than the largemouth, especially streams, rivers, and the rocky areas and stumps and also sandy bottoms of lakes and reservoirs. The smallmouth prefers cooler water temperatures than its cousin the largemouth bass, and may be found in both still and running water. Because it is intolerant of pollution, the smallmouth bass is a good natural indicator of a healthy environment, though it can better adjust to changes in water condition than most trout species. Carnivorous, its diet comprises crayfish, insects, and smaller fish; the young also feeding on zooplankton.^{[citation needed]}

The female can lay up to 21,100 eggs, which are guarded by the male in his nest.^{[citation needed]}

Migration[edit]

When the weather gets colder, and the water temperature drops below 15 C (60 F), smallmouth will often migrate in search of deeper pools in which they enter a semi-hybernation state,^[3] moving sluggishly and feeding very little until the warm season returns.^[3] The migration patterns of smallmouth have been tracked and it is not unusual for a smallmouth to travel 12 miles in a single day^[3] in a stream, creek or river.^[3] The overall migration can exceed 60 miles.^[3]

Angling[edit]

Fly fishing
targets
bluefish
brook trout
crappie
hucho taimen
largemouth bass
northern pike
peacock bass
shoal bass
smallmouth bass
more fly fish...
other sport fish...
fishing
I N D E X

Main article: Bass fishing

Illustration of a group of smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass from the Rainy River near International Falls, Minnesota (Released)

Smallmouth bass from Eagle Lake in Ontario, Canada(Released)

In the United States, smallmouth bass were first introduced outside of their native range with the construction of the Erie Canal in 1825, extending the fish's range into central New York state. During the mid-to-late 19th century, smallmouth were transplanted via the nation's rail system to lakes and rivers throughout the northern and western United States, as far as California. Shippers found that smallmouth bass were a hardy species that could be transported in buckets or barrels by rail, sometimes using the spigots from the railroad water tanks to aerate the fingerlings. They were introduced east of the Appalachians just before the Civil War, and afterwards transplanted to the states of New England.^[4][5]

With increased industrialization and land use changes, many of the nation's eastern trout rivers were polluted or experienced elevated water temperatures, reducing the range of native brook trout. Smallmouth bass were often introduced to northern rivers with increased water temperatures and slowly became a popular gamefish with many anglers. Equally adaptable to large, cool-water impoundments and reservoirs, the smallmouth also spread far beyond its original native range. Later, smallmouth populations also began to decline after years of damage caused by overdevelopment and pollution, as well as a loss of river habitat caused by damming many formerly wild rivers to form lakes or reservoirs. In recent years, a renewed emphasis on preserving water quality and riparian habitat in the nation's rivers and lakes, together with stricter management practices, eventually benefited smallmouth populations and has caused a resurgence in their popularity with anglers.^[4][6]

Today, smallmouth bass are very popular game fish, frequently sought by anglers using conventional spinning and bait casting gear, as well as fly fishingtackle.^[7][8] The smallmouth bass is one of the toughest fighting freshwater fish in North America.^[9] In addition to wild populations, the smallmouth bass is stocked in cool rivers and lakes throughout Canada and the United States. In shallow streams, it is a wary fish, though usually not to the extent of most trout. The smallmouth is highly regarded for its topwater fighting ability when hooked – old fishing journals referred to the smallmouth bass as "ounce for ounce and pound for pound the gamest fish that swims".^[10] Smallmouth bass are taken for the table, with filets of white, firm flesh when cooked.^[11] Today, many fishermen practice catch-and-release fishing to improve fish populations.