May 25, 2008
IT was a normal day for the Manhattan Cup - good fishing, a great party and terrible weather.
It was a steady, cold rain and with northeast winds, the conditions were not comfortable to say the least, but this is one of those great tourneys that even Mother Nature can not dampen.
I fished again with Capt. Steve Byrne, who runs First Cast Charters (www.firstcastfishing.com) out of Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island. Each year, we seem to battle something Mother Nature throws at us. Two years ago we wound up with 2 inches of ice on the boat after an ice storm, and it was May.
For the May 16 Cup, we started out under Lady Liberty. I found it difficult concentrating on the fish rather than constantly looking up at this great beacon of freedom.
We had a few nibbles, but moved further south off Old Orchard Light and scored with bluefish.
The day, however, is about the tournament and what it represents.
Manhattan Cup co-chair, Capt. Frank Crescitelli, said this year's tournament has reached a milestone in more ways than one.
"A fishing tournament in New York City where 30-40 pound striped bass are released after being officially weighed in is groundbreaking. It is proof that popular, large-scale tournaments can be run without depleting the resource."
The Manhattan Cup, run by the members of Fishermen's Conservation Association (FCA), has become the largest one-day in-shore tournament in the Northeast. Approximately 40 professional fishing guides provide their boats and expertise to individual teams competing for the largest striped bass, bluefish and weakfish among three categories (fly, artificial and bait).
This year the Cup's tournament winner was Gary Sherman, who fished with Capt. Joe Mustari.
