This was inspired when a friend sent me a clip of old video for the NJ shore. I thought there had to be a lot of cool older clips and pics out there from LI as well.
Let's see what ya got, shake those cobwebs out! :lookhappy: :wow:
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This was inspired when a friend sent me a clip of old video for the NJ shore. I thought there had to be a lot of cool older clips and pics out there from LI as well.
Let's see what ya got, shake those cobwebs out! :lookhappy: :wow:
This was done by the talented fishing video maker (much more talented than me, at least ;)) Shark Hart.
Pics are from a lot of different places, but quite a few are from LI and areas close to that. I thought I would post it up here.
Great compilation, btw, Shark. :clapping: :thumbsup:
So let's hear some remembrances or stories, or see some pics of what LI shore areas used to be like.
:thumbsup: Nice work on the video, Sharkhart. Here's a Montauk old time video.
Jones old postcard
Attachment 8034
Dilberts Big Ben in Brentwood?
The 1960 Dilbert's Big Ben Super Market. The first super market to fully implement the Raymond Loewy design theories.
Location - Brentwood, New York
Date opened - 8/17/1960
Size - 21,000 sq. ft.
Parking capacity - 200 cars
Grocery shelving - 450 linear feet
Number of checkouts - 8
Full-time employees - 54
Part-time employees - 62
Weekly volume - $60,000.00
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I love that station wagon. My uncle had one like it when we were kids. It was filled with fishing gear. We used to call it the bunker mobile, yes it smelled like bunker all the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by nitestrikes
Old long beach pictures.
coney, I wonder if they had sideshow on the beach back then.
I decided to add another dimension to this thread. During the last few days I've met so many old timers and got to listen to them reminiscing how things used to be. In many instances what they are relating is new to me. I soak it up like a sponge, I really enjoy it. :)
So I'll periodically be putting up snapshots of some old time fishermen in this thread along with some cool fishing stories. :fishing:
Some of them will be well-known, others maybe you never heard of them. I can promise you I will try to get the funniest or most unusual stories from them, in my usual folksy style.
I hope you people enjoy it. If you have any older fishing friends or relatives you feel should be featured here in this thread, feel free to PM me or e-mail me and I'll see what I can do. :thumbsup:
I met some family members of this guy on Saturday in NJ. Joe and his son. :HappyWave:
Heard some great stories about Danny Auriemma, and I wanted to share them with you people. He was an avid Montauk fisherman, and I was honored to hear about some of the old fishin ways. :thumbsup:
Making your surf gear: some memories...
"Back then they didn't have korkers. You had to make your own rock climbing shoes if you wanted to fish the rocks at Montauk. Danny would take old sneakers or golf shoes and modify them. He and his buddies would take the rubber from studded tires and glue these tough strips to the bottom of sneakers or old sturdy shoes.
They would then swim out to the rocks, and fish from them. They were "skishing"before the term was even invented!
They would use bucktails a lot at Montauk. The other popular presentation would be needlefish. Nothing but needlefish! They didn't need fancy paint and design back then. A sealed plug with a coat of paint, white or black, was all they needed, and they caught tons of fish on them!"
Montauk fishing is always a thrill. I have heard that years ago it was always an amazing place to go. I don't get out there too often now. I would be great to hear the stories Dark. Thanks for taking the time to put them up.
Cool place, I remember it. Anyone remember the chick with the tattoos on her head?:kooky:Quote:
Originally Posted by 7deadlyplugs
Quote:
Originally Posted by 7deadlyplugs
I do, and the guy that had his whole head tattooed, ears, lips, and everything with all the piercings. Freaky.:eek: They used to have a tattoo contest every year around Labor Day.Quote:
Originally Posted by crosseyedbass
Here are some pics I found, one isn't old but it's Jones on a sneaker, pretty cool. The other one looks like it could fit in this thread.
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Looks like you have a good start here Dark for some positive stories. I have been waiting for you to fill them in, what's the holdup?:HappyWave:
You're right, BB, I've fallen behind. :embarassed: Trying to piece together some more stories. In some of them I've contacted people for more info and am still waiting for people to get back to me. If you or anyone else has someone you think I should interview, let me know via PM or e-mail.
I'll be hitting some of the LI fishing shows and flea markets this winter, so I'll be around up there. You got my #. Get in touch even if ya just want to grab a coffee. :HappyWave:
I have known Mike for awhile now. We used to swap fishin stories when he came to visit his daughter in NJ.
I was really interested in a lot of his stories because he was fishin before and after the Striped bass Moratorium, and remembers how things were. That's a unique perspective a lot of younger anglers don't have, and I appreciate being able to listen to Mike, and his recollections. :HappyWave:
Attachment 8640
Mike Flannery....Story and background
Mike moved to Babylon, LI in his early 30's. He married his wife Selma prior to that, when he was 22, and they have been married for 45 years.
They had 2 daughters, one of whom was a Valedictorian at Babylon High school. Mike has worked at hard physical labor his whole life. Around the time he got married, he got a job with the Suffolk County water authority. He dug holes for water mains and hydrants, a physically demanding job.
I believe he did some fresh water fishin when he was a kid. He started fishing the salt when he was around 30, and has been saltwater fishing for about 36 years. He's 67 now.
Mike spent a lot of time fishing the Fire Island beach areas, bridges, and inlet.
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He remembers one time catching a few fat winter flounder in the beginnning of winter (back when you were allowed to fish for them). He had 4 fat flounder up to 1 1/2 lbs on bloodworms.
Along comes Fred Gardineer, reporter for the now defunct Babylon Leader. After he shows Fred the catch, he writes a story for the paper about it.
Fluke...Mike liked to fish for flounder, fluke, as well as striped bass.
Attachment 8642
*Charles Nappi holds the current LI record for fluke: Fluke*22-7Charles Nappi, Hicksville, NY09/15/75
Mike remembers before that, the record was held by someone who caught it at Oak Beach, LI, sometime in the 1950's or 1960's.
Bluefish/Striped Bass...
He used to catch a lot of shorts, and released them. Keepers were few and far between. His favorite place to fish was the back of the inlet, and the inlet, after crossing under the Robert Moses bridge.
Attachment 8644
Biggest Bass:
32# :wow: caught in the late spring surf at Gilgo at 5:30AM one year. :thumbsup:
Attachment 8643
Memories fishing under the Robert Moses bridge:
He used to fish under there with clam bellies, and remembers that was another place where bass were abundant, by the Coast Guard Station, but they were mostly shorts. After he retired, he and his fishin buddy went out a lot on the buddy's 33' Grady White, I/O Mercruiser motor, and fished that inlet every chance they got.
Mike liked simple gear. Back then things were uncomplicated. You threw either bait, tins, or bucktails and pork rind.
He remembers they used teasers with the tins, but they weren't as ornate as the ones the guys use today. He caught plenty of fish on a tin with a white bucktail on a hook 18" above the tin.
Favorite setups:
He used either a Luxor or 302 Mitchell reel on a 9' stick. He could throw a mile with that. He took the bail off, and left the roller on.
Attachment 8645
Biggest bluefish story:
He had a water main digging job at Northport by Lilco. There was a cove there that had bait all summer. He thinks it was the Faulton housing development. A Sand & Gravel Co owned the area he was working in. His story:
"We saw guys fishing in the canal/cove after work. The water was boiling! I saw 2 guys in a boat catching jumbo blues, 15-18lbs!
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I went there the next day after work with my rod, reel, and some tins. Bunker up to 2 pounds were jumping out of the water, it was crazy! I threw my metal into the mix and ended up with a 15 1/2# bluefish, along with a lot of smaller ones.
It was a great afternoon of fishing. We caught bluefish until our arms were tired.
Other than that, I mostly fished the SS spots, Babylon and Fire Island. "
The Moratorium:
"It was very annoying because it was ridiculous. When the minimum went to 36", almost no one caught a keeper"
What are the biggest changes you have noticed in fishing?
"The fact that they are always making the limits more restrictive"
Most unusual fish:
"We used to catch "dogfish" but not as they are known today. They had whiskers and teeth."
[Any guys on the LI forum remember catching fish like that? Can anyone help with an ID?]
Blowfish:
"I wish I had known in the 60's that they were so good to eat. We didn't know back then, they were a nuisance to us, so we always threw them back. "
Weakfish, how to catch them:
"Years ago, in the 1980's, the most productive lure for the weakfish was called a "Salty Dog". It was a ledhead with a rubber end. The best color was pink, we also used white and yellow. "
"We used to go to a secret location near Babylon for bait. One throw of the cast net and you would have plenty of peanut bunker. We would only get a few at a time and keep them alive in a bucket. Live peanut bunker were deadly for weakies. I lost my first weakfish from a pier because I didn't know they had such a soft mouth, I found out quick! My biggest weakfish was between 4-5lbs. They weren't huge back then, but there were a lot of them. "
Attachment 8648
Funniest or most embarassing fishing story:
The big bass that got away...
"We were fishing near FI inlet one day, on the inside, by the CG station. We got skunked, and were feeling beat.
As we were moving the boat, I saw a 25 pound bass swimming in the water, about 2 feet down. I yelled at my friend to turn the boat around, as the bass seemed to be swimming slow.
As we got closer, we could see in the clear water a line was attached to a fishing rod, and the bass was pulling it. We realized that bass had pulled that rod out of a boat when the owner wasn't paying attention!
I took the gaff and tried to catch the line. We came so close! I had the line up in my hands, and we were maneuvering to where the bass was. My friend was real excited, he kept barking instructions at me as he maneuvered the boat. There was a wave that came by, and at that moment the bass got off the hook, I dropped the line as I went to reach for the bass, only inches away. :eek:
With a flip of its tail that bass said goodbye to us! I succeeded in losing both the bass and the rod. :embarassed: Boy was my friend mad, he was yelling and screaming. It was both our faults, and he eventually got over it. We remained friends and fished together until I moved to upstate NY. "
5
6
http://www.longislandtraditions.org/...rnsuffolk.html
Fire Island
The history of Fire Island is a long and complicated one, beginning with its Native American settlements. Local indigenous peoples harvested shellfish and finfish including migrating whales, traditions that were shared and passed on to new European immigrants who settled in Bay Shore, Moriches, and other shoreline communities.
To protect regional commerce the newly formed federal government authorized the construction of the island’s first lighthouse in 1826, which was later replaced in 1857 by the current structure. In addition several life saving stations were also constructed. Nearby, David Sammis built a chowder house east of the Fire Island Lighthouse, later expanding it into the Surf Hotel.
Eventually the Surf Hotel would accommodate 400 guests, until it burned down in 1917. In 1908, New York State also created a park, the Fire Island Park, where Robert Moses Park now stands. Shortly thereafter out-of-town residents began building modest and elaborate summer cottages along the barrier beach, made possible by convenient train and ferry service to the scenic beaches. Local residents worked as ferry operators, hotel staff, store owners and other seasonal positions.
The oldest communities are Cherry Grove (1795) which began as a traditional fishing post, Kismet (1855), Fire Island Pines (1868), Ocean Beach (1908), and Saltaire (1910). To learn more about Ocean Beach, click here. This article is from the Fire Island Tide.
Families and groups regularly summered at the seashore, until 1954, when the creation of the Robert Moses Causeway led to day trip visitors to the island’s western end.
In 1954, a permanent bridge to Smith Point County Park was completed on the eastern end of Fire Island. To help prevent further development, the federal government designated Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) in 1964, shortly after a state proposal to extend Ocean Parkway failed.
The establishment of the Seashore was supported by Fire Island residents and homeowners, still concerned that an expansion of the parkway would wipe out the existing communities on the barrier island. Its enabling legislation called for the conservation of wildlife while also permitting “hunting, fishing, and shellfishing on lands and waters.” Its 2006 management plan also calls for the park to “address mutual interests in the quality of life of community residents, including matters such as compatible economic development and resource and environmental protection” while also adhering to the underlying principles that NPS policies “must ensure that conservation will be predominant when there is a conflict between the protection of resources and their use.”
Living on Fire Island
With the creation of the Robert Moses Causeway, some Long Island families built permanent year round homes on Fire Island, particularly in the western part of the island.
According to the 2000 census there were approximately 500 people who lived on the barrier beach. There are no paved roads through the interior of the island. Motorized off-road vehicle use is restricted, and the number of permits is specified by Fire Island National Seashore driving regulation. During the summer season, cars are prohibited, with transportation and delivery services provided by local ferries. Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day most communities allow residents to obtain beach driving permits. Local school age children attend classes in Bay Shore.
According to a recent cultural resource survey, Lonelyville is one of the island’s oldest and most private settlements. It started as a fishing village in the 1880s, established by the Fire Island Fishing Company, and a major pier and railhead were built. Originally, the rail was to extend across the entire bay. While this never happened, boats transported fish to the mainland. All of this was destroyed in the 1938 Hurricane.
Lonelyville also began to develop as a summer resort in the early 20th century when lots went up for sale. But the community grew slowly, composed of only 23 houses in the 1950s. Today, most homes are vintage beach cottages, some dating back to the 1900s.
Working on Great South Bay
For hundreds of years, fishers have harvested various species of finfish and shellfish, for subsistence, commercial, and recreational use. During the 19th century and early 20th century, Great South Bay was one of the largest shellfishing producing regions in the country.
However there have been historical changes in the bay that have greatly reduced the fisher’s ability to earn a living and also impacted the estuary’s health. They include the 1938 hurricane which covered oyster and clam beds, the closing of inlets which changed the bay’s water quality, water pollution including runoff from fertilizers and other pollutants, bulkheading, and land development. In recent years baymen have faced numerous local, state, and federal regulations which have severely impacted their way of life.
Contemporary Issues
Since the establishment of the park there has been tension between baymen, homeowners, and park officials over the management of natural and cultural resources. Controversies over beach replenishment, inlet openings, hunting, and harvesting practices are just some of the issues unique to Fire Island National Seashore and their neighbors.
Unlike other National Parks, FINS must work with dozens of communities, town, state, and other federal agencies to accomplish its goals. Often their goals conflict with traditional and historical uses, such as vector control, deer management, or beach access to year-round residents.
At FINS, only recreational hunting, fishing, and shellfishing are authorized, although, historically, commercial harvests have taken place before and after establishment of the Seashore. More recently FINS has banned horseshoe crab harvesting by area baymen in its surrounding waters. To learn more about the Fire Island National Seashore and its current management plan click here.
Sunday madness! :kooky:
I just finished Mike Flannery and Dan Auriemma's stories, in case anyone wanted to go back a few pages and read them.
I'm still waiting for some more info about Dan, maybe I can fill it in if his relatives get back to me. Enjoy, guys and girls. :HappyWave:
Enjoyed that. Dark you write exceptionally well, great thread. :clapping:
:cool:Cool thread!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSkies
This sounds like something I would do, great stories, thanks for posting up.
As related by Finchaser:
Codfish in LI and Mass:
"We used to drive up to Captree Inlet, and Montauk, to go on cod trips up there. When the bite was on, we went wherever we heard it was best to catch fish. We were young and didn't care about anything else but fishing. We had great times.
We would drive to the parking lot at Captree or Montauk, and sleep in our station wagons. They were the "beach buggies" of the 60's and 70's, where we kept all out gear and sleeping stuff.
We would bundle up and sleep through the night to get a coveted seat on the stern for the morning roll-out. The mates would come by and knock on the car windows to wake us up as they came to work in the early AM.
There was no griping or moaning about the cold. We did it because we loved to fish."
LI party boats we used to fish on:
Speedy 8 - Captree
Viking Star - Montauk
old fishing pics
Attachment 8952
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Attachment 8955
This was originally posted by Hookedonbass last year.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=3109
I was going through the threads and thought I would post it up here. Thanks Hooked. :HappyWave:
striper fishing (1950's)
Yup back then all that was needed was one stick and a few tins. Sweet tin squid.
Have looked at these pictures and vids many times over, they are great.
Happy Trails
and you didn't have to worry about getting mugged back then either!:wheeeee:
Altenkirch & Son
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...5&d=1264451862
I think they were called bait tails. There was one older one called the Tri-fin Whiptail. I believe the generic ones were called bait tails.Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSkies
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As originally posted on page 2 in this thread:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...?t=5237&page=2
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSkies
Mike Flannery is gone....
I just got the call from his daughter. I saw him last week, noticed some drastic changes in his health. He was a strong tough guy, with a body conditioned to withstand pain and punishment from years of digging ditches and physical labor to give his children a better life than he had.
He had been diagnosed with cancer. I knew that a few months ago, and initially there was some hope for him to beat it. At first they were fighting it with some treatment. When they didn't offer him chemo, he knew something was terribly wrong.
Last week he told me he was dying. It was tough to hear this guy who used to tower over other people tell me he knew he was dying, and what can you do. :don't know why:
He suffered tremendously this past week with the pain. Finally, God, in his mercy, took him this morning.
My deepest condolences to his family. I'm having a little trouble typing these words.
Mike, I know you're in a better place now. I hope to be fishin with ya someday. I have to believe that's possible, to move on from this. See ya on the other side, Mike. :(
Hey very sorry to hear about Mike Flannery.
I posted the pic of Al Bentsen on another thread and wanted to post it here. I wish I could have met him, and the eels he rigged are something I hope to be trying to do this year by myself. Al caught many cows to his credit. :thumbsup:
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He caught this 51.8lb slob at Point lookout in 1973.
Attachment 9753
I met Tom today at the Freeport LI show. What first caught my eye was his hat. That hat is a shrine to the history of fishing, and he wears it every chance he gets.
Tom was nice enough to let me interview him as he reminisced about the old days of fishing. The man has years of experience, I could have listened to him for hours. :fishing:
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