Fish Tales: Angling Adventures on NYC's Great Lakes

I was up and out early this morning. I took
the first photo before 7:00am. Not much to see
the lake was like glass, no wind. No sign of
feeding carp.

Twelve hours later same spot. This time I
can see crappie. I think they are being chased
by larger predators. fish are clearing the lake
surface here and there but still no sign of
feeding carp. I threw some chum in the water
and waited. At this time of year, daylight lasts
until almost 9:00pm. I expect that if there are
carp in the area they will come close to shore
after dark.

When I was 20 I stood a number of watches,
topside on the USS Tusk, a submarine, at night.
One of the things you learn to do in the dark is
see things by not looking at them. Using my
peripheral vision I spotted a large white koi
moving east, about 10 feet from the shoreline.
Just as suddenly, the white shadow disappeared.

Watching a carp swim at night is like watching
smoke. It takes awhile to recognize what it is.
It takes more time to figure what it is doing.
The big koi reappeared at 9:40pm but this time
moving west. She stopped to eat the chum I had
used. The water level was less than 3 feet where
she had stopped to hover.

As a couple leaving the park walked by me. I pointed
at the large white koi no more than 5 feet from
the edge of the lake. Initially, they thought something
had died in the water but when they stopped and
took a good look they could see the fins moving
slowly. With the park light helping, we were
able to watch this rare koi go about eating its
dinner. Many people don't realize that while
the lake is man made, it is a healthy, living lake.

Prospect Park lake is well known for its population
of Largemouth Bass. While it is not easy, one can
catch a 5-pound bass here. The lake is also home
to Bluegills, Carp, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Golden
Shiner, Yellow Perch and Pickerel.

There are seven species of turtles in the lake including
man hole size snapping turtle!