Growing up in the 30's through the eyes of Tom Lo Verso
Party boat fishin double decker style:
"I started fishing when I was 7, and and have been fishing for 81 years, because I'm 88 now.
I remember being 7 and my Dad taking me cod fishing in January. We started fishing on the original Palace, does anyone remember that?
She used to leave from Hoboken, make one stop at the Brooklyn Battery to pick up other fishermen, and out to sea we went.
She was a double decker. You could fish on the bottom level, but the fare was higher. Those were tough times then in the 1930's. People were poor with the Depression. If you fished on the bottom, you would sometimes get hit with the sinkers from the guys on the top. When you fished on the top, sometimes the guys on the bottom would cut your line and put your fish in their bag. You had to pay attention, times were hard back then.
Then, they got the Palace II, captained by Ed Biletti, Jr. That was a better boat, more comfortable.
1940's
In the 1940's, we would cod fish on a boat out of Sheepshead bay captained by Laddy Martin, the Rocket II.
Update on Laddie Martin.
He is now living in California in a nursing home. From the 1920's to the late 1960's, the Martin's have been captains of fishing boats from Sheepshead Bay. The following are their names and boats:
Jacob Martin 'Sachem' and 'Geralda'
Jacob "Chubby" Martin, jr 'Geralda'
David "Laddie" Martin,jr. "Glory," "Rocket I" and "Rocket II"
David Martin, Sr. "Roaring Forty" and "Geralda"
The fishing was fantastic back then, cod were everywhere. We could get into them by fishing anywhere in the bay to 10 miles off. There were millions of them. They were so big, if you didn't catch a 30# cod you didn't have a chance at winning the pool."
"I used to go fishing with a bunch of guys from Corona Queens, the neighborhood where I lived in the 1940's.
We were all good friends, and 6 out of 7 times we would win the pool. We had our own fishing club, no name that I can remember, but we all loved to fish.
I want to tell you something about fishing back then. A lot of people think we wasted fish or caught too many. We were all poor and struggling. All fish caught were used and eaten, every last one of them. We made codfish soup with the heads, and gave fish to the women in the neighborhood who lost their husbands in the war. Everyone ate fish, and we survived that way.
Capt Laddie Martin was one of the first captains responsible for starting the tuna trips in the 1960's. No one fished for them with a rod and reel until that point. I only remember going on a few tuna trips. Mostly I fished for cod and bottom fish because we needed them for food.
(I found out Tom was in the service and thanked him for his service to our country. He looked at me and said: "Hey you don't have to thank me, it was no big deal. I did what I had to do. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. A lot of guys in my outfit didn't come back alive.") Wow.
"I was in the 82nd Airborne, and saw action in the war. A lot of my friends didn't make it back.
I came back, went to work, got married in 1948. We got divorced, and I met the love of my life in 1962, her name was Elizabeth. She was my best friend, and I still miss her. She died 20 years ago, on 5/28/90.
All my friends fishing and otherwise died off over the years. I buried my last fishing buddy last year. It is very sad getting older and outliving your friends.
But, I made new friends. I joined the NYSF club and have a whole bunch of new friends now. I mostly still fish for cod and bottom fish, but I have been out on striped bass trips too.
I fish with Capt Bob Rochetta, one of the best striper captains on the East Coast. I have a great time with these new friends.
Tom Lo Verso of Reels Unlimited
I first started talkin to Tom because of his hat. He was at the door directing traffic into the auditorium.
His hat would stand out for a country mile.
Anything related to fishing you could imagine is on that hat.
It took him 20 years to create it exactly the way he wanted it.
It's definitely one of a kind.
He's been offered $500 for it, but says it's not for sale, ever.
About Tom and Reels Unlimited.
From what I understand, he and a friend find reels, repair and sell them. They may also repair and service reels as well. He's been fishing for 81 years, so I think he may know a thing or 2 about reels.
Feel free to contact Tom at his e-mail if you have questions about getting a reel fixed:
I didn't know where to post this, Darkskies, so feel free to move it if you want. In Al Ristori's column on July2, he wrote a paragraph about Percy Wentworth. The guy lives on SI, makes some amazing cast nets, and has been building them for about 50 years. A friend bought one from him. He went to pick it up, and Percy wouldn't let him leave until he had the technique down, gave him 1/2 hour of free lessons. Great guy, so I think he deserves to be mentioned. Here is the story of his catch.
Percy celebrates 76th birthday with a striper
"Master cast net builder Percy Wentworth of Staten Island celebrated his 76th birthday today in appropriate fashion. According to Capt. Bob Kita, Wentworth not only quickly netted all the bunkers they needed on his Irma out of Tottenville Marina, but then proceeded to catch a 31-pound striper off Sandy Hook. Kita added bass of 10 and 15 pounds. Wentworth has been the area's leading netmaker for many years, and he constantly proves to all the young bucks that an "old man" can throw his nets just as effectively."
Growing up in the 30's through the eyes of Tom Lo Verso
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