Posted on

Manhattan Cup postponed to next year

Along with the Olympics and many other events we were looking forward to, the 20th Manhattan Cup has been postponed to next year due to the pandemic.

Tournament chairman Gary Caputi had June 5 as the date for this year’s contest which raises money for disabled vets and other good causes. However, at this point there’s no way of knowing if anglers could gather together to fish at that time — and a tremendous amount of work is involved in making all the reservations involved. Caputi is working on pinning down a date for May, 2021.

The winds calmed down somewhat today, but it was cold. Though I check the marine weather every day, they don’t mention air temperatures. I had to get out of bed at 4 a.m. to put socks on. Never remember cold feet in April before.

Sunday looks a lot better with south winds at 5-10 knots in the morning before it all starts falling apart in the afternoon with a increase to 15-20 knots leading up to a major storm on Monday.

Happy Easter!

Posted on

Manhattan Cup was a success

“Following is the report on Friday’s Manhattan Cup as provided by Garry Caputi of the RFA, who organized the event along with Capt. Frank Crescitelli:

 The Manhattan Cup is Back

 

On Friday, June 8th the return of the legendary Manhattan Cup Charity Striped Bass Tournament—presented by Yamaha—was held and proved to be a huge success. After a hearty buffet breakfast at the Liberty House 28 boats departed Liberty Landing Marina for a special two column blast off, the columns honoring those who lost their lives in the Twin Towers attack on 9/11. This was the 18th time the event was held, and it is back after a two-year hiatus.

 

“The fishing was tough,” said tournament co-director Capt. Frank Crescitelli, “but some of the teams, including the many donated boats carrying the 22 wounded warriors attending as tournament’s guests, caught a mix of striped bass and bluefish. Bluebird weather can make it hard to put together a good catch, but it did make for a great day on the water for everyone.”

 

The FCT Manhattan Cup included fishing teams in private boats fishing alongside boats donated for the day by the area’s top charter and light tackle guides. Its goals are to highlight the amazing fishery that exists within sight of downtown New York City, provide a great day on the water for at-risk veterans and generate funds for fisheries conservation. The event is all charity, with donations to the Fisheries Conservation Trust and toward sponsoring warriors who were assembled by our very own Robert Gil, a hero veteran of the Iraq War. He returned with physical and physiological wounds and credits the Manhattan Cup with saving his life. Today Robert is the Cups official warrior liaison and favorite son.

 

After a full day on the water the boats returned to the docks, the teams turned in their score cards and headed inside for beverages, dinner and festivities inside Liberty House a stone’s throw away from the docks. Crescitelli reprieved his role as master of ceremonies, as raffles and the live auction got underway raising money for the charities. Celebrity angler and astronaut Bruce Melnick—two-time space shuttle veteran and a hero Coast Guard rescue helicopter pilot—address the crowd and then auctioned off autographed replicas of the Shuttles Discovery and Endeavor, which he flew. Among the many exceptional auction items was a fishing trip for six aboard Wicked Tuna multi-season winner Capt. Greg Meyers’ Fishing Frenzy out of Oregon Inlet, NC and a $1500 fly fishing outfit by Redington and Sage.

 

“Many companies stepped up to help us put on the 18th Manhattan Cup,” said tournament co-director Gary Caputi,” and we can’t begin to express our gratitude and the appreciation of our warrior heroes who fished with us. A special thanks to Yamaha Marine for taking on the top sponsor roll recognizing the importance of this very special event.”

 

Sponsors included Liberty Landing Marina, Costa del Mar, Gray Taxidermy, Yeti, D&R Boat World, Raymarine, Mojo Sportswear, Maui Jim, AllTackle.com, AFW/Hi-Seas, Pettit, Tony Maja Tackle, Tsunami Tackle, The Fisherman magazine, Princeton Tec, Interlux, the Recreational Fishing Alliance, Guides Secret Fishing Gear, Fin Chasers TV and Mustad. Thank you all for donating.

 

The winners of the 18th FCT Manhattan Cup are:

 

Manhattan Cup Champion

Largest Striped Bass Overall– Steve Liesman fishing with Capt. Howard Owens

 

Bluefish Categories:

Largest Bluefish Private Boat – Al Ristori fishing with Guy Talarico

Largest Bluefish on Artificial – Bruce Melnick fishing with Capt. Frank Crescitelli

Largest Bluefish on Bait – Rick Dunn fishing with Capt. Vince Trapani

Largest Bluefish on Fly – Steve Liesman fishing with Capt. Howard Owens

 

Striped Bass Categories:

Largest Striped Bass on Private Boat – Marc Kennis fishing with Dave Rooney

Largest Striped Bass on Artificial – Karl Anderson fishing with Capt. Howard Owens

Largest Striped Bass on Bait – Steve Liesman fishing with Capt. Howard Owens

Largest Striped Bass on Artificial – Robert Gil fishing with Capt. Frank Crescitelli

Smallest Striped Bass –  Alex Folmar fishing with Capt. Pete Santero

 

Warrior Division:

Largest Bluefish – Robert Gil fishing with Capt. Frank Crescitelli

Largest Striped Bass – Roger Totten fishing with Capt. Ted White

 

Celebrity Division:

Largest Bluefish – Bruce Melnick fishing with Capt. Frank Crescitelli

Largest Striped Bass – Kim Melnick fishing with Capt. Frank Crescitelli

 

Posted on

Makos biting in South Jersey contest

Shark fishermen gearing up for mako tournaments will be happy to hear that plenty of makos are being released in this week’s South Jersey Shark Tournament out of South Jersey Marina in Cape May.  That contest has long had a high minimum for makos, but there are still enough being weighed-in to settle the big pay-outs.

Through Friday, the mako leader is a 269-pounder on Gina L, followed by a 249-pounder on My Time. El Cid III weighed a 278-pound thresher.

Smooth dogfish made chunking for stripers in Rartan Bay a losing proposition during Friday’s Manhattan Cup as I fished in the sportfishing category with ex-N,J. Assenblyman Guy Talerico plus his son Alec on their JerSea Patriot along with Joe Massa of My Three Sons in Morgan  as we kept at it to finally come up with a single entry — a small bluefish that managed to get hooked by my large circle hook with a bunker chunk.  On a day when blues were hard to come by, that won me the anglers award in the Sportfishing  category of the release contest while an equally-shocked  Talerico took the captain’s award.  I’ll have the complete results in a blog tomorrow.

I told Scott Leadbeater of Haddon Heights about that dogfish invasion, and he found exactly the same thing this morning on his Aquasport out of Atlantic Highlands — without even a blue getting through.

Also at that port, Capt. Rob Sembewyc of the Sea Hunter said fluking was slow today in an almost complete lack of drift. His June 12 trophy striper afternoon trip is sold out, but there is room on the June 19 and 21 trips from 2:30 p.m. until dark.

The Fishermen had did well with fluke on Friday in a new area with bait being recorded as there were a few limits and a 7.2-pound fluke by Mr. Hughes. Capt. Ron Santee said small Gulp and bait has been the best bet — “Big bucktails not so much”.

Capt. Stan Zagleski was impressed with the effort today by young Gavin Myers of New Egypt who made his first fluke trip with his dad and not only limited — but also took the pool on Elaine B. II from Bahrs in Highlands, Zagleski said most fares bagged a fluke or two during an all day pick. That boat sails at 6 a.m. Sunday.

At Belmar, the Golden Eagle found the small blues to the north not cooperating — so they switched to sea bass before getting a report about bigger blues about an hour away. They took the chance, and stayed late to get a good pick of 5-to-10-pound blues on jigs.

Bluefish in Shark River this morning didn’t respond to Vinny D’Anton’s normally deadly Chug Bug, but I released three by casting a 6-inch Z Man Swimmerz paddletail on a jig head — and added a 20-inch striper.  The first blue was a 25-incher, but skinny  The others were 18 to 19 inches. and two more got off. Vinny released a small bass on a jig before heading  for the beach where both he and Jim Lauro released a short on bait.

At Seaside Park, Grumpy’s Tackle reported bait is still the best bet for surf stripers.

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Wounded warriors enjoyed a beautiful day at Manhattan Cup.

Though the fishing left much to be desired. 22 wounded warriors enjoyed a day of fishing along with many other anglers in perfect weather  in the Hudson River-Raritan Bay area during the renewal of the Manhattan Cup competition.

Actually. there was a good bite in the bay while we were still enjoying breakfast at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City.  Capt. Vinnie Vetere was in on that action with his Katfish from Great Kills and trolled bass up to 35 pounds on his Ho-Jo lures. By the time we got there the tide was dead and so was the fishing. Chunking in the bay produced lots of smooth dogfish at every stop. I just got home, and will update the Manhattan Cup and all fishing tomorrow.

The Jamaica from Brielle not only jigged plenty of blues in the Shrewsbury Rocks area, but also some bigger ones as the pool went to Ricky Killy of Allentown, Pa. for a 6-pounder. The Jamaica sails for blues at 6:30 a.m. daily, and also Sat. evening at 6:30 p.m.  A tilefish special sails at 10 p.m. Sunday. Call 732 528-5014 for reservations.

Posted on

Friday’s Manhattan Cup seeking more anglers for wounded warriors benefit

The Manhattan Cup was an annual tournament that pleased catch-and-release striped bass anglers and benefitted great causes such as wounded warriors. Loss of a sponsor stopped the FCA event, and the costs of trying to run it from Manhattan became too great, but Yamaha and others have provided some funding this year allowing the RFA to bring back a friendly contest  that provides an opportunity for wounded warriors to fish with some of the top skippers in the area while also raising funds for programs that benefit them. As noted in last night’s blog, Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City will host the event this year, and the response from captains volunteering their boats has been excellent. Yet, Gary Caputi needs more anglers to utilize those boats on Friday. Give him a call at 732 740-9982  to get in on the fun that starts with an early breakfast before a day of fishing that’s capped off with a great dinner and lots of rewards before auctioning off valuable prizes.

The forecast of heavy rains this morning seems to have scared everyone off as I had no reports today.

Capt. Vinny Vetere said Saturday’s striped bass bite on his Katfish from Great Kills shut down at 8:30 a.m.. After that he fished everything from Sandy Hook to the Verrazano Bridge with no reaction. He’s fishing the Hudson River for big bass on Tuesday, and may have a couple of openings.

Great Deal:

I have a single angler looking for a partner to share a boat on our last trip of the year- fishing is absolutely wide open on fire.  Only deal of the season and a great one- normally 4895, this trip 3295.  Contact me please today or tomorrow, first call gets it-  TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

Capt Mike Augat

Co-Owner Pesca Panama

716-868-4432

mike@mikeaugat.com

www.pescapanama.com

 

 

 

 

Posted on

First doormat reported from Raritan Bay

Bob Matthews passed along a report from Fisherman’s Den North in Atlantic Highlands that a 10 1/2-pound doormat fluke had been weighed in there by Justin David of Morristown, who caught it off the Navy Pier — presumably yesterday,  as the northeast wind pretty much wiped out today’s fishing. Party boat captains had hoped they could get out in the somewhat protected waters of Rartan Bay, but Capt. Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter conceded that “the weatherman was right this time” and no boats sailed from Atlantic Highlands. He noted that Monday looks like a washout, so he’s looking ahead to sailing again for fluke on Tuesday.

Capt. Stan Zagleski was sure he would get out with his Elaine B. II from Bahrs in Highlands, but there was no report after the good one about Saturday’s fluking. Here’s a shot of Danielle O’Brien with her Memorial Day fluke on Elaine B. II.

Danielle O'Brien fluke

The Manhattan Cup renewal is right around the corner. As noted in a previous blog, it’s set for June 8 out of Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City. For details and sign-ups call Capt. Frank Crescitelli at 917 468-4817 or Gary Caputi at 732 740-9982′

 

 

 

Posted on

Manhatten Cup is back

There was good news recently for those of us who used to participate every spring in the Manhattan Cup fishing tournament to benefit disabled vets and other good causes.

The Manhattan Cup

                  Is Back!

And it’s Time to Get on Board

 

Date: June 8, 2018

Hosts: Capt. Frank Crescitelli & the Manhattan Cup Committee

Where: Liberty Landing Marina – Liberty House Restaurant, Jersey City, NJ

 

To Benefit: RFA Fisheries Conservation Trust & Wounded and At-Risk Warriors

 

The Manhattan Cup is the New York/Metropolitan area’s famous charity fishing tournament with a 17-year track record of great fishing, fantastic events and great people. It’s the only tournament where teams compete in a live release format to catch the biggest and the most striped bass, bluefish and weakfish. All in the shadows of downtown NYC and the Statue of Liberty, home to the most amazing run of striped bass in any river on the East Coast!

 

Reserve a Boat and Captain

You can fish aboard one of the top charter or light tackle guide boats, or with a local “sharpie” all with “local knowledge” by going to the website and making a donation that will entitle you and your team the boat and crew for the day. These boats are donated for your enjoyment and the proceeds of your donation are used to benefit our charity recipients. cSo get online at www.manhattancup.com and enter to secure one of these great boats and captains for your team. Four man teams sign up for a Platinum Entry. One or two man teams sign up for a Light Tackle Platinum Entry. Donated boats will be assigned on a first come – first serve basis so don’t delay.

 

Enter Your Own Boat

If you’d rather enter your own boat and team and compete against other boats in the Sportfishing Division we’ve got you covered. The base entry price covers up to three people, additional anglers can be included for an additional donation to the tournament. All entrants must be pre-registered and pre-paid and will include only the number of anglers specified. Remember, you donation is used to benefit our charity recipients.

 

*All divisions include a gourmet breakfast at Liberty House before blast-off; a scrumptious box lunch provided by Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio’s “witchcraft” restaurant in Manhattan; and a gala awards banquet at Liberty House after the live release weigh-in. Each entrant will receive a gift bag and exclusive Manhattan Cup clothing and a shot at some great door prizes plus access to the auctions and live raffles.

 

DON’T WAIT – SIGN UP NOW!!!

http://www.manhattancup.com

 

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and get ready for a totally unique fishing experience.

 

Questions? Please call

Capt. Frank Crescitelli – (917-468-4817) or email finfly@aol.com

Gary Caputi – (732) 740 9982 or email caputifish@comcast.net

Capt. Jim Freda had a thrill Friday evening while trolling a Tony Maja #4 bunker spoon in 60 feet off Asbury Park from Shore Catch out of Point Pleasant when John Wasnesky of Freehold reeled in a 48-inch very fat striped bass. That magnificent bass was released after being measured with a 30-inch girth. After applying the formula for determining approximate weight (length times girth squared, divided by 800), Freda got a weight of 54 pounds, but later remembered that the length in the formula must be to the fork of the tail — not to the tip. Though 48 inches overall is short for a 50-pounder, that bass surely made that because of the exceptional girth.  The ocean bass migrating from the south are spawned out, but Freda said this one seemed to be full of bunkers.

Freda -48-inch

The skipper thanks Capt. Eric Kerber for info that put him in the right area.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar had a 40-pound striper in the ocean today, but that was the only one. They added some sea bass. The Queen Mary from Point Pleasant reported some sea bass and bluefish.

The Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands got into a shot of bass on the surface, but only a couple were caught on shads before they went down. The bait fishing was then slow with only a couple more caught. Due to the east winds predicted for Sunday being up against the tide, Capt. Rob Semkewyc is advising anglers to stay home.  Also at that port, Capt. Ron Santee said he had the same conditions that produced good fluking yesterday on his Fishermen, but keepers were harder to find today in the same areas.

Capt. Stan Zagleski reported it took some time before the drift got right on his Elaine B. II from Bahrs in Highlands. After that there were some fluke limits caught. He sails at 6 a.m. through Memorial Day.

Allen Riley of South Plainfield fished the Sandy Hook surf earlier in the week and had a thrill when a big fish took his bunker bait, though it turned out to be a 4 1/2-foot smooth dogfish.  He later added two sea robins and a 23-inch striper that morning on bait.  Returning Friday morning, Riley had an easier time with a 3-foot smooth dogfish on bunker before making his day with a 35-inch bluefish.