Jimmy:
You're right. We used to get on a party boat at City Island and depending on what we were after often didn't have to go very far for some great fishing. I remember as a kid catching bags full of flounder which was distributed to family and friends. If I remember correctly, head boat fees were about $3 or $4. Many of the boats were converted PT boats and would have 30 - 40 fishermen aboard - winning the pool of $20 - $30 was a very big thing! I remember the big ads in the paper advertising the boats, I'm sure the Bronx Queen will strike a familiar note.
Jim