This has been a cold winter so far

I remember wishing that the Heated Handrail on the Viking actually worked, also remember tubs full of cod.

I remember wishing that the Heated Handrail on the Viking actually worked, also remember tubs full of cod.

How right you are, John! Forsberg use to advertise that "heated rail" all the time, and I never saw it work either!!! But who cared; as you noted the fishing was great.

Not so long ago..... still makes me smile seeing some nice cod!

Thanks for the memories!
I almost forgot what they taste like!!😥

Last time I went for Cod I remember my nose almost touching the water then looking at the sun, water, then sun. The boat rolling made half the guys sick. I also remember the salt water spray freezing on the boat. I think the boat reeled up some conger eels and maybe one cod.

Does this cold weather have any affect on the number of baitfish in the spring?

I know a number of old timers who felt that a really cold winter would set us up for a productive spring. At least that was the case when we still had a Winter Flounder fishery.

As far as overall generalization of the number of baitfish there are probably way too many other factors that will affect that. Just look at the fairly decent numbers of squid we saw in the Peconics last few years. But the Fluke fishing keeps getting worse while the Weakfish hang on. It's part of the mystery that keeps us coming back, Guy.

I do know that this prolonged freeze has really iced in the bays.

This cold winter should give striped bass good young of year or the powers to be better come up with plan b

I'm more inclined to trust in nature than the powers that be.

I almost forgot what they taste like!!😥

Codboard.

They taste like codboard.

Definitely been a cold winter then the past few winters. Haven’t seen this much ice in the bay in awhile.

People used to fish for Herring in the LI Sound docks. I have not heard that they were around. I do not think I be out there fishing 10 degrees if they were.

I think that folks still do catch some Herring in the winter off Magnolia Pier in Brooklyn.

There are always several reasons for the decline of a species. Before Hurricane Sandy we still had a very healthy run of Herring in the eastern LI Sound which, in part fueled our fall Striper fishing right through early December. Since that time the Herring virtually disappeared from this area and the fall Bass fishing dropped off dramatically too. Before Sandy, the North Fork fall Bas bite was the best all year. After Sandy it flipped around completely and now our best fishing for Stripers occurs in the spring to early summer.