Quadriceps Tendon Tear after fishing in Watertown

I made my annual trip to see my friend who lives near Watertown, Massachusetts.
Normally the trip consists of fishing rivers and ponds in the area.  We talk and joke about
life.

This year I got a tip about an old clay pit that is used for fishing and has carp.  My friend
likes to float and use his inflatable kayak when I fish but no boats are permitted.  So we
 fished a pond with no name and a fence around it.  Maybe it was too early but fish were not
 actively feeding.  I did see schools of minnows swimming in the north end of the pond.

We packed up his kayak and drove to the clay pit.  Here there were clear signs that fish, carp
were feeding and even jumping.  I hooked 6 carp and brought 4 to my net.  The smallest was
about 4 kilograms and the largest was 6 kilograms.  I was not able to take any pictures because
my camera got wet at the no name pond.

Afterwards, we went home for dinner and that is when I had an accident.  While I was walking
down the stairs I tripped and fell down the stairs which resulted in me tearing my right quadriceps
muscles.  It was not especially painful but I could not walk on my right leg.  So I had surgery,
the next day.   Now that my camera has dried, It can take pictures again.  And the photos shown,
show my leg with and without the surgical staples.  I will not be able to ski this winter.

Lehigh River for carp

A friend invited me to fish near the town of Easton, Pennsylvania.  I planned to get there
early.

Unfortunately I missed the early bus. I arrived during the hottest part of the day, mid afternoon.
My buddy Andy had seen carp actively feeding where The Lehigh River meets The Delaware River.
These two rivers are very popular for fly fishers.

I spent the remainder of the day fishing for anything that would take my flies.  Maybe it
was the hot weather that afternoon but all I saw were theses geese.

The waterfall as the Lehigh River flows into the Delaware River.

Easton is the home of one time heavy weight champion Larry Holmes.  He has a restaurant
not far from where this picture was taken.

A place for koi in the future

You are looking at a one acre pond located in a new park in New Jersey.  It is called
The Irene Habernickel Family Park.

The Land was donated by Irene Habernickel as a gift after her death.  It was once a horse
farm where race horses were produced.

There are ball fields, hiking trails

The one thing I did notice in the pond were these 15 mm orange koi.  It will be interesting to see
if fishing is allowed in the future.

Fly fishing at Indian Lake

I have been fishing at Indian lake for several years now.  It is listed as having a big carp
population.  However, I have never caught a carp or for that matter a fish here.  I will not fish here
again, for a long while.

It was late so I took the train to one of The Great Lakes of NYC.  I went to the Bronx
and fished Van Cortlandt Park's lake.

I have caught a variety of fish here.  I've caught big carp here as well as crappie, perch
and bass.

Van Cortlandt Park is a 1,146-acre (464 ha) park located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the third largest park in New York City, behind Pelham Bay Park and Staten Island Greenbelt.
The park was named for Stephanus Van Cortlandt, who was the first native-born mayor of New York, and the Van Cortlandt family, which was prominent in the area during the Dutch and English colonial periods. Contained within the Park is the Van Cortlandt House Museum, the oldest building in the Bronx. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
The eastern side of the park is served by the Woodlawn subway station (4 train), and the western side by Van Cortlandt Park – 242nd Street station (1 train).
Van Cortlandt Park contains New York City's largest freshwater lake

September carp

I was fishing near Clifton. New Jersey when I noticed this red tail hawk.  A few minutes earlier
It had attempted to have duck lunch on the far side of the lake.  How the duck managed to free itself
remains a mystery to me.  

It was unfortunate for the hawk.  There are so many waterfowl  the park could do with less
 geese and ducks.

I did manage a nice carp.




 The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens.^[2] It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies, and is one of the most common buteos in North America. Red-tailed Hawks can acclimate to all the biomes within their range. There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range. It is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America, typically weighing from 690 to 1,600 g (1.52 to 3.5 lb) and measuring 45–65 cm (18–26 in) in length, with a wingspan from 110–145 cm (43–57 in). The Red-tailed Hawk displays sexual dimorphism in size, with females averaging about 25% heavier than males.[

How to Fly Fish: The Single-Hand Snake Roll Cast

Orange fishing

I have fished the lakes and ponds in Orange.  I wanted to see this pond because it look like
it could be a good place for carp.  Someone had told me that fished had been stocked in the pond
in late spring this year.  Since it was a humid, hot afternoon when I arrived; I did not begin to fish
until the lake was covered by the shadow of the trees.

I wanted the fish to begin to feed as they often do as the sun begins to set.  The water was
not clear even though there was an aerator.  I used an unusually small fly, for me, a #16
bead head prince to start fishing.  It wasn't long before I had caught a young crappie.

I wanted to see if there were other fish that would take a small innocent looking fly on
a 6x tippet.  I moved around a quarter of the pond and caught another young crappie.
I switched to a woolie bugger and fished the same area again.  This time not one bite.

Orange Park, considered to be part of the original county park system designed by the Olmsted Brothers, is a beautiful 47.63-acre park situated between Central Avenue and Center and Harrison Streets in the City of Orange. It's the park system's sixth largest park.

Property for Orange Park was purchased in 1897, making it one of the nation's oldest parks. Such a large acquisition was thought wise at that time because it was the only available open space within the city's limits and these areas were rapidly disappearing. Originally the land was low and marshy and served as a catch basin for surface water from the surrounding territory. By 1899, the land was completely under-drained and converted from a marshy bog into a beautiful and usable playground. A small lake was excavated near the center of the park. Little planting was necessary due to the fine character and abundance of trees on this land. In 1986 the vehicular through-roadway was eliminated, restoring the pastoral setting for recreational activities, as originally intended.

Coopers Pond

Of all the places I have fished this season, Coopers Pond is the most scenic.  Maybe it
was the sunlight or my mood but this park is like looking at a picture post card.

There seemed to be a visual balance in the landscaping.  The colors, the trees everything
was pleasing to look at.

Everything here was at peace.  The ducks, the geese never got in the way of my fishing.

My pictures can not show what I saw in this park but I hope you have an impression of
what I saw.

This part of the park was fenced off and not open to the public but it reminded me of
a home you might see in New England.

I was able to get very close to this rabbit sitting out in the open.

But enough of my rambling ; let me tell you about what I saw in the pond.  As I walked the
shoreline, I saw some fish.   There were some small carp feeding right at the edge of the pond.
They were about 30mm long.

I chummed a quiet part of the pond  with some cracked corn and walked to another
part of the park.  I began to fish using nymph patterns.  On the east side of the pond
I caught a green sunfish.  I worked my way down the east side without another fish.

Returning to the area I had chummed earlier; I saw carp actively feeding.  But there were
turtles feeding too.  One of the dangers of chumming is attracting big turtles into the area.
I've noticed that carp will stay away from the chum if turtles are involved.  After rigging
for carp, I cast my fly in the area where a feeding frenzy was taking place.  Almost
immediately my light went tight.  My 6 weight rod was bent.  However, there was no
long run which is typical of carp.   It didn't take me long to realize I had foul hooked
one of the frenzied carp.  Fortunately, it broke free without snapping my tippet.

The turtles swarmed the area and become a nuisance.  Daylight was leaving the sky
so I packed my things and left.