Fishing to me is a massive part of my life and who I am. I have always loved fishing from a very young age. My passion started out with freshwater, fishing for trout, sunfish, and bass. I have also been working as a mate on my family’s 75ft charter boat out of Captree Long Island, NY for many years. That kickstarted my love for the salt. Working as a mate on the charter not only allowed me to be on the water all day and fuel my passion for fishing, but it also allowed me to help others learn how to fish as well. I greatly enjoy sharing whatever knowledge I have as well as sharing fishing stories from my social media platforms. The boat is also where I met my boyfriend, who is my fishing soul mate, and his good friend Pete. Joe was helping out as a volunteer on a take-a-kid fishing trip on my family’s charter at the time. He just so happened to be helping out on my side of the boat helping me to fix some tangles and bird nests in between drifts. We started talking about fishing and the rest was history. 11 years later and Together we fish all of Long Island for every species long island has to offer. Joe is a huge part of my fishing passion and I have learned a great deal from him.
I am very fortunate to live on Long Island, NY, an area that is pretty much surrounded by water and has some great salt and freshwater fishing all around. When I am not helping people on the boats catch fish, I am out fishing with Joe. We fish from kayaks, boats, and canoes, on the jetties, docks, piers, rocks, and beaches surfcasting. We love to target every fish there is on and around Long Island. These include sunfish, largemouth bass, perch, carp, trout, pickerel, catfish, walleye, Croppie, fluke, porgy, seabass, striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, blackfish, cod, tuna, mackerel, just to name a few! I can never get enough of fishing. Every Sunday during the spring and summer, Joe and I fish on his friend Pete’s boat. Pete is another amazing fisherman and I am very fortunate and thankful to be able to fish with him on his boat for fluke, porgy, seabass, striped bass, and weakfish during the spring and summer months. This is where our love of Fishbites baits really pays off. The Fishbites fight club lures are definitely a game-changer. Introduced to them 3 years ago by the Great fisherman Fred Garofalo. We use them for every saltwater species we target from land and boat with great success. The 6” grubs and 5” Dirty Boxers are fish-catching machines! I swear we catch more 5+lb fluke more consistently within those three years of using Fishbites baits. These are a staple in our tackle. We greatly enjoy our bountiful catches with the help of Fishbites! As well as the amazing meals we prepare with our catches. When we aren’t fishing on the boats we enjoy traveling to various areas fluke fishing from land and spending many hours on the lakes freshwater fishing. During the fall my fishing passion goes to another whole new level. The striped bass fall run. A time when sleep is scarce and my obsession becomes an all-time high. My day is filled with reading the tides, wind directions, moon phases, bait migrations, prepping, and planning of catching that big cow bass. I greatly enjoy all types of fishing, but surfcasting really holds a special place in my heart. During the winter months when the days are short and so cold that the water often freezes in your guides, I enjoy trout, carp, largemouth, white perch, herring and offshore fishing for cod.
For me, fishing is not only a passion it’s a form of therapy and a way to reconnect with nature. A way to escape the craziness of reality at times. As someone who greatly suffers from depression and mental illnesses, fishing has allowed me to get through the tough times and to give my mind something to focus on. There’s nothing more breathtaking than some of the sunrises and sunsets seen while surfcasting off the beaches. Often times we forget to just stop and take in all the beauty nature has to offer.
Fishing has also brought me many lifelong friendships through the fishing community. I have been very fortunate to have met many amazing people while fishing through my social media as well as while out fishing and working on several fishing shows. I greatly enjoy reaching out to anyone who is looking for help with fishing through my social media platforms.Fishing has helped me greatly and has gotten me through many tough times . I am hoping to be able to help others who suffer from depression, mental illnesses, and just the struggle with the everyday craziness of life by helping them get hooked on fishing. I greatly enjoy answering any questions to the best of my knowledge that anyone has about fishing. Whether you are just beginning and need help with where to start or need help with any type of rigs and how to fish for certain species. I would be more than happy to help. I will be making more fishing “How to” help videos on my YouTube channel as well as making many videos of my fishing adventures with the help of Fishbites baits!
Capt. Branden CollierAlabama
