Spread Fish It’s the Brooklyn Way

Despite my hunger to see the far corners of the world from the casting deck of a boat, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remember my angling roots. Unlike some of my closest fishing friends, I don’t come from a fishing family, or from some rural outpost on one of the world’s best bass fisheries. I was a suburban kid with urban roots, including a mother who was born and raised in Brooklyn.

I have fond memories of going to visit my grandparents, who late in life lived just about a mile from the vibrant waterfront of Sheepshead Bay. “Party boats” which would take you out fishing for a flat fee lined the waterfront along Emmons Avenue, and as a kid I wondered where those boats were taking their passengers. I also recall envying the anglers assembled at the base of the Verrazano Bridge as we made our way into “the city” for some family obligation. As I entered high school, I fished off the party boats a few times. Later, when I entered college in Manhattan, my friends Cory and Greg and I pooled our money and rode the subway out to that ancestral neighborhood to fish all night for bluefish off one of Sheepshead Bay’s finest. I don’t know if it was safe to ride the train home at 2am, but smelling like bluefish with fillet knives on our belts (and no money leftover) we were probably not likely targets.

Once in Brooklyn, we’d stop at Bernie’s Bait and Tackle or Stella Maris Fishing Station to stock up on the terminal tackle we’d need. We’d brought sandwiches and beer with us, but we were nevertheless tempted by the beckoning smells of Roll N Roasters and Randazzo’s Clam Bar. At that time, it seemed every bit as exotic to me as the Seychelles or Argentina do now. In hindsight there’s no reason to think that Brooklyn shouldn’t be an angling hub, since it’s effectively bordered by water on three sides.

While most of us have an implicit bias that fishing gets better — and somehow more worthwhile — as it gets more remote, the truth is that most of the fishing we do is close to home. Wherever you live, it’s incredibly important to seek out the best nearby angling opportunities, especially in the era of COVID, which has increased feelings of cabin fever while decreasing travel opportunities.

That’s why I was thrilled to find the website of the Brooklyn Fishing Club, a highly-organized endeavor based in that borough but not limited to it.

I was especially impressed by some of their merchandise, including apparel dedicated to the patron saint of Brooklyn’s fisheries, Christopher Wallace.

Big Bass Dreams also offers an ode to Biggie on their apparel.

And if you want to crank Brooklyn-style, go with Ish’s Biggie squarebill (be sure to get the Poppa size).

If you want to travel to the Brooklyn Zoo (via Shaolin), here’s ODB headed out to the pond from Double J Art:

And the Cast Crew may hail from Chicago, but they pay homage to the late Wu-Tang member as well.

In my search for Brooklyn tackle shops, I found on the Dive Bar Shirts website this logo playing upon both the neighborhood known as Red Hook and the iconic chewing tobacco logo that played a huge role in bass fishing history.

Alas, as the website name suggests, it came not from an actual tackle shop but from a bar of that name.

Per a 2018 FB post from the bar: “We are still closed forever.” 

Nevertheless, Brooklyn remains open for fishing.