The other day we went over to hang out at the water. I told Lisa it reminded me of my Uncle V. Not that we ever went over there. It was the smell of the sea.
Uncle V loved the water. He used to take me and my cousins fishing all the time. We would load up his Chrysler Newport sedan with the fishing poles and the cooler and the outboard motor in the trunk. We would drive out to the end of Long Island at Orient Point or to the Peconic Bay in Southhold and rent a boat. Hook up the motor. And fish all day. In the 1960's we used to catch hundreds of fish. Yes hundreds. Our limit was about 200. We didn't do it every time but many times.
One of the things I remember most was the smell of the water and the wind off the water. On a hot day the wind was wonderful. I got the same feeling looking at the water down by the bridge.
Fishing wasn't the only thing we did with Uncle V. He was a surrogate father for all of us because our Dads were all working second jobs. He would take us to the McBurney YMCA in the City where he was a charter member. He taught us how to run on the track. Lift weights. Box. Hitting the heavy bag. He had his own speed bag that he would set up and taught us to make it sing. I can still do that.
We would hang out in the Youth Department. They had pool tables. Ping Pong. A bunch of classes. Judo. Swimming.Handball. It was an all day thing.
When it was over at around five we would all pile out and meet up with my Uncle. And then he took us out to dinner. He would take us to a bunch of joints. Ratners. Chinatown. Lombardi's for pizza. The best. The absolute best was when he took us to Horn and Hardart.
It was over on 42nd and Third Avenue and it was really cool. It had all the food behind glass. You would walk up and put a token in the slot and then you could open the door and get your food. We would get all our favorites. Mac and cheese. Hot dogs. And pie. Lots and lots of pie. It was great when you were a kid and could pick out whatever you wanted. The food was hearty and tasty and stuck to your ribs. The pies were sublime. Also keylime. But mainly sublime.
Uncle V is gone now. You have to get a license to fish in the ocean. They count the number and size of the fish you take. A joint like Horn and Hardart could never exist. The food Nazi's and the nanny state would come up with a thousand regulations. You can't pick the food yourself. What do you think this is a free country?
Another part of old New York that is gone forever.
I want pie.
10 comments:
Great story. How far did you have to go out before you could start fishing?
The bay was the best. The end of Long Island is like a Y. The upper branch is the sound side and the fishing was out of Orient Point on the North shore.It is oriented toward Connecticut. The other point eventually ends at Montauk Point.
Right between is Peconic Bay. The fishing was great. You were right outside of Shelter Island and all of the big houses in the Hamptons. In the 1960's and 1970's there were tons of fish. Porgies. Weakfish. Snappers. Blue fish. Fluke. Flounder. You name it.
Porgies were particularly prolific. We would set up two hooks on the line and we could pull them up two at a time. If you were over a school that was feeding you almost didn't need to bait the hook.
Fishing in the Sound was a different deal. The fishing station had an outpost with a sort of railroad line into the water. You got in the boat and is slid down this ridiculously steep incline really fast and you skipped out into the water like you were skipping a stone.
Coming back you had to maneuver until you attached the hook with the chain attached to ring on the back of the boat. Then they hauled you up the cliff to the top. They would arrest them now for doing something like that.
In the sound it could be really rough. You would catch bigger fish. Black fish. Blue fish. Big fluke. You didn't go too far off shore. There were a couple of wrecks you could fish.
It was a lot of fun.
Great story, Trooper.
Pie. Mmmm.
There's a grocery store up here owned by some Mennonites. The produce is wonderful, and priced well. The store carries a lot of things that other grocer's don't carry - herbs, spices, teas, etc., as well as things in bulk.
They have a bakery. It has regular ovens, and a wood-fired brick oven for breads. Wonderful! And pies, oh Lord the pies. Pies baked from scratch by older and younger Mennonite women. All fresh fruits, scratch crust from flour they mill right in the store. No sugar, everything is sweetened with honey.
I want pie.
I have never heard of needing a fishing license to fish the ocean. The last time I fished in the peoples republic of Massachusetts a few years back no license was required. No license is required in Commie California. WTF?
I just did a cursory check of NY saltwater fishing and saw no license requirement. There are limits, as there should be.
I do see some states requiring licenses, some just for stripers. None for strippers. You can fish their dead Eastern European bodies out of the ocean for free w/ no limits. Not good eatin' however.
I was referring to the striper requirement. Striped bass are a big game fish in NY.
The problem is when you pull up to the dock they inspect your catch. That was unheard of back in the day. Another little bit of our freedom stripped away.
There are also some local ordinances in some small towns in Peconic Bay.
I think Washington State has a saltwater fishing license. Last time I went to Westport we were charged for a license or a permit.
Other states may have them too.
Post a Comment