by John McMurray
John McMurray is the Executive Director of the CCA-NY.
He also Reel-Time's new FishWire Correspondent
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Captains like Tony Dilernia took off to fish the swift moving waters along spots such as Hell's Gate, known for its treacherous 7-knot currents. Tony has been running a boat in this area for over twenty years and knows by heart the which nooks and crannies to fish in this fast moving water. It is no secret that monster fish lurk on the bottom of these rock-strewn areas that Tony loves to fish, but knowing exactly where to put your bait or getting a fly down to the fish in that current is not the easiest thing to do. Casting along the
seawall to calmer protected waters is a better choice
for East River flyrodders. During the tournament, anglers who tossed their offerings
toward the seawall inevitably drew attention from joggers and dog walkers, wondering what
on earth those waving the long wand could possibly be doing. One boat was even hailed by a
passer-by, who wanted to know whether those on board were scientists seeking life in the
river.While heading south, Captain Tom Matteo had engine problems and ended up having to anchor in the muddy flats between the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This seemingly bad luck turned out to be something completely different. Tom ended up putting his crew on nine fish over 40 inches, literally within casting distance of the Statue of Liberty! Tom was fishing in the bait division of the tournament, and although these fish were not taken on flies, they were caught in only 15 feet of water, well within the range of a fly fisherman with a quick sinking line.
The boats that headed south in the tournament also faired well. Captain Frank Crescitelli had some luck at his most dependable spot: the stanchions of the Verazzano Bridge, just south of the city. The one mile area where the bridge connects the New York City Boroughs, Staten Island and Brooklyn, known as the Verazzano Narrows, acts as a funnel for migrating fish. The rocky areas surrounding the stanchions are a haven for stripers looking for a quick meal on their way up or back from the Hudson. The hourglass shaped area provides very strong currents around the rocks, and creates fish-holding calm spots and eddies. Behind the stanchion's rocks, large bass wait for unsuspecting baitfish to get whipped around the corner. Toss your fly and twitch it a few times as it rounds the corner and hold on. The bottom-up view of the massive structure alone is awe-inspiring. Toss in a few trophy fish and the experience is unparalleled. During the Manhattan cup several blues weighing in the mid teens were taken along these rocks by fly fishermen, along with a few bass in the 20" range. In fact I hooked up with a bluefish in the 15 pound range along these rocks, then broke him off at the boat.
Fish were also taken at Hoffman and
Swineburn islands located just south of the Verazzano Bridge by Captain Paul Eidman of
Reel-Therapy. Captain Scott Holder of Dragonfly Charters took a few alligator blues off
the Coney Island Jetties right in front of the old parachute jump. Captain David Blinken
of North Flats Guiding was a long way from the flats of Gardeners Island, but racked up
some impressive catches of blues and a striper that came in a close second to the winning
fish in that category. David's
strategy was to fish the broken down piers
on the Staten Island side of the Hudson with a quick sinking line. Captain Gene Quigley
from Shore Catch took an impressive 31 inch fish off The Round House (an old and out of
commission sewage plant off of Manhattan Beach, Queens). Capt. Joe Mattioli of On the
Bight Charters took a winning fish off the southern shore of Staten Island at a spot known
as the Sod Banks. Captain Dino Torino from Finchaser Charters scored well with quite a few
schoolie bass at the Breezy Point Jetty.
My secret spot (the Staten Island Ferry Terminal) proved to be only mildly productive as I took only two small bass in an hour. I headed South to try one of my old but effective techniques: tossing bucktails at the Coast Guard Ferries moored on Governors Island: a small, rock-strewn island at the southern tip of Manhattan. While my clients presented their flies to swirling eddies at the back of the ferry, I continued to ping the side of the boat with my jig allowing it so sink before twitching it a few times. I was rewarded with two cocktail blues before the Coast Guard watch-stander came out and gave me a verbal lashing claiming that I was ruining the paint job on the boat.
I was heading back to Chelsea Piers, when I stopped at the spot that had sparked my
initial interested in fishing the Harbor. When I was new to New York, I served as a radio
watch-stander at the Governors Island Coast Guard station. I had a bird's eye view of the
Harbor from the radio room at the Northern tip of the island. During that time I would sit
and watch boats drift over a well-known spot, pulling out large fish from the deep. It was
not long after that that I decided that I just had to make the poorest financial
investment of my life and purchase a boat. This area is called Diamond Reef. It's a drop
from 20 to 40 feet at the tip and is loaded with bass, especially in the fall. Just line
yourself up with the third smoke stack on the Brooklyn Side, a little south of the
Brooklyn bridge, and the East Tower in Manhattan and make your drift.
At 7:30 PM the tournament had come to a close as boats began to pull into Chelsea Piers. An awards ceremony was held at the Chelsea Brewing Company on the Hudson River overlooking the moored boats that had participated in the tournament. The crowd sipped micro-brews while guides talked about their exploits that day and exchanged fish stories. The event seemed to inspire a feeling of camaraderie among professionals. Stories were told and pats on the back were exchanged as all involved took satisfaction in the fun they had had and the contribution they made that day to the conservation of New York stripers.
The Manhattan Cup was awarded to Peter Jordan for the biggest fish. The Captain, Tom Matteo was awarded the Captain's Cup and High Hook Trophy for putting his crew on 9 fish over 40 inches. Michael Donovan won the Fly fishing Division aboard Captain Frank Crescitelli's Aquasport, and Brendan Byrne took the Artificial Division Trophy while fishing with Capt. Joe Mattioli of On the Bight Charters. The Conservation Achievement Award was given to Environmental Conservation Officer Lt. Tim Duffy, for his extensive work against striped bass poachers operating in NY Harbor. However, as Charles Witek, CCA NY's Chairman observed, "the biggest winner was the striped bass itself, as the fish rode a new wave of public awareness."
If you are interested in participating this year, the 2nd annual tournament, dubbed The Macallan CCA Manhattan Cup tournament to recognize its sponsor, The Macallan Scotch Whisky, will be held on Friday, May 19, 2000. Information about the tournament is available on the CCA web site.
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