How a Downstate Girl Got Hooked on Upstate Fishing
Catching fish—not friends—on the shores of Lake Taghkanic.
Did I fall off a log fishing for the first time on Lake Taghkanic? You’ll have to read on to find out.
July in upstate New York is peak season for all sorts of outdoor activities: swimming, camping, and my most recently acquired hobby: fishing. I have to admit that before making the short drive down to Columbia County from Albany, the closest experience I’d had with fish involved the two-roll lunch special at the sushi restaurant around the corner from the CRL office. But a couple of weekends ago, I gladly traded the chopsticks for a fishing pole.
Fishing, I learned, involves more than pretty bait and a rod. (Who knew?) If you’re planning on fishing in New York State, you’ll need to secure your fishing license—a $25 investment that’s valid for the whole year. In Albany County, this can be done at the Walmart Supercenter or the Town of Colonie Clerk’s Office. Once I got the paperwork, I was off to Lake Taghkanic.
My biggest catch was almost my friend.
On the drive, I mentally prepared myself for boredom, already assuming that the fun I’d had picking out bait would be the highlight of the day. (No, I didn’t purchase live worms; I opted for “pretty” bait painted in vibrant colors.)
While my friends hooked their lures, I practiced casting my line, nearly catching my friend’s T-shirt in the process. Thirty minutes of practice later, I was no longer a threat to my friends, and could focus on my mission for the day: catching a fish. And an hour later, it happened. A tiny fish! What type of fish? No idea? Did it matter? Not at all.
Can you identify this fish for me?
Interested in fishing?
While I’m partial to Lake Taghkanic (seeing as it is one of exactly one places I’ve fished), the Capital Region has plenty of spots to cast a line. A few years ago, Joey Greco, founder of Justy-Joe Charters in Lake George, wrote a few articles on fishing for CRL. His fishing hole recommendations include Lake Lonely, the Battenkill River, Brant Lake, Catskill Creek, and Saratoga Lake.
“There are a staggering number of action-packed angling opportunities right here in our area. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by an endless number of rivers, lakes, ponds, and creeks most of which are teeming with a variety of freshwater fish species.”
—Captain Joey Greco
For more information on fishing in the Capital Region, check out one of Captain Greco’s stories here.
So, would I recommend fishing to a friend?
My short answer…yes.
Maybe I’m still riding the high of beginner’s luck with my first catch, or maybe I just liked being by the scenic waters of Lake Taghkanic. During my moments alone—including when I scared off my friends to a different fishing spot—I found fishing to be quite meditative. It was me, my thoughts, and the lake. But when my friends returned, those moments transformed into loud, lasting memories…Emphasis on the loud, when my friend slipped off a log and into the lake.
At least it wasn’t me.
—Jolena