Reelhooked

Pre-cooling is typically overlooked as most guys are using it as a beverage cooler. For longer term storage ice the cooler down 24-48 hrs in advance of your trip, minimize the opening and closing and you're good for quite a while. I take them on multi day overnighters fishing in the summer, work great even out on deck essentially bakiing n the sun.

Cedar Creek Park in Seaford, on Merrick Rd just East of the Wantagh Pkwy. Outdoor, 100 yd range. Free.

Take a look at Watch Hill - Fire Island National Seashore. Camping in a maritime forest environment; kids would love it. Beaches are awesome.

How many rods are you looking to build? Unless you're going to build quite a few rods each year, I'd suggest holding off on buying a power wrapper. 2 simple V blocks to support the blank and run your thread through a book to tension. Add a book on top to increase tension to desired level. What action/line wt blanks are you considering? Composite blanks are sensitive yet more forgiving than graphite. If you're going to fish braided line definately consider a composite blank as you need to put a little give back into the equation that graphite can't provide. After the first rod, talk to your buddies and see about borrowing a power wrapper. At the same time get their input on finishing the wraps. Mudhole is a good resource as mentioned. I built many rods without power when I first started, like anything the sky is the limit if you want to indulge yourself. For many years I built rods for a well known shop here on LI with nothing more than an old wrapper made from a sewing machine motor, holding the thread spool by hand with 1 V block supporting the blank. Buy a good blank and components, build it correctly and enjoy every fish you take on it. PM me if you'd like, be happy to try and help.

Enjoy the moment. As Phade mentioned it sounds like you have a plan, docks are great starting points. I started my girls out fishing at the same age, one was 4 the other was soon to be 6, now 14 and 16 and they love fishing. Understand that your son's attention span is only about 20-30 minutes at this age, if he gets bored that's okay; hopefully there's something in the area of the dock he may want to explore. Go with it; before you know it YOU'LL be saying it's time to go well before him. The worst thing you can do is force him to keep fishing if he's not having fun, he won't want to go back. Plan for short trips and expand the day as his enjoyment grows. Just my 2 cents, most importantly enjoy the the time spent and be sure to have a camera or cell to capture the first fish moment !

Field Tested by my 14 and 16 yr old daughters. It's been a year and they've held up well to water, drops and throwing (by me when I've had enough of their constant texting...) They're worth the $$.

Read as much as possible and utilize internet resources to your advantage. I started out reading the reloading section in quite a few manuals and bought those manuals whose bullets I ended up using (Sierra, Nosler, Hornady) One of the greatest assets as you're starting out is a mentor; someone you know in your area or from hunting camp who reloads and has been for quite a while. I had the opportunity to be taught by a few senior guys at camp who walked me through and explained every step. Additionaly they provided great insight on what you really need to get started and set up your bench if you choose to pursue reloading. Kits are great, you can't go wrong with RCBS, Hornady, Lee, etc. Everyone has their preferences, do your homework and see what may fit your needs and budget. I reload for hunting as well as target shooting; the same practices I use on my match rounds I apply to my hunting rounds. Investigate factory rounds your guns "like" to shoot and begin your journey of learning the reload process and tweaking the rounds you hand load. Good luck, hope you find it as rewarding as I do.

I work on the Ramp at one of the airports loading cargo planes. Very cold with no way to get out of the wind. All the equipment is freezing up with the hydraulics moving very sloooowly.

Nice job Bow; I like the graphics you incorporated. Post another pic once you get your guns on it for the final grade!

Looks great, good luck with it.

With the depth of work you're doing, don't overlook the condition of the fuel tank(s). As it's an '89 the tank is probably galvanized construction. I had a problem with leaking fittings that connected the fuel line to the tank, in addition to corrosion on the bottom of the tank where water had pooled. If you can get your hands on the tank I'd suggest changing it, you can do it yourself and it's not a budget buster. Take a good look, last thing you want is to restore your boat and smell fuel in the bilge which is a major safety issue. Good Luck!

Thanks, I appreciate the responses. Looks like more homework to be done.

Thanks for the reply. So once a boat is registered/associated to a reservoir that's where it remains for the season? I'm guessing that's a result of environmental issues, no? I'd like the flexibility of being able to fish other spots as well; how does that work from a legaleeze perspective, in terms of registration with NYC/NYS DEP. If a body of water has access/launching ramp, can anyone fish that area with the proper NYS fishing license? Sorry for the elementary questions, I'm just trying to gain as amuch insight as possible.

Hey guys; I'm new to freshwater fishing and have the opportunity to fish this body of water this season. I currently own a boat and do a lot of offshore fishing, but have zero experience in this area. I did read the NYC DEP Rules and Regs which were informative. Is there a limit that is placed on boats in an area such as this? I don't want to buy a boat to fish the reservoir and then find out they are no longer accepting applications or have maxed out available boat opportunities. Any insight would be appreciated. Once I clear this hurdle will come the questions about tackle and technique. I'm anxious to put my time in and start learning. Thanks

Senseless and angering. Thoughts and prayers with the families. RIP Brothers.