Monday, April 1, 2013

The 2013 Opener

Yellow Perch...first Tenkara fish of the year
 Today was not just April first...April Fools Day....it was opening day of trout season in New York.  Living on Long Island that doesn't mean as much because many of the local bodies of water are open year round for trout fishing. The problem is that many of these same bodies of water are put and take and therefore are not stocked until April first.  However, this day also means a well deserved day off from work for me to spend doing some fishing.  The whole day was devoted to pursing one of my favorite past times, no schedules, no deadlines, no places to be...just fishing.


I started the day at White's Pool on the Nissequogue River  with some flies and my Yamame tenkara rod.  Two hours later all I had to show for it was the yellow perch pictured above. Some might consider that disappointing but not me. However, I decided to move on anyway because I had the time to go to other locations. I decided to go to Randal Pond, which is a little 4 acre put and take "puddle" for rainbows and brown trout.


What is really nice about this little pond is that it's generally not that crowded and has several convenient fishing platforms that provide access to certain areas of the pond without having to use a boat.  In addition, most of it is surrounded by wood lands that let you watch turkey, hawks, and all manner of other forms of wild life while fishing.  I even saw a little brown bat hovering over the water at around 2pm.  But I went for trout and that is what I got.



All and all it was a good day and a relaxing one.  The only regret I can honestly say I have about the trip is that I had to put aside my tenkara rod in favor of my ultra light spinning gear.  I'm not opposed to anyone, myself included, using any particular method to catch fish.  I just have a lot more fun using my tenkara gear. However, the breeze that kicked up this afternoon made casting flies virtually impossible. If today is any indication to what the rest of the season holds I think it will be a great year.

8 comments:

  1. First off, glad you had the time off to fish and relax. Second, for a stocked brown it's quite handsome, well marked.
    And last that "barred trout" as Joe Haines called them must have bent that Tenkara stick pretty good.

    Well done Kiwi.

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    1. Thanks Brk Trt...A number of the stocked browns I have caught over the years here on the island are usually very colorful unlike some stocked brookies that I have caught. they are usually very pale and don't quite equal their wild brethren.

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  2. Nice to see you getting out there and "fooling" some fish. I was reading Ray Bergman's trout last night and he talks about the use of spinning gear in situations that don't favor the fly.

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    1. Thanks Mark...There are a number of ponds around here where there is always a constant strong breeze making fly fishing frustrating and difficult. Ultimately if I'm catching fish and having fun it really doesn't matter how I fish.....but I always prefer the fly to the worm/spinner/plug/etc.

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  3. Would like to try Randal's this weekend, since it is right near my house. I am afraid it will be crowded or about fished out by then though.

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  4. There was plenty of action there. Rainbows and browns were hitting silver and gold spinners as well as worms. There was only three other anglers there during the whole time I was there. I would suggest getting some while you can.

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  5. Great pictures and trip report, Kiwi. Looking forward to seeing more of these as the weather continues to get warmer!

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    1. Thanks Ashley....it was really nice to just get back out on the water after a long winter.

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