valleygoog

Dawn and before dawn. Watch where the bait stealers are and remember (take notes). They were getting strict with tossing people off of the beach at a certain time, not sure how that's going on this year. One thing to look and see is when LB stops dumping treated (!) sewage and pumps it up to Bay Park for Cedar Creek's outflow. That will change the seaweed, hopefully for the better. Whether or not AB or Pt. LO is better or not, keep in mind getting in there is tough after a certain point, so why bother? When I lived in the area and had enough of the seaweed/mung, I'd go past AB and Pt. LO, if you have the state fishing permit. If not, consider it when they reopen for sale in the Fall. A couple of decades ago blitzes were common up and down LB, and it was glorious. Now, blues, etc. are taking a hit (for whatever reason) but they finally let the bunker alone and now we have whales off of the shoreline, something I'd never thought I see outside of a boat ride. Hopefully the other apex preds will recover and I'll get to enjoy watching kids toss back beached peanuts with bite marks to a mass of berserk blues just in the wash, while eating overpriced beer and food on the boardwalk. Good luck!

You have to be waaay up there to be where the rivers freeze. We’re referring to the portions closer to the salt/brackish zone, where it’s deeper and you can see the schools on a depth meter. You can throw the bag (or tackle box) at them and not get a touch. When I was a kid I had wanted to make the trip up to the Vermont Yankee nuke power plant and see if the river would freeze near the outflow, but it’s decommissioned. The other ones needed a kayak and had exclusion zones away from the outflows. I never chased them but land locked stripers and the ones by you maybe active all winter. That’s cool there’s retention up there but I personally avoid them given the C&R mortality is probably worse then, and I try to avoid hitting stripers if it’s too cold or warm.

There's a few rivers where they hold over, but they basically go dormant and will not move until the temps pick up. There were a couple of decades ago a few outflows that did support active holdovers and when I was aiming for sea-runs and salters, once in a blue moon, I get the man in stripes. I promptly put them back as back then (still may be the case in CT, unlike NY) you're not supposed to target them specifically. But there are very few hot water outflows anymore, at least legally. Also, the contaminants are still pretty bad in the Housy, Thames and CT, as opposed to the Hudson. Only fishing this time of year would be fresh water fishing if it ever ices up, or going farther north for something like the Maine Smelt run. I thought Frank Pepe's was always over cooked but Zuppardi's has a kick-ass clam pizza, just no bearded jokes.

I love the state, grew up there and had tried to go back at one point. Funny thing was the market for housing took a dive and the last few affluent folks I used to hang and fish with were bugging out, account they were just getting clobbered by taxes. Then the pandemic happened. Things totally reversed with the housing market as the cidiots fled the City, and there is no way I could hit my old stomping grounds. Last time I looked at Zillow there was nothing under a Million, even though nothing was worth that. Since I can't say anything nice about the welfare issues, so I won't. Fishing was awesome, both fresh and salt. Both a shadow of what it was when I was a kid. Same thing with LI where I wound up, but it's even more pathetic in Fairfield County. I had one river I won't get specific that was great but then Bridgeport Hydro started cutting off the creeks flowing into it and it got really bad. The local Trout Unlimited chapter (Mianus, and I will never say it with a straight face, but a great chapter) offered to pay BH if they repopened the flow on the Comstock Brook, but NO, they still refused. A place where I used to jump into from a nearby road bridge has been bone dry for well over a decade now. So, once you know where the stocked fish hang, the fresh loses it's appeal. What used to be a decent salt fishery is a shadow of what it used to be. Still some good spots but competition is really fierce and I find it's not worth it anymore to make the early season river trips.

Damn fine Shepards Pie, and loved the old location being close to the places I used to stay before it got out of hand. They were busy in the new place, but just felt bad for the old lady who ran the front having to deal with some colossal jerks/attitudes that used to prowl/crawl the Lake Dr. loop. But it was nice for a while, being able to bounce back and forth between O'Murphy's and Liar's and stumble to whatever motel I picked, while avoiding the crazies at Salivar's, etc.

Common source for the lizards was escape from JFK, I've also heard escaped from a science teacher's house (or released) in West Hempstead about +30 years ago. Sentiment at the time was they'll never last the winter. And they're spreading out radially from that area in Nassau. Look for them sunning themselves during the day, near where they live, usually cracks in old concrete walls or in decaying landscaping ties stacked up. I too considered using the little GEICO insurance scammer as bait but catching a live one is next too impossible. There's a school near me in Valley Stream which had a colony of lizards and the kids would go nuts trying to catch one. Someone made a lizard looking fresh water lure (Arbogast?) but the rubber decayed many moons ago, so I'm not sure.

I heard Liars was sold? Is it true? Hoping they don't change it!

Awesome pics Pak! Question - they stripping the paint of the light? I don't recall it ever looking so bad (or faded)...

Nice mullet Adam42!!! Must have been fun on the fly rod!

You'll get robbed blind by crabs, etc if you trying dunking bait. If you have to bring in something, small hook for the other thieves - kingfish. The cops will toss you off at closing time (11?), and expect some kookery from kids who are defending fish, surfing area, etc. Consider a teaser if doing metal, slow retrieve. Needle on the lee side, also painfully slow. Good luck!

Did any clear cut evidence come up with the mosquito spraying hurting the lobsters? Or is there any other smoking gun so far?

It was a lot worse here on LI in the past. There was an insane amount on the back side of Cupsogue, and resident ones around the sand bars at OBI. I used to dread seeing a real fat one at Jones, and if it was around, it was over. He'd rob you too if you had something. We had resident seals year round at a bridge I work in Reynold's. Then Agnes and Sandy killed the bait, and they left - thank heavens!! I was afraid to see them when the bait came back, but we've been lucky so far. They were an absolute plague when they were here. Come to think of it, I've seen a lot less bass with that seal worm parasite last couple of years. Not sure what took them down a notch, besides the storms, but I am grateful!!

I've added water to Bombers in the past, but once they and super strike started making heavy lures I haven't messed with them besides swapping out hooks, etc. That superstrike casting bullet really fit my casting in a storm wind needs. There's also messing (carefully) with the metal lip on the gibbs danny lures.

If you were talking lobster, I might agree with you. I marked a huge decrease in my area (permanently uncertified) after Agnes, and also Sandy, but it bounced back. It seemed like there was a lot less spraying on the South Shore west end this year, or I missed the notifications. I did note the asian tigers have spread and can add yet another pest bug for the back bays. But no shortage of clams, going by what the gulls have been dropping on us at a movable bridge in Nassau. The few friends that still rake do ok east of the Wantagh, but I've heard bad news farther east and on the north shore.

I have to try that on the fly rod, thanks JoeG, another pattern to make during the winter. There was a great bite during the mole crab molt/mating, (new moon July?) and sand flees would also produce when I'd run out. Rest of the year the thieves (northern kings, bigger crabs, etc) will rob you blind pretty quickly. But they do work, mostly on short fish.