Catching stripers below the Statue of Liberty, with Joe Mattioli

This week, I interview Captain Joe Mattioli [43:31]i on a place I have always wanted to fish--New York Harbor.  Despite having chased striped bass and bluefish with a fly rod for over 40 years, I have never had the pleasure of fishing New York Harbor and I have always wanted to.  So join me as I interview Captain Joe and hear stories of this world-class fishery beneath the Statue of Liberty and off Coney Island.

In the Fly Box this week, we have lots of great questions, including:

I have issues with knots in my leader, especially with streamers and other heavy flies.  How do I fix this?

I have a 9 ft 5-weight Recon and a starter fly reel I bought a few years ago.  Should I buy a new reel to go with my rod?

When fishing for bass, if I use a heavier line like a bank shot on my 6-weight rod, how should I adjust my casting style?

Are there any trade-offs?

I use a double Uni Knot to join tippet, but I can't tie a Blood Knot to save my life.  What are the relative strengths of these two knots?

I just upgraded my fly-tying vise.  What other tools should I upgrade if I want to improve my tying?

My tippet keeps breaking when using sink-tip lines.  What can I do to prevent this?

Would you recommend a Recon 2-weight or 3-weight for fishing small streams plus bluegill fishing with my kids?

How many flies do you lose in a day of small stream fishing?

Where would you go to catch a trophy brook trout?

What should I do with my dry fly when fishing still water? 

Should I move it or let it sit?

What can we do to reduce the trauma to fish when we play them?