Fly fishing at Silver Lake Park and Milburn Creek Park

The forecast called for rain showers but I threw caution to the wind and headed to
Atlantic terminal and the Long Island Rail Road.

In the last few weeks I have visited a number of different fisheries.  Some of the
places I've been have been bust as far as new fishing spots but many have been worth the
time and effort to find.

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Silver Lake Park goes on the list as a plus.  Yes it is small but it has fish and seems to
be under fished.

The water is murky but for the most part you can see the fish.

There are two pools one in the south end of the park and a second in the north west corner.

I saw several larger carp in the north pool.

 The Milburn Creek Park has brackish water.  It's not much of a park as the banks of the
creek are covered on both sides by tall weeds and thick underbrush.  There is zero access
from the shore.  Bring your kayak!

What appears to be a boat ramp on the left side of the photo, can not be reached except
by machete!

At the end of the park there is a place to launch boats; if your destination is the Jamaica
Bay.

Looking north on the creek

The tide was low at the time of this photo

Oh yeah, in spite of this park having almost zero access to fish the creek, carp are here.

Duck Pond Fly Fishing for Carp

This is called duck pond but the whole time I was there I only saw two ducks.  Good.
This is a very shallow pool.

However even with 3 aerators the water is murky.  This may be due to the carp that
are present.

Duck Pond also has Green Sunfish

A look at my March Brown Travel Fly Rod.  It is a 7 piece, 8' 6", six weight.  It can fit
almost anywhere.

I caught about a dozen of these  little aggressive  Green Sunfish.  I used a #10 white nobler
Think of it as a woolie bugger shaped like a torpedo with a tail.

I did manage to hook a big carp that was tailing here.

I did not have a net man today so I was not able to land this one.

The green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usually caught by accident, while fishing for other game fish. Green sunfish can be caught with live bait such as nightcrawlers, waxworms, and mealworms. Grocery store baits such as pieces of hot dog or corn kernels can even catch fish. Small lures have been known to occasionally catch green sunfish.
The green sunfish is said to have polarization sensitive vision not found in humans and other vertebrates mostly which helps in enhancement of visibility of target objects in scattering media, using a method called polarization difference imaging

Fly Fishing the Hackensack River

This past week I went to the Hackensack River to see where I could fish for carp.
I believe this is one of the few carp flats in the New York area.  At this point the river
is tidal and the tides determine when you can see the fish feeding.  In the picture above
It is one hour before low tide.

I saw this rabbit too.

This photo was taken on the north side of the flat area.  Do not let the looks fool you.
While it is flat not all of it is solid.  Most of this area is soft deep mud.

 

Almost completely drained of water

And not a carp to be seen anywhere but this is where they forage.

Marigolds

I returned the next day, several hours before low tide and found water and feeding carp
in the area.

The water level here is more than a meter higher than one hour before low tide.

Here underneath a Mulberry tree, carp are actively feeding on the berries.  The day before
this area was completely drained.

Carp feeding near the surface.

This is a photo of the same flat but now it is covered by water.  I sat here for about an hour
observing carp jumping, tailing and doing what carp like to do.

No more than 7 meters from where I sat there were about twenty carp moving slowly
and leaving bubble trails.

The forecast calls for rain tomorrow with thunder storms; so I will have to wait before
I can wade these mud flats.

Fly Fishing at Samuel Nelkin County Park with a cane fly rod

I have been trying to fish new places.  This is another county park that has a small pond.
I was surprised that I never noticed this park before.

What is unusual about this place is that the local people feed the fish and not the Canada geese.

The pond seems to be full of fish.
 

I guess the fish were feeding on midges because small bass were jumping out of the water
all over the pond!

I used this trip to test my refinished cane fly rod.  It has been re wrapped and re varnished too.

I used a #10 greenie weenie to catch a small carp that was tailing in a corner.  The carp
took the fly hard.   Unfortunately, it fell off the hook as I raised it from the water. 
A cane rod is very strong but still protects the tippet.

Three piece, nine foot, 6 weight cane fly rod.  It looks brand new.  I won it during an e Bay
auction for very little money!

Van Saun County Park

Here is a new place I saw recently on Google.

This is a small place but the first thing I noticed were two koi swimming.

The park has two fishing platforms, one on each side of the lake.  There are several other
access points along the shore.

This place has carp, koi, and buffalo !  It also has bass and panfish.

A couple of predators waiting to eat fish.

Can you find the bee?

Dry fly fishing for carp

I met Dennis at Central Park to dry fly fish (deer hair pellet flies) for carp. 
This is a lot of fun but it requires accuracy and patience.  Your fly must land in an area a
 little larger than a tea cup.  Deer hair flies float on the surface and resemble many things
that carp eat when they cloop   The flies can be tied in different colors.  I have  flies in red,
blue, green, brown, yellow, grey and white; from size #4 to size #14.

We chummed with a handful of dry dog food and waited for the action to start.

Dennis is the best in the city at catching carp with deer hair flies.  His casts are accurate
and his ability to set the hook is uncanny!

looking north on Loeb Lake on a calm summer night.

Dennis sitting on a big rock ready to set the hook on a unsuspecting carp.

Dennis caught two carp in less than an hour.

Weasel Brook Park and Main Memorial Park North

I went to Clifton , New Jersey to see a new place to fish.  Weasel Brook is a
tiny place but it has fish.

At first look I thought I had found a dead brook.  On the shallow north side there was no
sign of fish.  On the deeper south side I saw fry and I saw a fish jump out of the water.

As I creeped closer I saw suckers, big ones facing the water flow.  I have not caught one
of these since I was twelve.

I didn't stay around to fish but headed to Main Memorial Park, about two miles north.
The first thing I saw were turtles, lots of turtles sticking out of the water.

The park has a military tank near the water.

There are large mouth bass here and panfish.

It is mulberry time.