Here are three guys aboard a typical sportfishing boat of the late 1940s/early 1950s. Despite the Marlin II’s hailing port of Freeport, NY, that’s Fort Lauderdale on the horizon, at the start of the city’s postwar growth as a sportfishing and yachting mecca. The Gulf Stream runs parallel to the shore here, and so do the fish that live in its warm, fecund waters. Anglers call the stretch of water off Fort Lauderdale “Sailfish Alley,” and almost anyone can catch a sail, often only a few miles from the beach.
But this crew isn’t “anyone.” The Marlin II’s captain during the early 1950s was Bill Staros (1924-2000), a postwar transplant to Florida from Freeport, NY, where he grew up near the Freeport Tuna Club. Freeport was a good place for a kid to learn how to fish. It was called the “Boating and Fishing Capital of the East,” and there were more than 100 charter boats in and around the port. The rich fishing grounds of the New York Bight were an easy run. During the winter, many of the charter boats relocated to Florida to chase sailfish.
Bill Staros’ younger brother George (1927-2009) joined Bill in the fishing business. Together, they were nicknamed “The Greeks.” That’s likely Bill on the flying bridge in the photo, and maybe George working as mate. The Staros brothers became legendary captains. They were especially adept at landing tuna, according to sources from back in the day. While sailfish swim just off the Florida coast, to catch tuna one has to travel farther offshore; the best fishing is all the way across the Stream at the edge of the Bimini Bank…