Hi Stripe,
Hope you're having a great season. I was down at the canal last weekend with my kids. Didn't see any action, but we had a good time anyway.
The last few years forum seems to be a lot busier in the spring than in the fall, due to a lot of Hudson River members, but I hear you. Participation from folks in other locals has fallen off a bit.
The herring run in the canal has been hopping for a while now, so as far as bait fish goes they're around at least. The water is still cold and the Hudson spawning run is just getting started, so I give it a couple more weeks before we start to see any real action.