Another rainy afternoon

The forecast called for rain but I took the subway
to the Bronx anyway. It was overcast but dry
as I walked to Van Cortlandt lake from the train.



But within an hour it started to rain and hard.
I took shelter under a deck.



I caught a crappie sized carp. The carp was
less than a foot long. It was too small for my
boca grip; as I raised the fish out of the water
it fell back into the lake.



I also experimented with a "pop up" rig.
A pop up allows the fisher to fish above the
floor of the lake; sort of suspension fly.



I caught a blue gill on a hook with a soft bait

first carp of the fall

The forecast called for showers first and heavy
rain in the afternoon. I arrived at Central Park
before 10:00am.



I put out some corn pellets and waited for signs
of feeding carp. Carp can become active when
it starts to rain



For an hour I saw almost nothing. In keeping
with my policy of repositioning my fly; I recast
and put my fly in a different part of my swim.



It was almost noon when my line moved, slowly.
There was some hesitation then a run but not
a typical "carp" run. I thought it was a catfish.
I was fishing a Fenwick 7'6", 6wt rod which helped
me control this carp. It took awhile to put this
fish on the Boca grip and I was surprise at how
hard a fish for this size fought. All the while it
P O U R E D!

Wooddale park pond

I Googled a few more lakes and ponds in New
Jersey and found Wooddale Park Pond, near
Woodcliff.



The pond has bass and panfish. I hooked a few
blue gills but saw no carp.



After surveying the pond I headed west toward
Storm Pond. I discovered, after a long up hill
walk that it is on private property

Intro to Carp Fly Fishing - with Barry Reynolds

Denver Carp Fly Fishing with Trico Dry Flies

The Meer

I arrived at The Meer, in Central park, just before noon.
My hope was to engage some of the tailing carp that
I had seen there under a layer of duck weed
about a week earlier. This time there was no blanket
of duck weed on the Meer.



Only the south east corner was covered with
green duck weed.



However, I saw no evidence that carp were
active in the clear water. Nevertheless, I chummed
and waited for carp to make their presence known.



And I waited for some indication that carp were
in the area or even in the lake.



Normally when I fish the Meer, I target the
panfish ( blue gills, crappie, bass). On this day
those fish seem to be the only fish active and
ready to be fished.



So I changed my rig. I tied on a #12 Hare's ear
with rubber legs.



I took position on a rock sticking out of the water
and began to use spey casting techniques.



The first Blue gill hit my fly hard and made a sweeping
turn towards 11oth street. I hand stripped him
to hand.



I caught another and another; these were mature
fish, more than seven inches long. I switched flies
and used a #12 green weenie. This fly caught fish
also. Later in the day, I headed to The pool at 103rd street.



There I caught several club size bass using the
green weenie.

By 7:00pm I had walked down to the lake at 72nd
street. I was hoping to catch a carp. But like at the
Meer, carp were inactive.

The Bronx

I went to Van Cortlandt Park today. My plan for
the week was to try and catch carp in The Bronx.
I had chummed the area just before leaving
yesterday.




I arrived at about 1:00pm, drank some power
ade and formulated a plan of attack. I added
more chum, made some grenades and put
together my rod. There was no sign that carp
were feeding.



The ducks and geese voluntarily left the area
where I planned to fish; so every thing was in
place.



After 5 minutes my line started to move rapidly
away and across the lake. I watched but didn't
try to slow the fish. My drag was clicking as the line
ran out the rod tip and across the lake. I realized
I would be on the short end of the stick if I didn't
try to move with the carp. As the fish veered to the
north east of the lake, I followed along the lakes
edge. Always try to maintain or decrease the
distance between you and the fish.

The carp turned west for awhile. He was well into
the backing of my reel. The backing looked brand
new. But it too was nearing the end. I started
to apply braking techniques to slow the fish.
I pumped the rod and began to pull the line
back onto the reel.

Finally the fish was showing signs of tiring. A
crowd had gathered as I fought the carp. The
crowd included a sun bather, fishermen and
golfers returning from the adjacent golf course.

I handed my boca grip to one of the golfers. He
managed to grip the carp and raised it out of the
water. It weighed just under 1o lbs.

Van Cortlandt Lake

I promised myself that I would fish in The Bronx
this week in an effort to catch a carp. I have never
caught a carp here.



Big carp are frequently seen jumping out of the
water in the south east corner. Rumor has it
that this part of the lake is deeper.



So my first stop was that part of the lake.
I chummed a small area there with pellets.
I saw some yearling bass in the area



After monitoring the are for an hour, I walked
back to the south west part of the lake.
I chummed this part of the lake too.



I bought my 6'6" 2 wt fiberglass fly rod for
some panfishing.



This rod has a slow flex and reminds me of fishing
with a bamboo fly rod. I managed to hook a
club size bass (about 12 inches long) on a white
woolie bugger



Water fowl



My 2 wt, 6 foot, 6 inch, 6 piece, fiberglass fly rod



Flower



Cat tails

The Meer

After visiting Morningside Park, I walked
down the street to The Meer at Central Park.



Much of the lake surface was covered with duck
weed. Duck weed does not stop one from fishing
and I hoped to hook some of the carp swimming
under the duck weed.



I followed my standard rountine, chum, wait
and then fish.



Carp appeared to be active and feeding under
the green blanket of duck weed. Dorsal fins
were sticking out of the water as the big carp
swam back and forth, stopping here and there.




Chum grenades ready for use.
It was frustrating because after more than an
hour, I had not even a nibble. They were there
but they were not taking anything I offered.

Morningside Park

A friend asked me if I had ever fished in this
park. I hadn't even though I walk past it when
I fish The Meer, in Central Park



About twenty years ago a small pond was added
to the park. There are fish but there are way too
many turtles for my liking.



It is a pretty setting when you sit on a bench
and look at the pond and it's waterfall.





Morningside Park:

Morningside Park takes its name from the eastern side—where the sun rises in the morning—of the rugged cliff of Manhattan schist which separates Morningside Heights on the west from the Harlem Plain to the east. The area was formerly known as Muscoota to the Indians of the Harlem Plain, Vredendal (Peaceful Dale) to 17th century Dutch settlers, and Vandewater Heights after the Dutch landowner who acquired property here in 1738. On September 16, 1776, during the Revolutionary War Battle of Harlem Heights, colonial forces retreated on a road through the area. Three blockhouse fortifications were built here and put to use during the War of 1812.

In 1867 Andrew Haswell Green, Commissioner and Comptroller of Central Park, recommended that a park be located in Morningside Heights. He argued that it would be "very expensive" and "very inconvenient" to extend the Manhattan street grid over the area’s severe topography. The City of New York was granted jurisdiction over this property in 1870. Construction of Morningside Park was delayed, however, because the Board of Commissioners for Public Parks rejected the design proposals submitted by Parks Engineer-in-Chief M.A. Kellogg in 1871, and by landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (co-designers of Central and Prospect Parks) in 1873.

Architect Jacob Wrey Mould was hired to rework Olmsted and Vaux’s plans in 1880. He designed the promenade and buttressed masonry wall that encloses the park along Morningside Drive. The 30 foot-wide walkway was constructed as a series of esplanades, linked by steps, with semi-octagonal bays providing visitors with places to rest and to enjoy the view. Although a construction contract was awarded in 1883, Mould died in 1886 before the work was completed.

Fourteen years after their original proposal was rejected, landscape architects Olmsted and Vaux were hired in 1887 to continue improvements to Morningside Park. They enhanced the park’s natural elements by planting vegetation tolerant of the dry, rocky environment. Two paths—one broad, one meandering—traversed the lower portion of the park. Retained as a consultant, Vaux saw the work to completion in 1895, the year he drowned in Gravesend Bay. Parks Superintendent Samuel Parsons Jr. wrote of Vaux’s work, ". . .perhaps Morningside Park was the most consummate piece of art that he had ever created."

The park’s design continued to evolve in the 20th century. Monuments installed in and around the park included Lafayette and Washington (1900) by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the Carl Schurz Memorial (1913) by Karl Bitter and Henry Bacon, and the Seligman (Bear and Faun) Fountain (1914) by Edgar Walter. Between the 1930s and the 1950s playgrounds, basketball courts, and softball diamonds were constructed in the east and south parts of Morningside Park.

In 1968 student and community protests halted construction of a large gymnasium in the park intended for the use of Columbia University and the public. The excavated foundation crater was converted into an ornamental pond and waterfall in 1989-90 as part of a $5 million capital reconstruction of the park from 110th to 114th Streets. The project also included installing new play equipment, creating a picnic area, planting new trees, and rebuilding the ballfields.

Jersey Shores

Saturday, Dennis and myself headed to Branch
Brook Park in Newark, New Jersey.



We fished here last year and expected to
be able to fish in an area where fish would be
holding.




When we arrived we saw chain link fences all
around the area we wanted to fish. So we decided
to walk the lake edge to see if there were any
other areas holding fish.



No fish here



The lake is also stocked with rainbow trout



We saw no trout either. We even chummed
for carp and re chummed again but no actively
feeding fish could be found.



While we made the tour we saw this young
Red Tail Hawk lunching on a rodent.



We keep our distance as he ate



After lunch he flew up to a tree branch and
rested in the sun.



Dennis fishing for panfish. At 3:00 o'clock
we packed up and traveled to Harrison, New Jersey.
Harrison has a small pond that is stocked with
rainbows, panfish, carp and koi!

Harrison was no different except for several
white koi. But we paid a heavy price while
trying to catch them. Mosquitoes peppered
us without mercy. At one point there appeared
to be a mist hanging over head, A mist of big
Jersey mosquitoes!