Well I finally got a chance to separate myself from my xbox and take a ride down to Sheepshead Bay this afternoon. Unlike in years past when you went down to the Bay, there were none of the various fish sellers moving 'product' like Red or Joe Grace, or the crew from the Holiday. Many of the regulars like Jack the Greek, Teddy, old man Lenny, Bobby Car Service and Harry Ostrow the Bays unofficial photographer, would be walking along the various piers and looking at the party boats loaded with customers and fish.
But there is still some of the old crew from the Bay around...and it's amazing who you will bump into.
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Harold S. is a long time pin hooker from down the Bay. A really nice fellow who you will see commercially catching fluke during the season. Harold represents the old timers who I grew up working on the boats and pin hooking down the Bay with when I was younger.
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Here is a fellow who I know since I was a teenager, cod fishermen extraordinary JOHNNY 'PIZZA'. It's been a long time since I last saw John but he still looks great and ready to fill a few 151 quart coolers full of cod.
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I guess many of members here at NOREAST have never seen a sinker delivery being made to one of the bottom boats. Years back I remember Billy Hooks coming by with his old station wagon and his back muffler barely scraping the roadway tar, making his sinker deliveries. As he went down the Bay, dropping off bags of sinkers in old canvas wrapped bags wrapped with wire ties, the car would gradually start to rise up in the rear as he worked from Piers 9 to Pier 1 in the Bay. Later on Vinny Sinkers would be doing the same thing, but with the clear plastic bags like you see here, with the nicest looking sinkers you could find.
Here is a sinker delivery to the Ocean Eagle, and as you can see when you bottom fish every day of the week where Captain Gregg fishes, you can easily burn through a dozen or more bags a week of big sinkers!
First boat in from the mackeral grounds, the Brooklyn...they had a few fish on the boat.
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Second boat the Ocean Eagle pulling into the dock.
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The Marilyn Jean just tying up at the dock.
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The Captain Dave finally coming in from the blackfish grounds.
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Here's one boat for sale down the Bay........
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As I stated earlier, at this time of the year the Bay would be bustling with the docks and streets packed with fishermen, and people who were looking to buy fish or just watch the boats come in. The Ranger, Tampa, Helen H, Amberjack, Blue Sea, Pilot II and other boats would be selling loads of mackeral, whiting and ling, along with the olden wooden boats also selling sun dials, small flounders and other boxed market fish. Then there might be some guys selling Refrigawear out of truck, or someone else selling fishing rods, reels or knives for a good price.
Then after walking around during the afternoon, some of the regular Bay fishermen would either go into Mike's or down to Dunkin Donuts for a cup of coffee, or stop into the back of Stella Maris. Those were the days.............
Anyway these days, you might have a fellow selling bootleg dvds or other people looking to buy live fish from you as you walk off the boat. But, it was nice day though to bring my daughter down to the Bay with temps approaching 50, and see a few of the party boats and a few old time fishing friends from the past.
This is the one of the many great things I have stated about fishing on the party boats, what ever port you may have reguarly fished out of...the people who you just might bump into, and when your approaching over 30 years of being in the Bay, it's really heart warming to see their smiling faces!
EC NEWELL MAN><
P.s....I was already asked how much for the Navigator...look in the Yellow Sheet, or as someone just recently correctly stated, 'Yellow Pages', aka Boats and Harbor, call the number and ask the owner Mike Chopper the price.
This post edited by EC NEWELL MAN 07:45 AM 12/30/2007
But there is still some of the old crew from the Bay around...and it's amazing who you will bump into.
Harold S. is a long time pin hooker from down the Bay. A really nice fellow who you will see commercially catching fluke during the season. Harold represents the old timers who I grew up working on the boats and pin hooking down the Bay with when I was younger.
Here is a fellow who I know since I was a teenager, cod fishermen extraordinary JOHNNY 'PIZZA'. It's been a long time since I last saw John but he still looks great and ready to fill a few 151 quart coolers full of cod.
I guess many of members here at NOREAST have never seen a sinker delivery being made to one of the bottom boats. Years back I remember Billy Hooks coming by with his old station wagon and his back muffler barely scraping the roadway tar, making his sinker deliveries. As he went down the Bay, dropping off bags of sinkers in old canvas wrapped bags wrapped with wire ties, the car would gradually start to rise up in the rear as he worked from Piers 9 to Pier 1 in the Bay. Later on Vinny Sinkers would be doing the same thing, but with the clear plastic bags like you see here, with the nicest looking sinkers you could find.
Here is a sinker delivery to the Ocean Eagle, and as you can see when you bottom fish every day of the week where Captain Gregg fishes, you can easily burn through a dozen or more bags a week of big sinkers!
First boat in from the mackeral grounds, the Brooklyn...they had a few fish on the boat.
Second boat the Ocean Eagle pulling into the dock.
The Marilyn Jean just tying up at the dock.
The Captain Dave finally coming in from the blackfish grounds.
Here's one boat for sale down the Bay........
As I stated earlier, at this time of the year the Bay would be bustling with the docks and streets packed with fishermen, and people who were looking to buy fish or just watch the boats come in. The Ranger, Tampa, Helen H, Amberjack, Blue Sea, Pilot II and other boats would be selling loads of mackeral, whiting and ling, along with the olden wooden boats also selling sun dials, small flounders and other boxed market fish. Then there might be some guys selling Refrigawear out of truck, or someone else selling fishing rods, reels or knives for a good price.
Then after walking around during the afternoon, some of the regular Bay fishermen would either go into Mike's or down to Dunkin Donuts for a cup of coffee, or stop into the back of Stella Maris. Those were the days.............
Anyway these days, you might have a fellow selling bootleg dvds or other people looking to buy live fish from you as you walk off the boat. But, it was nice day though to bring my daughter down to the Bay with temps approaching 50, and see a few of the party boats and a few old time fishing friends from the past.
This is the one of the many great things I have stated about fishing on the party boats, what ever port you may have reguarly fished out of...the people who you just might bump into, and when your approaching over 30 years of being in the Bay, it's really heart warming to see their smiling faces!
EC NEWELL MAN><
P.s....I was already asked how much for the Navigator...look in the Yellow Sheet, or as someone just recently correctly stated, 'Yellow Pages', aka Boats and Harbor, call the number and ask the owner Mike Chopper the price.
This post edited by EC NEWELL MAN 07:45 AM 12/30/2007
