There's quite a few good books on the northeast saltwater fishery that you may be interested in.
Fly Rodding the Coast by Ed Mitchell is probably my favorite, but you wouldn't go wrong with Inshore Fly Fishing by Lou Tabory either
I recently got a copy of Saltwater Naturals and their Imitations by George Roberts Jr, but haven't read it yet. As I remember he's a Long Island guy too.
The simpler the outfit, the more skill it takes to manage it, and the more pleasure one gets in his achievements.
--- Horace Kephart