Just got home from ICAST in Orlando where I presented my Guides Choice Fin Chaser lures (www.guideschoicetackle.com) to the industry to great reviews! All the while I was there, I was talking fishing and couldn't wait toget home we and go. So on our first Bluefin trip of the year we landed and released several Bluefin Tuna over 150 pounds. They were caught on Evolution Jigging Stik, with a Finnor OFC 20 reel, loaded with Vicious Braid, the fight for the one fish I landed lasted 35 minutes and beat me up! Greatfishing on light rods.
On our second trip the next day, we hooked a potential fly rod world record Bluefin, that broke the 20 pound tippet on its first run. Since every fish we caught in that areawas over 150 pounds, I can only assume that one was as big and would have challenged the 20 pound tippet fly record. Scott Paciello from ESPN,tangled another big one and lost it before a huge stormcased us all the way home! Oh well. Bill Dawson of Sage fly rods had landed a 100 pounder last year with me so he wasn't too upset, and Scott has landed fish all over the world, so no tears, just a longride in the rain!
More trips to come. Gotta run and get the boat ready, we're going again!
Capt Frank Crescitelli |
July 26, 2009

September 2008

Just shaking off the much needed sleep after a Tuna marathon yesterday. After hearing how hot the Tuna bite was from my other guide friends while I was in Africa, I was dying to get out.
A scheduled trip with Bill Dawson, the Sage flyrod rep, his co worker Scott Doty and Robert from Ramsey Outdoors finally got me out there. After what was a tremendous Yelowfin season early on, the canyons have died out a bit, notwithstanding that, to pass up a bite like this one you'd have to be crazy. Over 12 Bluefins hooked up, 7 or 8 brought to the boat, and two hooked up on fly, one being the fish of a lifetime for Bill Dawson. He landed this Bluefin in under 45 minutes on a 16 weight Sage rod, on a tippet that would have tested out on IGFA standards as 26. 
Fish after fish were hooked up on jigs, and Bill refused to get away from the rod. Finally he hooks a big fish and it dumped the Pacific spool, just then a school of Rays go by and cut the backing in half. This happened to us two other times yesterday on 65 pound braid so the backing had no chance. About a half an hour later the bait rod went off and dumped half a spool of 60 pound Sufix off of the Finor Santiago reel, it was no doubt a big fish, maybe biggest of the day, but then Bill's burning drag sound grabbed my attention, and we knew that at some point we would have to cut off the fish on the 50, which we did after about a half an hour of under, over, back, go around the left, etc.
Capt. Lou Grasioso who helped me out for the day, was pricelss when he said "sorry Rob" and cut the mono line. 15 minutes later Bill Dawson landed what weighed out after bleeding and a couple of hours was a 98.5 pound fish on a certified scale, truly a fish of a lifetime. If I could only do this everyday... Thanks to Capt. Lou for all his help, and an amazing crew that day. We'll try again tomorrow...
Capt Frank Crescitelli
June 2008
Hey - Sorry for the late fishing reports this season, but I've been running on little sleep, and logging big miles on the boat everyday! The FCA Manhattan Cup was a huge success, EVEN THOUGH THIS YEAR IT ALMOST KILLED ME! Whenever it is over, I feel like I just married off one of my daughters, tons of stress leading into it, but then you feel good about it...maybe!
On a serious note, the Striped Bass migration is in full swing, and the fishing has been good overall. Although some day's the fishing has been challenging, we are doing better than I have ever done when I have chartered anywhere else in the country so things must be good. I have to put in perspective the fact that over the last few years we have had stellar fishing and that when it is “only” good, that is still GREAT by many people’s standards. When you can catch double digit Bluefish every day and have shots at Bass up to 40 pounds that is pretty good!
Over the weekend we had great top water fishing using our new "prototype" lures (more to come on that later) and finished 7th in the FLW tournament, and had a great time. Using Tony Maja's easy outrodders and Bunker Spoons, we never did find the "right one" but it was fun learning how to Wire Line Troll for the big ones. There are still BIG fish in the Hudson doing the love dance and they will be passing us soon, so there is a lot of great fishing to come.
Call now and get your chance to battle a Hog before it is over. If you think you are tough enough to battle with an 18 pound Bluefish on light tackle, then come on down, they’re waiting.
Peace, Capt. Frank
January 2008
First off I wanted to thank all of you for the busiest and most successful season since we started Fin Chaser Charters way back in 1998. This year is our tenth anniversary and we have lots of great things in store for 2008.
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Capt. Frank & Wade Boggs, Hall Of Fame Baseball Player |
We ended this year catching loads of Striped Bass and chased some monster Giant Bluefin Tuna that were just off the beach in 35 feet of water, what a way to end a great season! I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits. As for myself I have a very bad case of Cabin Fever, and it's only January, help please!
Seriously all is well and I am just dropping you a note to say hello and let you know what's going on for the winter months with the Fin Chaser crew and myself. Usually we have a booth at the Somerset Flyfishing Show, which was this past weekend, January 25-27th but for the first time in ten years we decided not to do this show. Between scheduling and the fact that we do a much more popular show with broader appeal called the Saltwater Fishing Expo in the same location March 16-18 this show seemed redundant. The same promoter has another show in Suffern called the World Fishing & Outdoor Expedition and I will be doing a seminar there on March 1 @ 4:00 PM, so check out the website for both of these shows at http://www.sportshows.com/ for complete details.
Lot's of other great things are in store for Fin Chaser in 2008, like two new boats and a full tournament schedule for both inshore and offshore. We will be available for charter in some of these tournaments as well. A complete schedule and more info will follow on those opportunities in the next email.
If you think I have photos of you from this past years fishing, please email me back and I will get them to you. Thanks again for making this the greatest job in the world.
Your Captain, Frank
July 22, 2007
Even thought we have just wound up a fairly productive spring Striped
Bass Fishery, it has been nothing like years past. Every now and
then, new clients keep me grounded saying things like "this
is some of the best fishing I have ever had". It's good
to hear. The last six or so years, the spring Striped Bass
fishery has been nothing but phenomenal, and when we get a "regular"
season, like this past spring, we need to remember that it is still
good by many standards. Thanks to all of my clients for another
fully booked season this past spring!
Now onto the immediate future... Can anyone say Sushi?
That's right it's Tuna Time! And not long after that
it will be Marlin time! But before we get there, we still have some
time before Mako shark bite has slowed. In fact this year has been
on of the best starts for Mako fishing in a few years. We
thankfully have a nice amount of bookings for the Tuna and Marlin
fishing and there are a few spots open, so give a call. There
is nothing like catching a Marlin off the NJ coast!
When the weather is bad, or we need a day to recuperate
from all the
canyon fishing, there is some very good inshore fishing for Weakfish
and Blues, as well as a few Stripers in some beautiful calm remote
spots in Little Egg Harbor, which only a handful of people can get
to. Our Actioncraft shallow water boat can get us there fast
and quiet. So if you are vacationing down the Jersey shore
or want a change of pace, call and set up an inshore trip.
On the Tournament Scene --
Team Fin Chaser finishes 5th in Mako Mania!
Although we rarely Shark fish, I decided the team could use a break
from the inshore fishing and have some fun Sharking. The results:
we finished 3rd on day one of the tournament and 5th overall with
a beautiful 225 pound Mako shark. Not long after a very tough
ride out the Sharking grounds, hooked up on a BIG Thresher after
only 45 minutes into our drift. After fighting that fish for
over an hour and a half, the Mako bit!
We put the rod in the holder with the 500+ Thresher
on, landed the Mako and then continued for another hour or so to
try to get the Thresher next to the boat for some pics, which never
happened. After over two and one half hours later the line
must have rubbed on his tail and parted. When the Thresher was just
hooked and still very green he came right to the boat and we had
a really good look at him, over 18 feet long, but there was no way
we were trying anything that early into the fight.
Special thanks to my crew of Capt. Anthony Gangone, Capt. Rick Temple,
Capt. George Valentini and my Sponsors, Avet and Sufix for making
the gear that makes us successful! Not a bad day of Sharking
guys!
Don't forget Team Fin Chaser is available for Billfish
and Tuna Tournaments this summer, call for our availability!
May 29, 2007
The
big Bass are in! Although the fishing is a bit up and down
this past week, the fish that have been caught are big!
Hall of fame baseball legend Wade Boggs
and Capt. Frank claimed the Celebrity Angler award in last weeks
FCA Manhattan Cup! The "Big Man" Clarence Clemens joined
captain Frank for some warm up fishing before the Manhattan Cup
and caught this beautiful Bass.
Clarence enchanted everyone the next
day when he lent his talents to the FCA to play his horn (and one
that was auctioned off) for the sold out crowd at Manhattan Cup
awards party. Both Wade and Clarence donated the star power
to help the FCA raise money that will be used to protect and enhance our amazing marine resources. It's
one thing when a celebrity lends his/her talent to a cause, but
it takes on tremendous meaning when these people really care about
the resource, and in this case are true fishermen.
Thanks Wade and Clarence!
May 3, 2007
Every winter I get this feeling like
spring is never going to come, and I will never catch another fish.
Luckily every spring I am proved wrong. Even though old man winter
hung in there this year a bit longer than usual, the fish seem to
be just about on target with their arrival. We are not fishing a
full-blown migration yet, but that will come within a couple of
weeks.
Everyday we are seeing double-digit amounts fish on the fly and
artificials and it won't be long before the hogs come home. Last
year by the first week in May we were seeing fish over twenty pounds
almost every single trip for almost a month. Quite a bold statement,
but it's true, and hopefully this year will be no different.
Although Fin Chaser 1 is almost completely booked for the spring
migration, there are still dates available on Fin Chaser 2 and Captains
Anthony are ready and waiting. As an incentive for new clients,
if you book an inshore Striper trip by May 15th, I will give a six
hour trip for the price of a four hour trip, a savings of $100.00.
Capt. Frank In the Media
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For those of you that are looking for a little commuting reading,
check out this month's edition of Outside Magazine, there is a cover
story titled "The Greatest Fishing Guide In The World"
by Ian Frazier, which should make for interesting reading. The story
covers some fishing trips that the author took with Captain Frank
and is part biographical, part funny, so check it out.
Manhattan Cup is May 18th
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Don't
forget to check out the Manhattan
Cup for the latest info on the largest catch and release Striper
Tournament in the Northeast. In it's ninth year this is the "Mack
Daddy" of all tournaments, and is a charity fundraiser for
the Fishermen's
Conservation Association. Held out of the Surfside 3 Marina
@ Chelsea Piers, with a party ending up @ the Chelsea Brewery over
60 boats will compete for the largest Striped Bass in three categories
Fly, Bait and Artificial.
Wade Boggs and Clarence Clemens (see picture
of a nice Striper Clarence caught during last years tournament)
will be competing on Team Fin Chaser, so come participate or just
come to party. Contact Capt. Frank for more details @ finfly@aol.com.
Until next time, make a cast and hang on!
October 30, 2006
Well, it’s fall and finally the
fish gods have blessed us, I mean truly
blessed us! Offshore the Tuna bite is on fire, and inshore the Striped
Bass and Bluefish are in full migratory pattern, and all is well
in my
world! Seriously, things are great, the only thing occasionally
keeping us
from fishing at this time of the year is the weather.
It has been challenging getting the good weather to
go overnight in the
canyon, but when we do get to go, the fish are cooperating. On our
last
trip we had Yellowfin Tuna over sixty pounds and a Swordfish as
well. The
Sword makes a slam for us for the season as we landed a Blue Marlin,
and a
White Marlin earlier this season. Other than a very rare Sailfish,
that’s
mostly all the billfish available to us here in the northeast, and
we are
lucky to have the opportunity to catch them.
Inshore the mighty Striped Bass, gamefish of the northeast,
is on it’s
migration to southern waters and here in NYC we are fortunate enough
to be
able to fish for both of the spawning biomasses, of the Chesapeake
and the
Hudson River. In one day two years ago we caught and released a
tagged
fish from both of the aforementioned spawning grounds. As in previous
years we will be guiding well into December and have some openings
for
prime fall fishing so call now and get in on some epic fishing!
If you are a new client and have
never fished with us before, reserve
within one-week of this message and we will take 25% off of the
booking (new
clients only).
August 5, 2006
Check out a video clip from Fin Chaser's
blue marlin tournament win with Saltwater
Sportsman Editor, Dave DiBenedetto!
Salt Water Sportsman Magazine - The Fishing Authority Since 1939
June 2, 2006
Finally the small bait has arrived and
the Bass are eating the flies good! Tough to fool them when
they are eating 2 pound Bunker, but thank the fish Gods for Anchovies
and Sand Eels!
This past week brought in the small bait
and the big fog! The combination of the two made for great
fishing. The Bass were sipping the small baits right ion the
surface and the were eating crease fly's very well. Doug Bird
landed some strong and acrobatic Bass at the end of last week, and
the bait and switch worked earlier during the week for the larger
fish. The hot weather has put things off a bit as soon as
it heats up and the sun is high, but still the fishing is great.
Until next week, no sleep!
- Capt Frank Crescitelli
May 26, 2006
It was a little crazy before this year's
FCA Manhattan Cup. It's amazing to see how this event has
grown from an idea that Dave Fallon had, which he presented to you
and I over a few beers 8 years ago! When you turned to me
and said, do you think guys will do it? I never thought it
would be as big as it is! I'm proud and exhausted, but it was a
wild success, and all the money will be used to protect the resource.
We started off with a BBQ lunch sponsored by Urban
Angler in NYC and then fished the rest of the day in crazy weather.
Not even hailstorms could hold these guys back, and most teams experienced
some great fishing. Fireworks sponsored by Mako Vodka and
the "Big Man" Clarence Clemens blowing his sax were two
unbelievable additions this year. Having Clarence fish on
one of my boats was a great honor.
Capt. Tony Gangone guided Clarence to
the biggest Striped Bass he has ever seen! Fin Chaser captain
Fletcher Chayes guided Keith Overlander to the winning Bass on the
fly and even I managed to win Largest Bass on bait (I know) caught
by Geoffrey Jones, Largest Bluefish on Fly caught by Bob (Bubba)
Rich and largest Bluefish on artificial, caught on a Barefoot "Getz
Em" jig by Michael Donovan. Capt.
Gene Quigley guided my new friend, former
Yankee catcher Mike Stanley to win the Manhattan Cup, congrats to
Gene! My sincerest thanks to all the captains that donated
their time, expertise and boats to support the new Fishermen's Conservation
Association. There were too many to list, but please log on
to www.manhattancup.com
in the next few days's to see all the captains listed.
A special thank you to my Co-chair David
Fallon for all his hard work, and to all the volunteers that helped
make this tournament a wild success. This year we also added a Striper
Tube category and we weighed in and released, alive, over 25 Stripers.
Capt. Rich Tenrerio of Northeast Angling won that division and took
home the 2500.00 prize money as well. This years "man of the
year" Capt. Gary Ellis, had his first Striper ever as
well with me that day, so all in all it was great!
As for the fishing, it has been
insane! Gator Bluefish and Hog Stripers are here and don't
seem like they are going anywhere for a while. I have said
this for the last four years and I'll say it again -- "this
is the best spring fishing in my life" I'll end on that note.
- Capt Frank Crescitelli
May 12, 2006
We're fishing again and all is right with the world
once again! Very large Menhaden have moved into Raritan Bay and
the Big Bas and Bluefish are feeding heavy on them. When the
fish are feeding on these large baits make it is very hard to fool
them with a fly, even a big one, but the reward is worth the risk!
This past week we had some good day's with the fly with Bass
up to 14 pounds, and Blues up to 11 pounds. When we have clients
that liveline, well, let's just say... ther've been bigger. With
fish up to 42 pounds in the bay eating the live baits, anything
can happen on the fly and if this year is anything like last, we
broke the 20 pound mark many many times. It's all a matter
of being in the right place at the right time, because we know something
like 26 million fish will pass through our area this spring, so
get your big bunker flies, your full sinking lines and go get em!
By the way, nothing sinks like Rio T-14 Tungsten heads, they will
get you down in 25 feet of water!
The fishing in Raritan Bay and lower NY Harbor
has been off the hook, but challenging at times with the fly, still.
This week we had a 21 pounder on the fly and some very nice teen
size fish as well. The movement of the Bunker is dictating where
we are fishing and changes from day to day, which is keeping it
interesting! Very large fish are moving in everyday, so stay tuned.
- Capt Frank Crescitelli
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