Gone Fishin' In Prospect Park

With Memorial Day weekend coming to a close, there's a long, hot summer ahead of us. For those who enjoy spending the season fishing, The NY Times has some tips for catching a big one at Prospect Park Lake:

Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn is a terrific fishing spot. It has the highest concentration of largemouth bass in the state, aided by the Parks Department’s no-kill policy, which means that you may only catch and release the fish. Anglers 16 and older must have a New York fishing license, and they must use barbless hooks.
Fishing advice is out of F.Y.I.’s league, so we asked an old friend, an Arkansas fisherman named Ashley Higgins.

“Almost any fish, including a bass inhabiting the 60-acre Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn, is satisfied with eating worms, minnows or bugs,” Mr. Higgins writes. If you do use a lure instead, the general rule is to use lighter colors in clearer water and darker colors in murkier water. And for more tips on lures, try sneaking peeks at other people fishing at the park, and use the colors they use.

On hot days with bright sunshine, the fish are deeper; fish early in the day or late, he says.

NYC fishin' sites: East River Fishing, NYC Fishing and a Central Park fishing blog. And here's a list (which includes goldfish!) of fish subject to consumption advisories in the New York City area.

Photo via J Pride's Flickr.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson on May 28, 2007 2:12 PM

Comments [rss]

Anderson

Where is the enforcement? Every day in the park I see People taking fishes home, especially in the afternoon around 5:30pm and on to night time. These people go there for food and they are in greater number then those that go there for fun. Please can someone put a stop to it?

Still Not Amused

Me personally, I'm having a problem understanding the whole "No Kill" Rule . what's the point of catching the fish if you have to toss it back ? Call me selfish if you want, but I just don't see the point of going through the process and receiving the reward, Then having to give it back . All that time wasted sitting there waiting to catch the damn thing then they want you to just toss it back . I'm not a fan of "Showing off" ,OR "Perfecting" the craft, I believe in satisfaction !