Wall Street Journal article on NY fishing

Where City Fish Are Jumpin'
New York is known for its museums, history and theater, but few knew that the city's fishing is among the highest quality in the world. Here's a handy guide for the best spots in all five boroughs.
By DAN ACKMAN
May 27, 2008; Page D7

New York

'It is not possible to describe how this bay swarms with fish, both large and small," wrote Jasper Danckaerts upon visiting what is now called New York Harbor some 300 years ago. Danckaerts chronicled whales and porpoises as well as "whole schools of innumerable other fish" that ran in such abundance that colonial promoters used the bounty to attract potential settlers. Today, the whales are gone and the real-estate agents are peddling other virtues. But the fish are flourishing and remain there for the taking.

Barbara Kelley
If the fish in nearby bays and rivers are no longer a selling point, the reason lies with the water and not the sea creatures. For New Yorkers, the water is never far away, but "it's hard to get your hands wet," notes John Waldman, a biology professor at Queens College and a lifelong city fisherman. For those who do, New York Harbor is an extremely productive estuary, Mr. Waldman says, and it provides "fishing that is among the highest quality in the world."

In recent years, the city has been reducing the psychological distance to the waters by improving waterfront parks and building fishing piers. There are now 119 fishing spots -- piers, parks, seawalls, and street-ends -- along the five boroughs' 500 miles of shoreline listed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. That total does not include the 16-plus miles of ocean beaches on Staten Island, Coney Island, and the Rockaway peninsula.

While they still get a bad rap, New York waters are far cleaner than they were a generation ago, and while not every species has gained, "there is a plethora of fish throughout the harbor," says Jim Gilmore, chief of the Bureau of Marine Resources for the New York State D.E.C. Mr. Gilmore notes that seals are now found in Raritan Bay off Staten Island and dolphins have been seen in the East River.

Among game fish, the recreational harvest of striped bass, the most sought after fish by anglers, topped 4.8 million pounds in 2006, the highest total since drastic restrictions on the catch were lifted in the early 1990s, according to the Fisheries Statistics Division of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Bluefish, weakfish and blackfish are also abundant. There are stricter limits on fluke (or summer flounder), black sea bass and porgies, but stocks of these fish are making a comeback as well, says Gordon Colvin, a NOAA biologist. Albacore tuna can be caught offshore and even in Jamaica Bay from time to time.

The fish are safe to eat, too, though the state Health Department issues advisories to limit consumption of sportfish, depending on the species and the specific water where the fish was caught. Many anglers say they'll eat as much as they like, saying that a fish caught off Staten Island today was likely swimming in the Atlantic a week ago.

The best place to fish? "Depends whose asking," says one Brooklyn angler, who gave his name as Joe K. "The fish move. They swim." With this admonition in mind, what follows is a survey of the city's best fishing holes, all within 20 miles of Times Square:

Manhattan

While fish can be caught off any pier or seawall, locals point to the East River both in Stuyvesant Cove, between 18th and 25th streets, and around 96th Street, just below Hellgate. Manhattan's prime spot, though, is where the city began, at Battery Park. The Battery is especially popular at night, attracting a subculture of regulars who fish from dusk to dawn, particularly at the start of striped-bass season in mid-April. Larry Diaz, a plumber from the Bronx, fishes lower Manhattan after dark, he says, because the striped bass heading up-river to spawn all must pass through and are eager to feed. Mr. Diaz insists the Battery rivals Montauk, except in terms of variety, especially for anglers without a boat or who can't afford Hamptons prices for bait and tackle.

The Bronx

Bronx fishing revolves around City Island, which sits between Eastchester Bay and the Long Island Sound. The island offers several bait-and-tackle shops and is one of just two places in the city with an active boat-rental trade. Charters and party boats are also available at the island's boat livery and at Jack's Bait & Tackle.

Better off-the-shore fishing is found just north of the island in the Orchard Beach area. Pat Catalano, proprietor of Island Bait & Tackle, recommends the Lagoon at Turtle Cove and an unofficial spot that can be reached by crossing a baseball field and cutting through some woods just south of the Orchard Beach side of the City Island Bridge.

Brooklyn

Sheepshead Bay is the heart of the city's party-boat industry, with a half-dozen boats lined up along Emmons Avenue. Most of the boats head into the Atlantic or the Lower Bay south of the Verrazano Bridge, says Gregory Nardiello, captain of the Ocean Eagle V. Particular boats specialize in particular species and styles of fishing. They generally leave the dock at 7 a.m., with some offering night fishing as well.

Off-the-shore fishing is good near Fort Hamilton by the massive base of the bridge, where anglers can catch striped bass that lie in wait to ambush their prey. Floyd Bennett Field, near the Marine Parkway Bridge, on the inlet of Jamaica Bay is also a productive spot.

Queens

Queens offers Jamaica Bay, an amazingly fertile estuary, though one troubled by sewage spill-off and perhaps by rising sea levels. Several charter boats work the bay, including that of Capt. John McMurray, who specializes in low-impact fly fishing and light tackle excursions. Anglers can also rent boats on the bay from Smitty's Fishing Station in the Broad Channel section. Kayakers also fish the bay and even compete in an annual tournament based in Floyd Bennett Field.

The south border of the bay is Far Rockaway, a haven for surfcasters into the Atlantic that also offers many access points to the bay, including the small but scenic Bayswater Park and Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary, both of which face the back bay and offer views of jets landing at Kennedy Airport.

Staten Island

Staten Island offers the most charter boats, mostly from the marinas of Great Kills Harbor, which offers ready access to the fish of Raritan Bay, between the island and New Jersey. From colonial times, the bay has been renowned for its fish as well as its mollusks. (Oysters are no longer harvested, but clams have made a comeback.) Striped-bass fishing is very good in the bay, and further out charters go for tuna.

Off-the-shore, anglers can cast from anywhere on the beach, but the action tends to focus on the Gateway National Recreation area, near the harbor. A bit further south is Dorothy Fitzpatrick Fishing Pier and Lemon Creek Park, both on Prince's Bay. Lemon Creek, the last undisturbed tidal creek and salt marsh in the borough, a sanctuary for both shore birds and songbirds, is a particularly pleasant spot whether or not the fish are biting.

Mr. Ackman, based in Jersey City, N.J., writes about law, business and sports.