PLT OF A SMA SEL DSNDED BELOW THE LEGAL MSA DURING A VISUAL APCH IN BROKEN TO SCATTERED CLOUDS RESULTING IN COMING IN CLOSE PROX TO SEVERAL HIGH TWRS.

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PLT; BUSY WITH WORK; I HAD NOT FLOWN IN 6 WKS. A QUICK CHK OF MY LOGBOOK SEEMED TO INDICATE I WAS NO LONGER INST CURRENT (A CAREFUL CHK LATER SHOWED THAT I WAS IN FACT INST CURRENT). FLEW FROM A NEIGHBORING ARPT TO ISLIP; WHICH WAS CALLING 800 SCATTERED WHEN I CHKED THE WX BY TELEPHONE JUST PRIOR TO TKOF. FROM THE N THE SCATTERED LAYER SEEMED CLOSE TO BROKEN. I ASKED NY APCH TO ALLOW FLYING THE LOC IN. WHEN I WAS ON THE LOC; THE CTLR ADVISED THAT ALT WAS PLT'S DISCRETION. THE MISTAKE I MADE WAS; UPON SEEING A GOOD SIZE HOLE IN THE 800 FT SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYER; DSNDING TO 800 FT. THE CTLR ADVISED ME OF A TWR AHEAD GOING UP TO 822 FT MSL. HE SUGGESTED THAT I CLB TO 2000 FT. I CLBED AS REQUESTED; AND HAD TO MAKE MANY TURNS TO AVOID CLOUDS. I WAS AGAIN ADVISED OF ANOTHER TWR AT 600 PLUS FT AS I LATER DSNDED. I SAW IT AND AVOIDED IT. WHEN I WAS TURNED OVER TO THE TWR; AT THE ARPT; THEY ADVISED THAT THERE WERE 2 ADDITIONAL TWRS ALONG MY RTE. I HAD THESE IN SIGHT AND PASSED BTWN THEM. I MAY HAVE BEEN CLOSER THAN 2000 FT; AS REQUIRED IF NOT 1000 FT ABOVE. IN ANY EVENT; I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I DID SEVERAL THINGS WRONG: SHOULD HAVE PICKED A BETTER DAY TO GET STARTED FLYING AFTER A 6 WK BREAK. SHOULD HAVE DONE AN INST APCH AND LOOKED FOR AN OPENING NEAR ARPTS; SHOULD HAVE CHKED MY LOGBOOK CAREFULLY. I COULD HAVE FILED IFR INTO ISLIP AND DONE A STANDARD INST APCH INSTEAD OF TRACKING THE LOC AND SCUD RUNNING. SHOULD TRY HARDER TO MAINTAIN INST CURRENCY AT ALL TIMES. I WORKED HARD FOR THE RATING AND SHOULD USE IT AS IT IS THE SAFEST WAY TO FLY.