I've seen fire and I've seen rain, I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. With apologize to James Taylor, these words describe the kind of weather we experienced this past winter. Last year we had winter weather with snowstorms and freezing cold. It was possible to cross country ski in Prospect Park's long meadow. The lake in the park was covered by ice from late December until after the Ides of March. It was cold.
This winter seemed to be a cross between Indian summer and spring. No big snowstorms, no skiing in the park and the lake never froze. By February i had started to think about fishing in Prospect Park lake. By late March the crocus had bloomed so had the daffodils. Cherry blossoms and other blooming trees could be seen everywhere.
I'm an urban fly fisher and I fly fish in the two dozen lakes managed by the New York City parks department.
By fishing in the parks system, I have discovered truly wild areas within New York City. I've seen where the beavers live and where humming birds hover above honeysuckle flowers. There are green belts of forests that offer shade from the hot sun. Some of these green belts of trees are eight miles long.
My favorite time of the year to fish in Prospect Park is in the spring when life seems to return to the park. For some reason fish become active in the Lullwater near the boat house, first. Most people who fish in the park come to try their luck at catching a trophy large mouth bass. Bass in the lake can grow to more than five pounds! I enjoy catching the yellow perch that seem to only appear in the spring. Big crappie begin to feed in the spring too. As the water temperature approaches 50 degrees bass begin to get ready to spawn. Bass and other sunfish will make circular beds in shallow water near the edge of the lake, with their tail fin. Once the eggs have been deposited, the male will guard the eggs from other predatory fish until the eggs hatch.
