This park (and this month) is full of skunks | Quest for No. 1: Part II
The closest I came to a fish on trip No. 2 of the year.
My hopes were high setting off for fishing session No. 2 of the year. The temps were mild and had been for days, guaranteeing no ice would get in the way of some small largemouth or panfish at The Park, unlike my first trip of the year.
Given all the open water, I decided to try a few different spots on the lake, instead of sticking to only my winter honey holes.
RELATED: Skunking my way into the New Year on thin ice | Quest for No. 1 Part I
RELATED: Can a New Jersey wild trout save my month? | Quest for No. 1 Part III
RELATED: Last-ditch, Hail Mary trip for winter stripers | Quest for No. 1 Part IV
RELATED: A fish of many firsts (and the first fish of 2024) | Quest for No. 1 Part V
But my go-to winter spot had to be hit first. After all, I only had a couple hours to fish and I was growing increasingly anxious about securing my January catch, and my first catch of the year.
Upon arriving at my choice spot, no other anglers were present, giving me the run of the place. I dropped my tiny EPF Swim swim bait into every section of every laydown, but the only fish I spotted was one small and very dead bluegill stuck in a tangle of submerged branches.
With my confidence starting to waver, I decided to take a scroll around the lake to the opposite side, where solid spot with a three-foot wall and a big, overhanging tree waited for my on a peninsula.
As I walked up the path to the spot 20 minutes later, my hopes were dashed once again. A wedding was taking place in the gazebo next to the spot, with the guests battling on-and-off-rains.
A cold, wet wedding in The Park.
I didn’t want to interrupt, so I moved on down the shore.
A few more choice spots held no fish willing to bite my lure, and I spent most of my time watching and trying (and failing) to get a good photo of a large group of northern shovelers eating and preening in the water.
After dozens of more fruitless casts, I decided to head out. The brightest spot of the trip was probably the group of three black squirrels I came across, darting back and forth on the path looking for acorns they’d burrowed away in the warmer months.
These little guys were the highlight of the trip.
Two trips, two skunks. The year was off to a frustrating, but appropriate start.
SONG OF THE TRIP
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