Thanksgiving On The Fly
©
By Rich Johnson
The sky was a clear, bright blue as we slipped out of the
marina with air temperatures in the high 30’s; waters inside the bay in the very low
50’s and a wind chill of 28 degrees. We drifted along the estuary islands and coves
behind Kennedy Airport while small schools of baitfish scattered the early morning chill
and birds circled overhead of breaking stripers. We would see gentle swirls along the
surface, almost trout-like in the gentleness of the slurp, as cold water was starting to
slow down the body movements of bass and angler alike on this cold Thanksgiving week
excursion. The action wasn’t as savage as bass or blues on the attack in September
but there were still plenty of fish in the bays as there usually late in November.
While many New Yorkers were flying out of Kennedy Airport and many "out of
towners" into New York in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, today I was on
the fly so to speak with Capt. John McMurray of "One More Cast" fly
fishing charters in Queens. If the name sounds familiar to you it should, because John is
the state director of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) for New York and is the
chairman for setting up all the banquets we attend during the year for the CCA. John has
been a charter captain now for a little over three (3) years after spending many years in
the United States Coast Guard. John runs a 20-foot Sportcraft fishing platform with all
the tools to make for an enjoyable day on the water, all within eyesight of the Manhattan
Skyline and the thunderous Concorde everyday at 9 a.m.
On today’s trip we were skimming across the cold waters of Jamaica Bay at 35 to 40
knots, which dipped the wind chills below 20 degrees. Our first stop was the old pier
behind Kennedy Airport, which is the first place stripers show every spring and seems to
be their last holdout before heading out to the inlet to start their migration up the
Hudson River or down the Jersey Shore to the Chesapeake Bay. Capt. John and One More Cast
charters is an Orvis Fly Co. endorsed charter service so the tackle is top notch and we
had spinning tackle along as well in case we found fish deep in the holes.
TACKLE. John’s flyrodding is done very comfortably with Orvis 9-weight
outfits. Rod length is 9-foot and we used 350 and 550 grain sinking lines with a floating
running section to get down to bass under the clouds of bait being pushed to the surface.
Our leaders were six foot or so with the day’s pattern silversides or white/silver
deceivers. However no matter what fly line you choose, keep spare spools with different,
weight forward lines with you. In calm water, use a floating line when fishing shallow. In
a breeze, switch over to intermediate sinking line to get a fly below the chop. A
350-grain sinking line to fish the deep channels that border flats. These three lines
should cover most of your flyrodding chores. As for leaders, you can choose tapered
leaders or use a straight 7-foot shot of Berkley Big Game line in 12 to 15-pound test.
FISH ON. We found the first flock of birds up tight against the piers and
cutting the engine, Capt. John allowed the boat to glide effortlessly into the school like
a stealth bomber undetected by fish radar. With fly rods in hand we braved the cold of the
morning and worked our flies into the rolling bass and bait, keeping in mind to cast up
drift so the lines would sink faster getting to the fish. It wasn’t long before the
captain had a fish on and making quick work of it, John had a 28-inch striper in hand
ready for a photo and releasing.
The fish were very finicky as they chased peanut bunker to start then switched over to
spearing. John’s expertise saw this and we quickly changed patterns to comply with
the stripers menu desire. A few casts later I felt the gentle jolt of a striper inhaling
my fly and this too was quickly brought to the boat and released. After an hour or two of
chasing bait and bass around the back of Jamaica Bay, we put a few fish in the boat then
opted to head out to the Rockaway Inlet jetty only after making a quick pit stop for boat
fuel and body fuel in the form of steaming hot coffee.
Feeling out toes and fingers again, we made it to the jetty and quickly found breaking
stripers to cast flies to but these fish were really on the move so it was time to break
out the spinning tackle and toss bucktails or diamond jigs to them. We immediately found
success with John breaking off a very large fish boat side. As these schools of bass
started to break up, we made several moves trying to keep up with them until the birds and
fish disappeared. It was then John took me to where there are always fish, as guaranteed
as fishing can get and that’s under the Verazanno Bridge.
Here we tossed small one and two-ounce diamond jigs, small bucktails and again the fly
rod as we fished along the eastern abutment of the towering VZ Bridge in just 20-foot of
water. We proceeded to catch bass after bass as schoolie stripers of 16 to 22 inches
inhaled every offering we made to them for over an hour. It was non-stop action with the
majestic backdrop of the bridge, the mighty Hudson River and the never-ending stream of
tankers and cargo ships rolling under the VZ and into New York Harbor. As winds kicked up
a fuss from the southwest, it was time for us to fly back to the marina, counting our
blessings on the way and giving thanks for the opportunity we had to be successful anglers
this late in the season and all within view of the most recognized backdrop in the
world…New York.
If you would like to reach Capt. John McMurray and One More Cast charters you
can call 718-945-2255. John sails very late into the season and starts early in the
spring as well. Depending on weather patterns and water temps, John may sail a few more
weeks. If you have any questions, you can reach Rich Johnson through our website at www.thefishingline.com.
