When I received the invitation to go fluke fishing on Manhattan’s newest (and only) party boat, the Capitol Princess, I jumped at the opportunity.  The boat is owned by Capitol Fishing Tackle, a tackle shop located at 7th and Broad in the City.

The boat picks departs from Pier 36 on the East River in lower Manhattan. There is street parking available, as well as a big pay to park lot next to the pier.  The boat is also conveniently located close to mass transit.

The boat arrived and my first impression was how clean and well maintained the boat appeared. We departed from the docks and cruised out of the east river under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. For a minute, I forgot that I was going on a fishing trip with such amazing views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.  For an even better angle, head up to the second deck where they have an open area for people to go to, and make sure you have your camera ready. It took only 20 minutes to get to our first spot for the day.  We had nearly with non-stop action with both keepers and throwback fluke. Almost everyone on board went home with a keeper or two for the dinner table, the biggest weighing in around 6 pounds.

The Capitol Princess is great for all skill levels but it is the perfect boat for families with children who want to go fishing.  The crew went out of their way to make sure everyone had a great time and to show everyone what they needed to do to put fish in the boat.

The fluke trips leave at 9:30 a.m. daily and return at 3:30 p.m. The Capitol Princess also offers a 4 hour striped bass trip for the after work crowd that leaves at 7:00pm and returns at 11:00pm.  The boat provides a rod and reel and all baits, but if you want to bring your own tackle that is encouraged also.  The Capitol Princess will start doing blackfish trips in the fall.