STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It seemed like an odd time of year for it, but there they were Sunday: A few bright yellow kayaks making their way through the Narrows off Front Street in Stapleton.
More intriguing was the fact that the kayaks were helmed by fishermen, something that wasn't apparent until two of them headed for shore. As they got closer, you could also see that they were pedaling.
"No fuel, no maintenance. Just put it in the water and go," Vincent Gintoli, 19, of Great Kills said of the kayak fishing.
"It's gaining in popularity as a more economical way of getting to the fish," said Dan Holden of Oakwood as he stowed his gear after a seven-hour day on the water.
Sure enough, kayak fishing on Staten Island has spawned its own Facebook page, giving local anglers a place to connect and compare notes on their experience and equipment.
The fishermen use paddles to start their trip, but once they get in about four feet of water, they begin to pedal and maneuver with a rudder. The pedaling keeps their hands free for fishing.
Holden said that he used to fish from the beach in his 20s. In his 30s, he owned a boat. Now, at age 44, he is hooked on kayak fishing.
Pedaling around a 60-to-120-pound boat in the wind and waves is no easy task. Gintoli figures he has lost a few pounds and definitely toned the muscles in his legs.
"I recommend it to people who live off of video games," he said. "This is life. It keeps you strong and healthy and doesn't fry your brain."
Fishing that close to the water is its own thrill, but when you are a small boat in a big pond, you have to maintain extra vigilance, Holden said.
"You better pay attention to wakes and wind. Basically, everything a boater needs to know, you need to know even more so," he said, including being mindful of the shipping channel in a waterway as busy as New York Harbor. "From a boaters view you're practically invisible on the water, even with the appropriate safety devices, such as an elevated, highly visible flag and or lighting."
These are the waning days for most kayak fishing. The fish are moving to warmer and or deeper waters and the dropping temperatures make it even more of a safety risk to go after the fish that stay around.
"Only the most experienced should even tempt it," he said.
Holden advises anyone considering kayaking in New York waters should go with an experienced person or hire a guide. A guide he wholeheartedly recommends, whether it would be for pleasure or fishing is Elias Vaisberg of www.nykayakfishingguideservices.com.
Holden caught only one blackfish Sunday that he would be cooking in a chowder with a recipe he found online.