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Fishing season begins amid coronavirus

The worst day of fishing is better than the best day of quarantine.

How true is that?

With all of this happening with the coronavirus, anglers are more than ready to go out for a day of fishing as trout and salmon season began on Wednesday.

But it might be a little more difficult to buy some minnows and worms this season. Deemed nonessential businesses, most bait and tackle stores are closed because of the coronavirus.

The only ones that can remain in operation are bait and tackle stores that also sell propane tanks, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s orders that prohibit nonessential businesses to be open these days.

The 1000 Island Bait Store in Alexandria Bay and Fat Nancy’s Tackle Shop in Pulaski are among the few that can be open.

Todd Cerow, owner of the 1000 Island bait shop on Route 12, is ready for opening day for trout and salmon season.

“We have lots of worms and minnows,” he said. “We’ve been busy as heck.”

He’s got a sign displayed in the store, located a little ways from the Thousand Islands Bridge, that jokes he’s selling a special fishing rod that’ll help practice staying six feet apart during these days of social distancing.

Of course, six feet is the size of all traditional fishing rods.

“The best thing to do is go fishing,” he said.

Cory Lytle, 17, a junior at General Brown high school, goes fishing as much as he can with his buddies. But he’s had a tough time finding bait this year because bait shops like Judy’s Bait Shop in Dexter is closed. He’d normally walk down the road to get the minnows and worms he needs.

So he was glad to hear that he can drive to Alexandria Bay and pick up some bait for when he goes out to places like Mud Bay to fish for some perch and crappies.

“We’re just trying to pass the time when there’s nothing else to do,” he said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation reminds him to practice safe, social-distancing methods during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We stay apart,” he said.

Rob Ripka, who owns Fat Nancy’s Tackle Shop right off Interstate 81 in Pulaski, thinks that the pandemic is scaring fishermen from going out and enjoying their favorite activity.

Owned since 1991, his shop’s shelves offer a diverse selection of fishing products sunglasses, T-shirts, hats and more. The store offers fishing licenses, too.

But business has been so slow that he’s reduced store hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays.

When they come in, he makes sure that anglers practice social distancing when they’re picking out bait and equipment.

“We want to be a part of the solution, not the problem,” he said.

Maybe when the weather gets warmer, more people will want to play hookey and spend the day fishing, he said.

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