GUEST POST: What Makes Long Island Fishing Special and How It Inspired Capt. Anthony Gucciardo (TideRunner Media, NYAngler.com) to Start His Own Business
Fishing Is In My Blood
A lot of my friends from outside of Long Island always ask… why do you fish so much? What they don’t understand is just how ingrained fishing culture is around here. Growing up on the Island, I was lucky enough to spend time on boats since I was 6 months old. I had a rod in my hands from the time I could walk, and was piloting boats before I knew how to drive a car.
Fishing happens to be in my blood. I have always felt that I took after my grandfather and great-grandfather who both shared the same passion for it that I do today. My earliest fishing memories are actually with my grandfather, who passed away when I was five. Fluke was usually the main target, but he was a different kind of angler. And even back then I learned a lot from him and cherish those memories.
My grandfather was a regular in the Shinnecock area during the 50s - always on the water from a young age. He would take his first boat, a green hand-made wooden skiff, around Shinnecock bay and even through the inlet in pursuit of fish. In the early 60s, he purchased a wood hull sportfish boat named “Hotshot”. Shark was the premiere target species for sportfishermen back then, and Mako was the cream of the crop. My mother and Grandmother always told me stories of how he would take them miles offshore, sometimes in fog or rough seas, with the intent of catching makos. Thinking back on those stories now, it sounds an awful lot like myself.
My passion for fishing is driven purely by my love for the open ocean and continuing on the line of fishermen in my family. Building off of that tradition drives me to always learn more and better myself. For me, it’s not about proving to someone else that I can catch more fish. It’s a test of how hard I can push myself while enjoying what mother nature has to offer. It’s about the company you keep while fishing, the beauty of the areas you explore, and the wildlife you get to witness at any given moment. Fishing is an opportunity to clear your mind of the stress, pressures, and anxieties of our day-to-day lives.
Long Island is home to an incredibly dynamic fishery. Creeks, rivers, back bays, harbors, inlets, the Long Island Sound, and the open Atlantic Ocean. The rocky hard structure on the north shore, and soft sandy structure on the south shore. Not to mention the incredible ecosystems each respective area has. It takes a wealth of knowledge, understanding, and time on the water to learn each unique area and dial in the species you are looking to target. This kind of fishery is something only a few other places in the world have, and we are lucky to be a part of it here on Long Island.
The Birth of NYAngler.com
During high school, my love for fishing took a backseat. Sports, music, and normal teenage debauchery took up most of the time I would have otherwise spent on the water. It wasn’t until college that my passion was reignited. I attended SUNY Fredonia about an hour south of Buffalo. Our campus was just a few minutes away from Lake Erie and home to some very “fishy” tributaries that ran into the lake. This is where I discovered lake run trout or “steelhead” fishing. Around the time I was getting ready to graduate with a double major in business & communications, a local friend told me about the fall run of rainbow trout in the creek right next to campus. After landing my first few monster trout, I was hooked. I started spending my free time (and even a few mornings where I called out “sick” from class) exploring a few local tidepools that held fish.
Graduating from college can be a scary feeling. Leaving an environment you’ve gotten comfortable with to step into an unfamiliar post-graduate world really makes you think about a lot of things. The biggest question that I would ponder at the time was “how can I take what I love and incorporate it into my professional skills?”. Eventually, I took notice of the fishing trend happening on social media. I realized that it was highly under-utilized for product and branding purposes even though the fishing demographic was all over Instagram. Further, I noticed that there wasn’t a cohesive entity that provided a sense of community to the fishermen and women on Long Island. Out of that realization, the “Long Island Fisherman” Instagram account was created.
The account hit the ground running from the start and the follower count grew rapidly. I had landed a corporate marketing job out of college, but found myself taking a few hours every day to post, comment, share, and reply to the growing community around the account. I was really stoked with how everything was coming along, but the real game-changer came when I was introduced to George Scocca, the founder of the notorious “Noreast” website. I was presented with the idea of teaming up with him to bring my concept to the web and that’s how The NY Angler was born.
The goal of the original “Long Island Fisherman” Instagram account remains true today with The NY Angler. We share catches, reports, news, a sense of community, and occasionally a good laugh. We’re still very much in the developmental phase for the site, but we’re excited to be positioning ourselves to up the game.
How Fishing Inspired Me To Be An Entrepreneur
The corporate world isn’t for everyone, and I found that out pretty quick. Miserable mornings, unrealistic expectations, and bosses that overwork you can eventually take their toll. In September of 2019, I took a massive leap of faith and quit my job in order to bring my skillset to the fishing industry. To this day, businesses often don’t realize just how impactful social media can be to their marketing efforts. With social media, your target market and sales cycle are literally right in front of your face, and I can make the wheel spin to get you to your end goal - sales.
I signed Centaur Rods to be the first client for my new agency, Tiderunner Media, after being introduced to Stephen Weitzen and Owner Raymond Yong. After attending iCast with the company in July of 2019, I was given the opportunity to run the company's Social Media. Together with Stephen and Raymond, we were able to spread the brand's name like wildfire over Social Media. It was incredibly rewarding to assist in getting the word out about such an awesome brand (check them out on Instagram or their website) that I personally use day-to-day while fishing. I’ve since added several other services on top of social media management offerings, such as full web design, email marketing, targeted advertisements, and creative services. We are very lucky to work with a growing portfolio of businesses (see more at www.tiderunnermedia.com and we are expanding rapidly. I am currently in the process of procuring talented individuals to join the team, so if you think you will be a good fit, hit me up.
The Spring Run
There are a few things that get me excited with the arrival of a new fishing season here on Long Island. Winter in New York can be pretty brutal (although I was lucky enough to escape to South Florida for a few weeks of nonstop fishing action this year), so the first signs of spring and the anticipation of the upcoming season always get me amped up.
First come the stripers. Surfcasting will always be special to me as it was the only way I was able to fish for the five year period where I didn’t have access to a boat. Success on the beach requires a primal knowledge of your environment and all of the variables surrounding it. The skills I learned in the wash have actually given me an edge now that I am able to jump back on a boat.
As much as I love striper fishing, the thing that I am really excited about is the thriving tuna fishery off the south shore of Long Island. Over the last few seasons, our inshore grounds have been home to world-class bluefin tuna fishing. Success can be found by trolling, jigging, popping, and live bait fishing, but the surfcaster in me is partial to the jigging and popping aspect of the game. There’s no other fishing-related adrenaline rush that compares to watching a 150 pound fish blow up on a popper or slam a jig while you are mid-pitch on a spinning reel. All it takes is one good trip and you’re addicted (trust me on that). Personally I still have a lot to learn about this fishery, but I’m eagerly putting in the time and learning from those who have been in the game for years. There are plenty of captains running tuna charters on the south shore, and if you have even a mild interest in trying this type of fishing, I highly suggest giving it a shot. Also, if you’re looking for some gear to get into the game, feel free to hit me up on Instagram (linked below) and I’ll point you in the right direction so that you’re properly prepared for the trip of a lifetime.
This upcoming spring is special for me. I finally had the time to obtain my Captain’s license over the winter, and I’m thinking about dabbling in the charter business. It’s still too early to say how that will play out, but I am looking forward to the opportunity to teach and share the Long Island fishing experience this season.