Jan 16, 2013

Hurricane Sandy


This post is very late but I wanted to share some pictures I took of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point area where I fish. I fished Sunday 10/28 when the leading edge of Sandy had begun affecting the south shore of Long Island. I arrived at the beach at sunrise and the full moon along with Sandy winds had the tide to the dunes.


From 4x4 exit looking towards Jetty

I decided to give driving down the bottom half of the dunes a try as the tide was going out. Lucky for me I was able to make it all the way down where I found 3 other anglers fishing the inlet side of the jetty. The jetty was under water but the conditions looked perfect for bass so I suited up and ventured out as far as I felt safe. Ended up casting the whole bag for not a bump. Saw some birds working 300 yards south of the jetty but they never made it any closer. I went back to my truck and caught some sleep and waited for the incoming tide in the early afternoon. By 2pm the wind was blowing pretty hard and the tide started coming in so I suited up and ventured back out on the jetty to give it another try. I was only fishing maybe 30 minutes when the Federal park police showed up to kick us out and close breezy point as there was a mandatory evacuation being issued. So I made my way out of breezy point and made a stop off at Fort Tilden to check for birds. By this time the wind was blowing pretty consistently around 30kts and I didn't see any signs of fish. I called it a day and went home to ride out the storm.

panoramic shot of Ft Tilden as Sandy moved in.




Sandy's destruction meant a 3-day hiatus from my job. I decided the day before going back to work that i would go out and check how sandy changed the beaches I fish. Out of respect for the people who live there I didn't plan on parking in Breezy Point nor would I have been able to anyhow. I decided to park at Fort Tilden and make the 3-4 mile hike down the beach to the jetty. The following pictures are just a sample of the many photos I took. I was speechless as to how the beach had been reshaped. Ten foot sand dunes had been wiped out of existance.

Someones stairs washed up

Old Building at Ft Tilden

Road at Ft Tilden is all washed out

Silver Gull Club

Cabanas

Looking towards the Jetty (where are the dunes?)

Flooded 4x4 path

New sandbar on inlet side of jetty

Looking back at sheepshead bay from Jetty

Whats left of a sand dune




Its now 2013 and for most the storm is just a memory. For many its still a reality. I have stayed away from the beaches since my walk. Mainly due to the fact most access is still closed or very limited. I will be interested to see my options come springtime. Until then I will be pursuing trout in the Catskills....stay tuned

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