Fishing with Reggie

Today I had a great time fishing with my friend Reggie at the Haulover Inlet Jetty. We started off with dead shrimp off of the rocks towards the beginning of the jetty when we arrived. I was the first one to catch a fish. I threw out half of a shrimp on my small hook. I felt lots of nibbles, and then I soon felt a tug. I reeled in a Blue-Striped Grunt. We didn't catch anything else here, so we worked our way down to the end of the jetty. There, I showed Reggie how to work my sabiki rig. To use it, you drop it in the water and gently and slowly bob the rod tip up and down. I did not put any pieces of shrimp on the saki. Sure enough, a fish was caught on the sabiki. We had caught a Bermuda Chub, a fish that wasn't on my bucket list, but a fish that I would have liked to catch. A little while later, a teenager came over and was using his cast net to catch live sardines. We asked hm if we could use some. At first, he refused to give us a few of his many baitfish, but later he gave us about 10, which was very kind and appreciated. We had used about half before they started to die. We thought they were useless until we found a man catching Mangrove Snappers. When we asked him what bait he was using, he said that he was using the sardines from the teenager. (they were together) He said that it was just fine to use the dead ones. In fact, he was only using dead ones, by the time we got to him, at least. We used up the dead ones and caught nothing. We packed up and got ready to go and saw the man fishing on our way out. We watched his technique. He hooked the bait twice, through the back of the head and again through the body, like squid. He had a medium-big sized egg sinker. He cast the bait out a bit past the rocks. When the line was tighter and he felt a little tug, he set the hook. Reggie and I didn't have to leave right then, so we struck a deal with him. Since we weren't keeping any fish, we asked him to share his bait with us, and whatever we would catch, we would give to him to eat. The man agreed and shared his bait with us. We followed the technique. Reggie was the first to get a bite since we started fishing again. He set the hook, but it broke the line. We could tell that it was a big one. He then set the hook and I helped him bring in a Black Margate. We caught it! Next, I set my big circle hook and we brought in a thin, silver fish called a Lookdown. Because of how thin it is, I was surprised when the man said that he likes the taste of Lookdowns and he wanted to keep it. We kept on fishing, and Reggie and I caught a Mangrove Snapper. We then decided to pack up and leave. We went over to my house to rest, and then we went across the street to end our day of fishing. Reggie casted out his mini rod with a small egg sinker and a small J hook to the middle of the canal, where I had barely ever caught a fish from before, with a piece of hot dog. It was extremely low tide and the fish weren't near the dock, so he had to. He set the hook and we caught a big Grunt! Then, he casted again and he caught a Pinfish! Then, I used a piece of hot dog on my big circle hook and I hooked a fish. I reeled it in and I caught a Grunt! After this, Reggie and I packed up and ended the day. This was a really interesting fishing trip in which I caught and was credited for 6 fish and Reggie caught and was credited for 4 fish. I learned about a new spot, a new technique, and Reggie and I both had a great day of fishing. STAY TUNED! MORE POSTS COMING SOON!

Central Park Fishing

This was a very fun and exciting yet short fishing trip in the center of New York City. On a visit with my family to New York City, we walked through Central Park. When we passed by some of the lakes and reservoirs, I was wondering if I could fish and which types of fish were there. I was looking at the pond until I found something and went to check it out with my brother. At one of the platforms next to the lake, a fisherman was using bread to fish. Before we went over to check it out, we saw him get a bite, hook the fish, and reel it it. It was a catfish. When Jacob and I found our way to the platform, I started talking to the fisherman. The fisherman, who's name is George, was very friendly. He told Jacob and me that he released every fish he caught. He also told us that he liked catching catfish, but he really wanted to catch a Carp. If a Carp bit, it would run with the line. George showed us how he took a piece of bread squished it to make it strong and help it stay on the line, and he would keep the bail locked after casting it but would leave lots of slack. He didn't have a sinker on his line. After a little bit, the line started to tighten up and it became straighter. Jacob and I noticed this and let George know. He set the hook, and Fish on! We reeled it in and caught it. A catfish! Next, we repeated the same routine. It wasn't long before another catfish bit. Again, the hook was set and the fish was brought in. George dehooked the fish and I took a picture before letting it go. By then Jacob and I had to go. Thank you George for giving Jacob and me an awesome fishing trip. Stay tuned! More fishing tips and tricks coming soon.