This has been a cold winter so far

[live bait]

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

 

[captmike28]

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.

 

[captmike28]

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

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

 

[captmike28]

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.