New members wished to learn how to get started in this intriguing hobby and old members aimed to further their knowledge and master some fishing how-to's (e.g., baiting a worm, handling a fish).
The outing started with casting lessons for our newest members.
After an hour, the bite began with a couple of rogue White Perch (Morone americana), a fish abundant in the Hudson River. This fish is a feisty species, armed with sharp spines on the top fins (called dorsal fins) and on their gill plate, making them well-defended against predators. The sides of their body are decorated with shiny, silvery scales. These fish also have an amazing tolerance to salinity, being found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters. The White Perch has the distinction of being a first catch for many of our club anglers!
Soon, the fish bites came in bunches, but the wind made it hard to detect them. Our experienced anglers learned that one of the best ways to detect a bite in windy conditions is to keep the rod tip low to prevent the wind from fooling our senses. Knowledge shared = Fish caught :)
White Perch were the most common of our catches, with Rickey and Hector landing the largest ones of the afternoon.
Christopher caught the biggest fish of the day, an impressive American Eel (Anguilla rostrata). Interesting Fact: The American can reach sizes of up to 4 ft long and over 15 lbs! They are native to our waters and have an interesting life cycle. They are categorized a "catadromous fish," which is the sciencey way of stating that these fish, unlike salmon, live most of their lives in freshwater but breed in the ocean, specifically in the Sargasso Sea. Although this is a well known fact, only recently did scientists observe this first-hand by tracking eels tagged with satellite transmitters. Read the full story here.
Christopher also landed a pair of Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), another local species with an epic backstory. They are an "anadromous fish," meaning they live most of their lives in the ocean but breed in freshwater (yes, just like salmon). Read more about the Striped Bass (which is featured on the back of our club t-shirt - yes!) here.
Our showstopper catch-of-the-day was Chuyy's surprise catch of an Atlantic Tomcod (Microgadus tomcod). This fish is native to the Hudson River but has not been a common catch for us at Piermont. It is a type of cod that lives in marine, brackish, and fresh waters. Thus, it is a survivor, but in more ways than you'd expect. In the Hudson River, these fish are famous for having rapidly adapted to pollution - specifically, they acquired resistance to PCBs. Such a feat is not common among fishes (pollution usually means bad news for fish!). Read more about this story here.
Another highlight of the day was Benni sharing his vast fishing knowledge with other members, including showcasing his newest fishing gizmo, an iPad-linked portable fish finder! Using this device on site, he even marked a number of fish throughout the water column!
In spite of the weather, we caught fish and got to spend quality time with each another, all while learning some fun facts about our Hudson River and its fishes! Here is to many more successful fishing outings. As the weather gets even colder and the fishing ceases, we will switch gears to offering workshops - Stay tuned!
Quotes of the Day:
"I am narrowing in on catching my first fish!" -Diamond
"I want to catch a different species today!" -Rickey
"We will remember trips like this as part of our college experience." -Hector
Soon, the fish bites came in bunches, but the wind made it hard to detect them. Our experienced anglers learned that one of the best ways to detect a bite in windy conditions is to keep the rod tip low to prevent the wind from fooling our senses. Knowledge shared = Fish caught :)
White Perch were the most common of our catches, with Rickey and Hector landing the largest ones of the afternoon.
Christopher caught the biggest fish of the day, an impressive American Eel (Anguilla rostrata). Interesting Fact: The American can reach sizes of up to 4 ft long and over 15 lbs! They are native to our waters and have an interesting life cycle. They are categorized a "catadromous fish," which is the sciencey way of stating that these fish, unlike salmon, live most of their lives in freshwater but breed in the ocean, specifically in the Sargasso Sea. Although this is a well known fact, only recently did scientists observe this first-hand by tracking eels tagged with satellite transmitters. Read the full story here.
Christopher also landed a pair of Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), another local species with an epic backstory. They are an "anadromous fish," meaning they live most of their lives in the ocean but breed in freshwater (yes, just like salmon). Read more about the Striped Bass (which is featured on the back of our club t-shirt - yes!) here.
Our showstopper catch-of-the-day was Chuyy's surprise catch of an Atlantic Tomcod (Microgadus tomcod). This fish is native to the Hudson River but has not been a common catch for us at Piermont. It is a type of cod that lives in marine, brackish, and fresh waters. Thus, it is a survivor, but in more ways than you'd expect. In the Hudson River, these fish are famous for having rapidly adapted to pollution - specifically, they acquired resistance to PCBs. Such a feat is not common among fishes (pollution usually means bad news for fish!). Read more about this story here.
As the Fall Club Fishing Season nears its end, it is becoming more and more clear that most of our members share common goals, including...
- Setting up a New Fishing Rod
- Tying Knots
- Knowing How to Use Fishing Rigs
- Baiting a Hook
- Casting with Aim and with Distance
- Setting the Hook
- Fighting a Fish
- Landing a Fish
- Gently Removing the Hook
- Safely Releasing a Fish
- Setting up a New Fishing Rod
- Tying Knots
- Knowing How to Use Fishing Rigs
- Baiting a Hook
- Casting with Aim and with Distance
- Setting the Hook
- Fighting a Fish
- Landing a Fish
- Gently Removing the Hook
- Safely Releasing a Fish
- Learning Interesting Facts about Fish
- Learning about the Ecology of the Hudson River
In spite of the weather, we caught fish and got to spend quality time with each another, all while learning some fun facts about our Hudson River and its fishes! Here is to many more successful fishing outings. As the weather gets even colder and the fishing ceases, we will switch gears to offering workshops - Stay tuned!
Quotes of the Day:
"I am narrowing in on catching my first fish!" -Diamond
"I want to catch a different species today!" -Rickey
"We will remember trips like this as part of our college experience." -Hector
Thanks for this. I really like what you've posted here and wish you the best of luck with this blog and thanks for sharing. Marlin Mount
ReplyDelete