With the holidays behind us, this is a really tough stretch of the year for just about every fisherman on Long Island and the entire northeast. As much as the day you pull the boat hurts, the holiday season is somewhat of a distraction. Coupled with the yearning for more though also comes the satisfaction of what the season brought with it–the epic catches, the lessons learned but disguised as disappointments, and of course the memories made.
We all have a long non-fishing to do list that’s seen little if any attention during the fishing season, and once most of it is crossed off next season can be even better using time constructively.
The first thing I do is clean up the camera roll on my phone. There are definitely some fish that do deserve shots from a few different angles, but the excitement at the time of the catch often gets the best of me and I go into paparazzi mode over a 28-inch striper. One of my bad habits is not keeping an up-to-date log during the season and I try to make up for it in a sense in the off-season. I’ve enabled geotagging on my phone and when looking at last year’s pictures some really valuable info is staring at me, and if it’s not that info is easily accessible via a quick Google search. The moon phase, the tide, the plug used, and the location while not a crystal ball for a random date next year absolutely will make deciphering patterns and increasing the odds of success. It’s not with every catch, but quite a few that something stands out to me that I’ll jot down and refer back to.
While strolling down memory lane, it’s also the perfect time to think about those lessons learned. Not just on technique, but more so on being prepared and outgunned. As we all become better anglers year after year, what seemed to be unnecessary becomes necessary. Take for example someone in their first few seasons of owning a boat. The comfort level has been raised from fishing bay bridges, the inlets and just outside the inlet to working 80 feet of water a mile out and covering a lot of ground searching for bunker pods. The 30-pound test leader material is useless, the net broke, 4-ounce sinkers were a waste of time. Think of what you grabbed for and wasn’t there, and the heartbreak of losing fish because of not having what should have been on board. Think of the opportunities you couldn’t capitalize on while out in the ocean because of bringing a knife to a gunfight. It takes a lot of luck, and a lot of skill to land a tuna close to shore. But it did happen for quite a few local anglers this past spring and fall while bass fishing. Think about the gear on board that last season you said would be the last season whether a gaff, fenders, anchor line, or dozens of other things. This is the time to be sure you’re ready to step on the boat at the report of the first bite and get after it.
Maybe it’s not your net, life vests, or tackle bags that need replacing. It could be time for a new boat altogether. The New York Boat Show at the Javits Center is January 22-26th. This is one of the best times of the year to get a deal, see what’s new in electronics, and let’s be honest, realize that in a few months, you’ll be on the water. The combination of COVID and the inflation that followed is just about in the rear-view mirror. Improving interest rates and inventories have led to a much more robust and favorable market for both new and used boats. If you have this issue in your hands just turn a few pages to see our network of dealers across Long Island that are more than happy to put you on the water in the boat that fits you perfectly.
