But It Was Only Fantasy

My losing streak continues. On Friday afternoon, I returned to Hudson Park. I wanted to try something. Many fishermen often rely on solunar calendars, which chart the phases of the moon. The In-Fisherman's solunar calendar (linked above) reported that the best day to fish was on Friday, when a new moon appeared. There's no astrology or voodoo involved, but the fish seem to be more active when there's a new or a full moon based on how it affects the Earth.

In my case, it didn't work out. I didn't even get a single bite. No one else I saw fishing caught anything either. So I guess it's not just me.

I picked up one dozen bloodworms from Jack's. They were out of fresh bunker. I decided to use all three lines to maximize coverage and increase my chances of catching something.

But nothing.

Is It Just a Waste of Time?

Yesterday, I made my second trip to Riverdale. The parking attendant told me that someone or some people caught a few big fish the day before.

I went to the last area on the promenade, the same spot I used last time. It was sunny and hotter than I expected. The tide was low, and it was coming in. I started fishing around 2:30.

Early on, I had two bites, which (combined with the parking attendant's report) increased my hopes of having a great day fishing.

As it turned out, it didn't work out that way.

At first I used two poles. Since there was little or no wind, I then used three. I had a couple of more bites, but failed to catch anything. As usual, I kept losing the bait. I didn't use the treble hooks I bought last year. I didn't just didn't feel like using them. Maybe that was a mistake.

I passed the time reading old articles I had ripped put of the Wall Street Journal. I listened to my iPod. I talked with a Metro North maintenance worker about fishing.

In the evening, the temperature dropped noticeably. I wished I had brought my sweatshirt or jacket.

After the sun disappeared behind the New Jersey side, the clouds came out. I thought this might increase my chances of catching something, but it didn't.

I packed up around 7 PM. I took a second box of bloodworms home with me to use next time.

My failure to catch anything today gave me a bad feeling: that this might turn out to be a really disappointing fishing season.

Unheeded Warnings, I Thought I Thought of Everything

Yesterday (Monday, May 3), the skies looked cloudy. I figured I would go fishing since I live for those type of overcast days.

I headed up to Hudson Park in New Rochelle. I went to Hudson Park Bait and Tackle to pick up bloodworms. The nice lady at the store told me they were out of bloodworms and fresh bunker. I was forced to settle for sandworms instead.

As I drove into the lot, I noticed the clouds getting darker and more ominous. A strong wind was moving the water. It started raining, and then the heavens opened up. I stayed in my car and didn't get wet. I figured I wait 15 minutes or so.

I got there a little after high tide around 4 PM. It eventually stopped raining, so I started fishing. As I set up, another fisherman, who also waited for the downpour to end, got out of his van. We exchanged nods.

I just used two lines. As the weather got better, the lot gradually filled up with more fishermen. I also saw a few fishermen across the water in Five Islands Park. They weren't fishing on the dock, where I usually fish, but on the nearby rocks. In fact, the nice lady told those rocks were the places to fish for stripers.

I had exactly two bites. Unfortunately, I didn't hook anything. I added fresh sandworms to the lines several times as the day went on. I reeled in the lines a little to attract the attention of any stripers or flounder who might be hungry.

In the evening, the sun even came out, and the water became perfectly still. I enjoyed it as I smoked another Butera Capo Grande cigar.

I wondered how things would have turned out if I took the long way and went to Jack's on City Island and picked up bloodworms and fresh bunker. I don't think it would have made much of a difference since I didn't see anyone else catch anything.

I gave up around 7 PM.