Yesterday I had quite an interesting time. Early in the morning me and a couple friends decided to go down to Tarrytown and try crabbing and fishing. The ride to the spot on the Hudson took about an hour and 20 minutes. There was a lot of traffic so it took a little longer than normal. Before we arrived at the river we stopped at a small baitshop in town to buy some bloodworms and sinkers. When I went inside I was stunned to see that it was incredibly empty, it appeared to be going out of business, but I don't think it was. I find it hard to believe that the store actually makes enough money. Originally we planned on buying a few other items, but when I asked if there were any I was given the response of "we're out". Talk about a horrible baitshop.
When we finally arrived at the river which was about 9:30, everything was quickly set up and the day began. The spot that I often choose to try my luck at is in a small park that's only a few hundred yards north of the Tappan Zee bridge. It's surrounded by a boat club and a restaurant. Sometimes it gets very noisy with all the traffic from the bridge and boats, but it offers spectacular views of the surrounding hills and above all it is an excellent location for both Blue Claw crabs and a vast variety of fish.
My two friends had never gone crabbing before so I had to show them how, which wasn't a problem. From home I brought 5 crab nets and the bait necessary to catch the critters. What I generally use for bait is chicken wings, it may sound strange but it works very well. The skin is tough so they're not easily torn apart, one wing will usually last all day. The trap basically consists of a box with doors that open when submerged. The bait is tied down in the center. Once on the bottom, the crabs are free to crawl in and get an easy meal. The trap is left in the water for about 15 minutes, after this time period it's hauled in using the rope that's attached. As it is lifted off the bottom the doors close and any crabs in it are unable to escape. When they're brought to the surface you take the catch out and throw the nets back into the water. The process is then repeated.
After we first set up the nets we started fishing. Our choice of bait was bloodworms, they work well but the price for a dozen is outrageous... over $10. We caught the tide just right, by the time we arrived it was coming in. High tide is the best for catching things, for the creatures in the water are brought in with it. They pretty much ride it like a rollercoaster...seriously. When the water is going out at low tide, so do the fish.
Over the course of the day, even with favorable conditions only a few fish were taken out of the water. I caught two White Perch, but that was it. And my friends both caught one apiece. It was highly unusual, generally a lot more fish bite. And most of the time other things are caught besides Perch. During past trips I've taken catfish, eels, sea robins, blue fish, bluegills, and bass out. But not this time. And to add to our disappointment not a single crab was brought up with a trap! I attribute this to the weather and time of the year. It's only the very beginning of the crabbing season. Since the crabs migrate into and out of the river each year, the cool and rainy weather probably slowed them down. So I wasn't all that surprised when we didn't get any, but I was still very disappointed. Within 2 or 3 weeks I expect them to be at the location in sufficient numbers to catch.
Even though we didn't catch a whole lot it was still nice being on the river, just visiting the shores in my opinion is a good treat. As we were heading home I came up with the idea of stopping at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetary. You may be asking yourself why I would want to stop at a cemetary, well here's why: first of all Washington Irving is buried within it's walls. Yes, he does reside in the actual setting of his most famous story. So, I thought it would be cool to check it out. And secondly, the place is surprisingly beautiful... in a creepy kind of way. All over the premises are century old trees surrounded by winding carriage roads. And the place is loaded with a large number of graves dating back to the 18th century or earlier. It's interesting to read the epitaphs and get a sense of what life was like back then. As we found Irving's plot we were struck with an awesome sight. Only a few yards away from the grave a huge oak that had to be a minimum of 200 years old stood like a massive sentinel. The towering tree's limbs overhead blanketed the area in a dense shade that made the day appear like night. In the surrounding area, graves and mausoleums showed the wear of time. Many headstones were difficult to read and some had ferns growing out of the cracks. It was a very interesting experience. After paying our respects we checked out some other sights such as the Headless Horseman bridge and the Old Dutch Church. We wanted to look at more but we ran out of time. Other famous people who are buried there include the following: Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Whitelaw Reid, war generals, artists, writers, and philanthropists... it's hard to remember them all since they're so numerous. I also found out that tours are given there every so often... it would be cool to go back near Halloween. That's a possibilty considering it's 20 minutes away from the college.
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