Come clam with me

Capt. Dave’s clams casino plated and ready to eat.

Learn how to quahog this summer at one of three ‘Come Clam with Me’ programs.

 Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren with a hefty striped bass caught off Newport Wednesday on BragaBoutIt Charters with Capt. Chad Braga.

Come Clam with Me

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Aquatic Resource Education program will hold three more 'Come Clam with Me' events this year.  The events are scheduled for August 12, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Rocky Point, Warwick; August 25, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Gull Cove, Portsmouth; and September 9, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at North Kingstown Town Beach.

Participants learn how to dig for clams, the equipment you need, and the management strategies that support quahogging in Rhode Island.

The program fee is $10/person for registrants 8 years of age and older. For information and registration  call 401-330-0634, email kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov or visit online at Aquatic Resource Education (A.R.E) Program for Children and Adults | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. 

Some quahog history

The word quahog comes for the Narragansett Indian name “poquauhock”.  Indians used quahog shells to make beads that were used as money (called wampum).  A quahog can get quite old, each line on its shell is a growth ring.  You can count the rings to determine the quahog’s age.  Researchers estimate that the largest quahogs (about four inches in length) can be 40 years old.

Where to get them

You can dig for quahogs in many coastal Rhode Island towns.  Parts of the Bay have seasonal, conditional or permanent closures, check the RI Department of Environmental Management Web site for areas you can shellfish, visit Shellfishing | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. I like to fish spots I know are clean in Warwick, North Kingstown and on salt ponds in Narragansett.

How to dig them

For years, I dug for quahogs with my feet, this is the way may father taught me.  Sort of like doing the twist with your feet underwater and moving backwards until you feel a quahog.  Once you do, you reach down and pull it up with your hand.  Today I use a quahog or clam rake which is available at bait and tackle shops and hardware stores.  In early spring the water is about fifty to sixty degrees so I use waders and rubber gloves with great success (I use this same gear to scallop in the fall and winter).  They protect my feet and enable me to quickly catch what I need for dinner, minimizing the time I am in the cold water.

How to clean and prepare the catch

You can clean quahogs in the salt water by tossing them underwater in a mesh nylon bag.  When I get home I spray them with water to get the remaining mud off and discard any with opened or cracked shells.  I then soak them for an hour or so, drain and refrigerate them before opening so their muscles are cold, relaxed and they are easier to open.

 

Quick quahog dishes

I had the chance to dig some quahogs this last week. Here are two recipes I like to make for my family.  It’s my version of linguini with clam sauce and clams cassino which I traditionally take to my sisters-in-law’s house on Thanksgiving Day but earlier this month had them to celebrate the 4^th of July.  Here is the clams casino recipe, for the Frutti de Marie Quahog Pasta complete recipe visit this article on my posting blog at www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com .

Frutti de Mare Quahog Pasta

Ingredients:

½ cup virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic thinly sliced (or 4 teaspoons chopped garlic from jar)

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley (plus four to five good pinches)

½ cup dry white wine

½ lemon juice

red pepper

3 dozen (scrubbed) littleneck quahogs (1 ½ to 2 inches)

meat of  6 to 8 quahogs cut-up and cleaned (optional)

1 pound linguini pasta

Scrub littleneck quahog shells thoroughly and put them aside.

Cook linguine while making recipe.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in heavy pasta pan over medium heat, cook garlic in oil until golden brown (about one minute).  Add and stir in 1/3 cup chopped parsley and all the little necks, let simmer for two minutes.  Add wine and let simmer for one minute.  Add lemon and the meat of six to eight large quahogs cut up and cleaned (extra quahog meat is optional; if I catch them, I put them in).  Add red pepper to taste.  Cook for eight to ten minutes or until all quahogs are open. Discard quahogs that are not open.  Lower heat and put in one pound of cooked linguini and toss the entire mixture.  Remove from heat and put into large pasta bowl.  The finishing  touch… garnish with four pinches of fresh parsley.

Captain Dave’s clams casino

Clean littlenecks or smallish quahogs, cut meat from shell and leave it in the shell, top with mixture of fresh chopped parsley, flavored breadcrumbs, and Ritz cracker crumbs. Lay a one to one and half inch piece of bacon on top. Bake at 350 degrees for twelve minutes, then broil on lower shelf for one to two minutes to brown bacon (make sure they don’t burn under broiler).  Plate and serve with fresh lemon wedges and hot sauce.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass, bluefish and false albacore. Jeff Ingber of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “The false albacore bite off Narragansett has been red hot from just about any rock.  The fish are about two to four pounds.  And the striped bass bite has been very good too along the southern coastal shore.” “The striped bass bite at Sugar Reef has been good with a lot of squid in the area but the striped bass bite at Block Island has been hit or miss,” said Ryan Turner of Warch Hill Outfitters, Westerly.    Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren, said, “The striped bass bite was outstanding in front of Newport in the Brenton Reef area Wednesday.  We caught 30 plus pound fish both with surface lure and with live eels.”  “The bigger bass have made their way into the salt ponds and are also abundant on local reefs. Live bait has been the key to hooking the larger fish, while smaller bass can be caught using sand eel imitations and topwater lures. We've seen fewer bluefish locally this week. A few are still being caught from the rocks, but more can be found out around Block Island now.” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown. 

Summer flounder (fluke). Ryan Turner of Watch Hill Outfitters, said, “The black sea bass bite at Block Island has been good, however, along the coastal shore in South County anglers are catching few keepers and a lot of short fluke.”  Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “The bite remains consistent, with mostly smaller fish being caught. They've moved into deeper local waters, around 43-55 feet. Interestingly, a good population has also moved into the salt ponds. These fish can be targeted effectively with a light bucktail and a teaser, worked in channels and deep troughs between sandbars.”  “The black sea bass bite is good in about 80 feet of water off the Sakonnet River with a strong fluke bite on either side of the Jamestown Bridge depending on the tide.  The fish are a nice 20 to 21” eating size,” said Jeff Ingber of Ocean State Tackle. “Anglers caught fluke fishing in 50 feet of water off Newport Wednesday, however, they had to fish through a lot of shorts.  Bucktails were working as well as Hi/Low rigs,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle.

 

Bluefin tuna.  “The school bluefin tuna bite has been on at the Gully,” said Jeff Ingber of Ocean State Tackle.  Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle said, “Tuna reports have been excellent this week, with most fish in the mid-40-inch range. Trolling with green, zucchini, and purple side trackers has been successful, and some customers are also catching fish on jigs and plugs.”

 

Freshwater.  “Both the smallmouth and largemouth bass bite is on.  Anglers hooking up with smallmouth bass using small shads, with frogs and spinner baits working well for largemouth bass,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle.

Campers get hooked on fishing

RI Saltwater Anglers/Department of Environmental Management Fishing Camp Class of 2025.

Squeteague are hard to find but Colton Venditelli caught this one Thursday at Fishing Camp.

Teddy Schipritt  with a sea robin caught at Fishing Camp off Warwick Country Club.

Campers get hooked on fishing

The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) once gain ran a successful youth fishing camp last week with funding from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.  The camp was held at Rocky Point State Park, Warwick for fifty-five children 7 to 12 years old.  Safe Harbor Greenwich Bay Marina donated the use of their slips for RISAA vessels taking kids fishing.

Camper Teddy Schipritt, from Jamestown, RI said, “I haven’t caught fish like this before,” as he and other campers hooked up with fish Thursday on about fifteen RISAA member boats fishing in Narragansett Bay.  Schipritt boated an impressive total of twelve fish including two bluefish, a squeteague, a sea robin and about eight scup.

Camp on Tuesday was cancelled due to 100-degree weather and Wednesday campers spend the day fishing on the Frances Fleet party boat out of Pt. Judith, RI.

Topics covered over the three-day camp typically include fish identification, conservation, use of spinning and conventional gear and tackle, basic marine biology, how and why to use different baits and lures,  boating safety, casting form shore, fly fishing, fly tying and fishing from private boats and party boats. 

The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association is a non-profit organization, created in 1997 to provide a forum for recreational saltwater anglers; to provide education to members concerning fishing techniques, improved catches, and overall enjoyment of fishing; to foster sportsmanship; to support marine conservation and sound management of fisheries resources; and provide a unified voice to preserve and protect the rights, traditions and the future of recreational fishing.

 

Marine Affairs Director supports no moratorium on striped bass

The Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFAC) met via Zoom at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 1, 2025.  .

The interstate striped bass management plan was a discussion item on the agenda along with a stakeholder letter sent by Daniel McKiernan, Director to the Massachusetts Division of Marine Affairs, outlining the state’s position on striped bass moratoriums for the commercial and recreational fishery.

“While warranting careful monitoring and attentive management, the status of the striped bass resource at this time does not merit a commercial harvest moratorium nor a complete harvest moratorium… Although the stock was declared overfished in 2019, the latest coastwide assessment indicates that spawning stock biomass is rebuilding under the measures implemented in 2020, 2023, and 2024,” said Director McKiernan.

“The preponderance of evidence indicates that it is not the level of reproductively mature females in the population that is causing this below average recruitment, but rather environmental conditions in the spawning areas (e.g., warmer, dryer winters).”  McKiernan added, “Spawning stock biomass remains well above the level seen in the 1980s when the stock collapsed and capable of producing strong year-classes should the right environmental conditions present.”

For a copy of Director McKiernan’s letter, and other information regarding the meeting, visit Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission | Mass.gov.

 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass, bluefish and bonito.  East End Eddie Doherty, author and Cape Cod Canal fishing expert, said, “There was a weeklong lull of striped bass being caught in Buzzards Bay, but boat guys are back to catching above slots in good numbers so hopefully, the fish find out about the bait and ride an east tide into the Canal!  Last weekend began with Paul ‘Sparky’ Yuskaitis chunking mackerel on an early slack tide that produced a healthy 32-inch striper.”  Chad Katch of Sam’s Bait, Middletown, said, “The bass have moved out of our Bays and are now out in front from the mouth of the Sakonnet, to Newport and off our southern coastal shores.  Anglers are hooking up with top water lures in low light conditions and during the day eels, trolling tube & worm and umbrella rigs are working.  We also have a good bonito bite with anglers finding success this week at Lands End, Middletown and at the mouth of the Sakonnet River using epoxy jibs.”  “The salt ponds are producing good numbers of school bass in South County, mostly feeding on sand eels. You can catch these fish on topwater lures, soft plastics, and Alabama rigs that mimic the bait schools. Bigger fish have been happy to take live eels at night,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown.  Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “The striped bass bite at Block Island is lights out at night. Last weekend we caught fish in the 40-pound class using eels.  And, out in front of Newport 30-pound fish were typical with a lot of large blue fish there too.  The bonito bite is still good on epoxy jigs and all types of shiny tin lures.”

Black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke), squeteague and scup.  I fished with RI Saltwater Angler campers Colton Venditelli of Hope and Teddy Schipritt of Jamestown, RI along with RISAA camp counselor Steve Enander of Lincoln, RI on my vessel Thursday.  The two campers managed to catch about two dozen fish including black sea bass, bluefish, sea robins, squeteague, and many large scup drifting with sea bass rigs tipped with native squid on the west side of Warwick Neck. “The fluke bite is in shallow and deep water both with anglers who put their time in catching keeper size fish.”,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle. “The fluke bite has been good but it has moved out in font in 70 to 90 feet water,” said Chad Katch of Sam’s Bait.  Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “Most of the fluke are coming from 37-47 feet locally, though some larger ones have been caught in 15-20 feet of water. The Block Island bite continues to be good, but it's similar to the action closer to shore, so many boats are saving gas and staying local.”

Freshwater.  The largemouth bite continues to be very good.  Anglers are having success with top water  baits and frogs as ponds and lakes now have a good amount of vegetation.  Shiners continue to work well for anglers as well.

 

Fish science at its best

 

Ed Lombardo with a 20” trout caught during the Hex Hatch (mayfly hatch) on Wood River Monday.

Mahi-mahi and eight other species are now included in the Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament.

Fish science at its best

Woods Hole and Sea Grant reach out to Falmouth youth

Last month, nearly 250 seventh graders from Falmouth Public Schools visited Woods Hole for an amazing day of ocean science.

Students enjoyed hands-on science activities at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAA’s Northeast Science Center Woods Hole Lab.

At the Science Center lab, students dissected fish and learned about fish anatomy, toured the Aquarium, learned what fisheries observers do, tried on survival suits, and learned about at-sea safety.

The event was sponsored by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant, and the Science Center.

Fish science rallying for cod

Fish science in this Nation is the best there is. In the case of cod, NOAA Fisheries and its science-based approach to fisheries is rallying to rebuild cod which has been overfished for many years.

To make it clear, humans have overfished cod to near extinction, so science alone cannot bring back cod.  It will take a lot of regulation discipline too.

In 2021 scientists from around the world came together to study cod and documented five distinct fish populations.  An offshore Georges Bank and four inshore populations from New Jersy to the Canada.

Fish biologist and fishers documented the differences.  The five cod stocks look different in that their shape, size and color differ.  And, their genetic composition, spawning behavior and migration patterns are distinct.

Once the stocks were identified, it was now a matter of drilling down and garnering more data to give fish managers the data needed to put in rebuilding plans.

NOAA Fisheries teamed up with members of New England’s recreational for-hire (charter boat) fleet, the New England Aquarium, Pelagic Strategies, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to fill data gaps. The pilot study is called the Recreational Biological Sampling Program, or RecBio.

From November 2023–2024, twelve for-hire captains collected data from 3,000 fish recording length with a photo to verify measurement, kept or released, date/time caught and the precise location.

With support from The Nature Conservancy, Harbor Light Software tailored the existing AnglerCatch fishing app as a portal for captains to enter data using a smartphone or tablet.

NOAA Fisheries, said, “When a fisherman harvests a cod, the participating captain gives it a unique barcode to match the data submitted to the app. The captain freezes the fish’s head at the end of the trip. The science team then extracts the otoliths (ear bones that contain growth rings). Scientists count the rings of the otolith to estimate the age of the fish. This allows them to understand the demographics of cod caught recreationally.”

Congratulations to NOAA and hats off to two local charter captains for taking leadership roles on this research project: Mike Pierdinock, New England Council member, President of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association and RecBio participant; and Rick Bellavance, chair of the New England Fisheries Management Council, President of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association, RecBio co-founder and participant.

Still time to register for the Block Island Tournament

The expanded Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament is Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27. You need not attend the awards ceremony to enter and win.  Fish photos are taken up against a tournament ruler and entries are submitted electronically via the GotOne fishing smartphone app.

The Tournament now includes nine species with an expanded fishing area south of the Newport and Jamestown Bridges including the Rhode Island southern coastal beaches to about fifteen miles south of Block Island itself.

Register at BI Inshore Tourney | bi-fishworks (sandypointco.com).

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass, bluefish and bonito. Chad Katch of Sam’s Bait, Middletown, said, “The bass have moved out of our Bays and are now out in front from the mouth of the Sakonnet and off Newport.  Anglers are hooking up with top water lures in low light conditions and during the day eels, trolling tube & worm and umbrella rigs are working.  We also have a good bonito bite at Lands End, Middletown and at the mouth of the Sakonnet River using epoxy jigs.”  East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “Long distance caster Bob “Bull” MacKinnon hopes for more productive days on the Big Ditch with the realization that there have been schools of silversides at Mass Maritime, bunker near the Sagamore Bridge and mackerel in the east end.  Last week started with Canal Sportsman’s Club member “Adirondack Jim” Cromme successfully chunking into an after-dinner slack tide on a beautiful night. A 40-inch striped bass bit down on his cut mackerel and a nice size bluefish attacked the same bait.”  “The salt ponds are producing good numbers of school bass in South County, mostly feeding on sand eels. You can catch these fish on topwater lures, soft plastics, and Alabama rigs that mimic the bait schools. Bigger fish are taking eels at night,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown.  Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “The striped bass bite at Block Island is lights out at night. Last weekend we caught fish in the 40-pound class using eels.  And, out in front of Newport 30-pound fish were typical with a lot of large blue fish there too.”

Summer flounder (fluke). “The fluke bite is in both shallow and deep water.  Anglers who put their time in are catching keepers,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle. “The fluke bite has been good but it has moved out in font in 70 to 90 feet water,” said Chad Katch of Sam’s Bait.  Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “Most of the fluke are coming from 37-47 feet locally, some larger ones have been caught in 15-20 feet of water. The Block Island bite continues to be good.”

Freshwater.  Ed Lombardo, expert fly tyer, fisher, and instructor, said, ”Fished the Wood River for the Hex Hatch Monday night and the hatch was very good. We got several nice Bown trout, which were very aggressive. We started fishing from 6:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Now that these fish have been seeing these great large mayflies one can still fish for them during daylight. But the Hatch will start at dark.”

Advocating for fisheries in Washington, DC

Kattie Lightbody with a 34" striped bass caught with an umbrella rig when fishing with her uncle, Greg Spier.

Capt. Dave Monti with a big Newport summer flounder (fluke).

Advocating for NOAA:  Capt. Dave Monti; George Baldwin, Past President, Connecticut Surfcasters; Gretchen Spiers, Vice President, Cape Cod Salties; and Scott Travers, Executive Director of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association.

Advocating for fisheries in Washington, DC 

Last month, I had the chance to advocate for full funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Washington, DC.

I was with Gretchen Spiers, Vice President of the Cape Cod Salties; Scott Travers, Executive Director of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association; George Baldwin, Past President of the Connecticut Surfcasters Association; and seven other charter captains and anglers.

NOAA is under attack to reduce its staff and budget by about a third. We were in Washington to share with congressional offices how these drastic cuts would impact recreational fishing and the economies of our states.

“We spoke with House and Senate staff about supporting NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation and Restoration, the National Estuary Research Reserves, and the inter-jurisdictional fisheries grants. Since Massachusetts has the largest commercial and recreational fishing economy in New England, and is the third largest producer of seafood in the country (behind Alaska and Washington State), these cuts will disproportionately impact Massachusetts,” said Grechen Spiers of the Cape Cod Salties.

Rhode Island has benefited greatly by these programs including our National Sea Grant Programs at URI Graduate School of Oceanography and Roger Willimas University, Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and many of the programs run by the Narraganset Bay Estuary Program.  Most of these programs would simply go away.

In Massachusetts NOAA funding supports the Waquoit Bay Estuary Research Reserve in Falmouth and Mashpee, grants assessing the impact of wastewater discharge from the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant into Cape Cod Bay, grants for offsetting losses due to the decline in Atlantic herring stocks, and many other local initiatives,” said Gretchen Spiers.  “NOAA dollars also fund ongoing science-based research projects at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, such as those for the National Sea Grant Program and the Ocean Acidification Program,”

With budget cuts data-based stock assessments and fisheries cannot effectively be managed. The loss of funding for the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) – direct mail and interview intercept surveys - will significantly harm the ability of NOAA to manage fisheries.

Spiers said, “A reduction in new and more accurate data collection efforts may lead to moratoriums and seasonal closures based on even more uncertain data, or possibly worse, increased deregulation.”

Our congressional delegation relies on anglers to keep them informed about what they are experiencing on the water, what the issues are and how these NOAA cuts will impact our industry. So please take the time to email them your concerns about NOAA cuts.

Top three tips to catch bigger fluke

The summer flounder (fluke) bite is on.  Anglers are hooking up with keeper fluke off Newport, in lower Narragansett Bay, Mt. Hope Baye, along our coastal shore and around Block Island. 

My three top tips

First you need to plan, plan, and plan your fluke trips.  The idea is to select six to eight places you will fish based on wind and tide being in line.  This is important as you want to drag your bait over the front of the fluke as they set up looking into the current.  I then go to the first place I hope to catch fish based on catching experience and recent fishing intelligence and then go the second, third, fourth places, etc. until we catch fish.

Second, larger fish usually come on edges of structure.  This includes inclines and declines around channel banks and ledges, the foot of jetties where it meets sand, between ledges, drifting over humps and bumps, fishing bridge abutment areas where bait gets tossed, etc.

Third, be ready to fish multiple rigs and baits.  This means being ready to use multiple-colored rigs, jig types and stingers.  And, be ready to tip them with a variety of baits including squid, gulp or the ground fish you have starting to catch and strip up i.e. sea robins, scup, bluefish, etc.  The idea is to try a number of rig and bait arrangements until you discover what the fish want on any given day.

Fluke regulations in Massachusetts include a minimum size of 17.5” from a vessel and 16.5” from shore with a five fish/person/day limit. In Rhode Island the fluke regulation is a 19” minimum size, six fish/person/day with special shore areas where anglers are allowed two 17” fish.   

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass/bluefish.  East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “Action on the Canal has slowed down. Notwithstanding the gloom experienced by most, Mike Dick, a talented Bourne lure maker, enticed a couple of slots to hit his Happy as a Clam white Mini Canal Cruiser for some top water action on an early east tide at first light, and a couple of days before, caught a 39-inch bluefish.”  “The spring run of striped bass has been very good with high numbers of fish being caught in the Providence and Taunton Rivers as well as in Narragansett and Mt. Hope Bays,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren.  “The herring are still coming out of the Rivers and there are Atlantic menhaden too so depending on where you are anglers are using 9” Doc’s to smaller 4” lures.  We also saw some bonito at the Newport Bridge this week.” Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, Warwick, said, “This weekend we had large bass in Warwick and East Greenwich Coves with worm hatches occurring.  The bass were everywhere with an occasional bluefish mixed in.” Angler Greg Spier, said, “My niece Kattie Lightbody of Foxborough caught a 34" striped bass using an umbrella rig in the Brenton Reef area off Newport.”

Black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke), squeteague and scup. “We caught keeper fluke at Prudence Island this week, you had to work for them but they were there,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait.  Anglers are working to catch keeper black sea bass.  “Scup are not abundant in the upper Bay but the bite is consistent off Newport and at the Sakonnet with a good fluke bite there as well as at Block Island,” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle.  “Large scup are being caught in the Bay with anglers landing squeteague and fluke at Warwick Light,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box. Angler Matt Haczynski reports on the RI Saltwater Anglers blog, “Sunday the bite was insane off Newport.  The fluke tossed up squid all over the boat when they came on board. We had our limit before noon each day.” 

Freshwater.  “The largemouth bite continues to be excellent with frogs working well as the ponds I am fishing have a lot of vegetation and pads already,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait. Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, said, “Freshwater fishing is on fire with customers catching a 4.9 and a 5.1 pound largemouth using shiners. Both Little and Gorton Ponds in Warwick are hot.”

 

Bluefin tuna regulations change for the better

Capt. Dave Monti with bluefin tuna.  As of July 1, 2025 private vessels with an HMS Angling permit will be allowed to take one fish between 27” to < 73”.

Big catch: Greg Vespe of Tiverton with a striped bass he caught Saturday night fishing with
live eels off Newport in the Bay.

Good eating:  Marc Carvalho with a squeteague he caught off Warwick Light, he and Sherri Kanelos planned to bake and eat their catch whole.

Bluefin tuna regulations change for the better         

Bluefin tuna regulations changed for the better this week when NOAA announced Thursday new angling and charter/headboat Highly Migratory Species (HMS) limits.  Effect July 1, 2025 private vessels with an HMS Angling permit can retain one bluefin tuna measuring 27” to < 73” and charter/headboat permit holders are allowed two bluefin tuna measuring 27” to < 73”. 

This is good news as most bluefin caught in this area are over 47”, and the present regulation is for fish measuring 27” to < 47”.

In general, quotas close to being met necessitated more conservative regulations this year.  In January tuna fishing in North Carolina was not allowed to close due to an Administration rule making executive order.  The freeze allowed overfishing which in part has meant reduced quotas for New York and New England fishermen as the fish migrate north.

It is important to note that for the past three years, anglers have caught an abundance of bluefin tuna close to shore in Southern New England.  Many believe robust bait/forage profiles are here close to shore in great abundance due to warming water.  And the fish are here because the forage fish they eat are here. 

This climate change impact points to the need for enhanced stock assessments and climate research to keep tabs on fish stocks like tuna and other species particularly sensitive to overfishing due to stock shifts and enhanced fishing pressure.

Capt. Mike Pierdinock, avid bluefin tuna fisher, member of the New England Fishery Management Council and President of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association, said, “We have a unique situation this year.  Due to the closure delay in North Carolina the general category overfished their 37.7 mt quota.  By the time they closed the fishery on February 28 they had harvested 115 mt of bluefin tuna.  That’s a lot when you consider the entire fishery is 1,300 mt.  This combined with overfishing bluefin tuna in general in 2024, including the recreational fishing community for the first time since 2010, we are experiencing these reductions out of caution to prevent overfishing this year.”

Hats off to Rick Bellavance, President of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association and Chair of the New England Fishery Management Council as well as Mike Pierdinock for advocating for a larger bluefin size.

For information and updates visit the NMFS Permit Shop.

 

Catch and release best practices for striped bass

Striped bass fishing is good, so good for this time of year that we have to make sure we use catch and release best practices to help ensure the survival of the fish we release.  More striped bass die after capture and release than those legal-size fish we take home to eat.

Fishing at the Cape Cod Canal has been very good too with anglers catching fish to 41”. East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “On Wednesday “Bill on the Grill” Prodouz landed a 40-inch linesider that fell for a herring Mystic glider and then a 41-inch powerhouse with a Yo-Zuri bone hydro twitch bait.”

On my charter boat Tuesday the fish were on the bottom. Jason Mills of Cranston caught a 39” striped bass on a tube & worm on the channel pad at Poppasquash Point, Bristol when fishing with Richard Hellwig of Providence.  And, Steve Brustein of Warwick caught a 34” fish in the same place earlier in the week.  There were no signs of fish on the surface but they were there in the lower water column and on the bottom.   

The striped bass stock is overfished, with overfishing occurring, so we all need to be ready to safely catch and release these fish giving them the best chance of survival.

Striped bass regulations are one fish/person/day in a slot size of 28” to less than 31”.

Catch and release tips

Gaffs are not allowed and inline circle hooks must be used when fishing with bait for striped bass, tube and worm fishing is an exception.

Bring the fish to the boat quickly, extended fights deplete oxygen and reduce survival.

Avoid putting fish on deck and letting it flop around, keep it in the water as much as possible.

Wet your hands or gloves before handling the fish, dry hands remove the fish’s protective slime layer and leave it open to infection.

Handle fish carefully.  Do not put fingers into gill cavities or eye sockets.

Gently remove the hook to minimize damage.

Use lures with single hook, barbless hooks (I snap them off), or circle hooks.

Return fish to water quickly. Place gently in water in upright horizontal position.  Move it back and forth in the water to force water across its gills.  Once revived it will flip its tail when ready to be released.

 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass/bluefish.  Tom Olson of Ponaug Marina, Warwick, said, “The striped bass and bluefish bite has been good for anglers they are catching fish trolling with tube & worm, umbrellas rigs or using live bait.”  Ed Lombardo fly fishing expert and guide, said, “Fishing slowed on Narrow River, Narragansett Tuesday. I fished and moved many times to the more productive spots up, down, and across the river until 12 noon.  Fished again at 1:00 p.m., now an incoming tide, and caught two small bass and one hickory shad.” Striper fishing in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay has been good.  Last week anglers on my charter boat hooked up with bass to 40” with reports of a 52” fish being caught by RISAA member Dave Sweet’s son at Anawan Cliffs, Narragansett. Lay off the big fish if you have other options as more striped bass are killed after being release than those we take home to eat (see above article on bass catch and release practices).   Sherri Kanelos of Warwick boated her largest fish ever Sunday, a 24” bluefish off Bear Point Prudence Island.

Black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke), squeteague and scup.  Summer flounder fishing has been good in the lower Narragansett Bay with anglers catching keepers.  Tom Olson of Ponaug Bait & Tackle said, “We had two commercial rod & reel customers catch monster fluke in the East Passage around the Jamestown bridge, one fish they boated was over 30 inches.”  This weekend we caught multiple scup, fluke and squeteague in the Warwick Neck area.  Marc Carvalho of Warwick caught a 20” squeteague.  Most of the fluke were under 19 inches.

                                                                                                                                       

Freshwater.  The fresh water bite for largemouth, pike and trout remains very strong.  For ponds restocked with trout visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov and in Rhode Island Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

South Fork Wind creating "reef effect"

Fishing Machine Charters, Pt. Judith, RI hooked up with cod, pollock and cunner in the Cox Ledge area wind farm this winter.

Fish abundance and a large variety of fish can be seen at pylons, on scour protection and at cable mattresses.

Blue mussels dominate monopile surfaces in shallow water; here at a water depth of less than 2 m (6.6 ft), blue mussels lived among invertebrate turf and tufts of red algae.

South Fork Wind creating “reef effect”

The South Fork Wind Benthic Monitoring Program released a visual survey earlier this month conducted at South Fork Wind (SFW), an offshore wind farm located 16.5 nautical miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island in the Cox Ledge area.  The survey shows that the wind farm has had minimal environmental impact on the surrounding marine ecosystem and has created a positive “reef effect.”

Similar “reef effects” have been documented by peer reviewed studies at European wind farms and during a seven-year study at the Block Island Wind Farm, which showed there was a greater amount of Atlantic cod and black sea bass in the wind farm area compared to two control areas outside the wind farm, and all other species abundance was even.

Simply put, so far at 18 months out, South Fork Wind is yielding new habitat and fish.

James Riggs, a recreational fishing representative on the Fisheries Advisory Board (FAB) of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), said, “The enhanced ecology that I clearly see will only compound with time and become more and more prolific. It gives me hope that we can see a real benefit from what is already structurally out there, and will be for a long time. There may be opportunities to enhance or improve on existing and or proposed marine infrastructure projects.”

Key findings of the study include no detectable changes to the biological communities on the seafloor surrounding the turbines; marine life is using the wind turbine foundations as habitat; and the project is already creating a reef effect, providing habitat for commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important marine species.

South Fork Wind’s comprehensive benthic (seafloor) monitoring program includes target visual studies at pre-construction, construction and post- construction time periods, which is something that fishermen advocated for.  Comprehensive monitoring, like this study, is a requirement and aims to protect valuable marine resources and habitat.

To meet this requirement, independent science teams have conducted extensive visual monitoring surveys of the wind farm pylons, scour protection at the base of pylons, and cabling and bolder relocation areas. 

Pictures speak louder than words

The good news is that SFW benthic surveys have not detected demonstrable change in the biological community or benthic functions associated with pylons, cable routes or bolder relocation.  Striking video and still images taken before, during and after construction show extensive blue mussel growth and fish at pylons and in the surrounding area.  See videos and still images at South Fork Wind Benthic Monitoring Program.

“I was very surprised with the mussel growth on pylons that has occurred so quickly.  The video footage clearly showed the creation of life on the pylons and at the base of the pylons on the scour protection,” said Fred Mattera, executive director of the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, which represents nine commercial fishing-related organizations in Rhode Island.

Mattera said, “These structures are creating new habitat and life. The amount and variety of fish captured on video footage is incredible.”

This past summer and winter there were numerous fishing reports from charter captains and anglers catching tuna, cod and an abundance of mahi-mahi at South Fork Wind.

“Simply put, my position is neither for or against offshore wind development, but if there is a way to improve marine habitat and strive for the goal of fish abundance I am all for it.  I will do my best to advocate for recreational fishermen's interests whenever I can,” said James Riggs of the FAB.

The South Fork Wind benthic visual surveys document the reef effect and reveal numerous commercially, recreationally and ecologically important species. Black sea bass, lobster, and flounder were documented near the structures.  Other species observed included Atlantic cod, scup, cunner, barrel fish, flounder, butterfish, jack, mahi mahi, trigger fish, Bermuda chub, winter and summer flounder, sculpin, spotted and red hake, ocean pout and the Atlantic rock/Jonah crabs.

Other studies being conducted as part of the South Fork research and monitoring plan include gillnet and fish pot surveys, a ventless trap survey, a beam trawl survey, mechanical jigging study, and acoustic telemetry studies.   Visit South Fork Wind Farm Fisheries Monitoring — CFRF and an article on the Marine Fish Conservation Network blog for details on the South Fork Wind research and monitoring plan.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass/bluefish.  “Striper fishing is spotty.  The are scattered.  Narragansett Bay’s East Passage is still a good bet,” said Nick Krajewski of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown. Ryan Collins of My Fishing Cape Cod, said, “For boat anglers there's been some awfully large striped bass caught in Cape Cod Bay and Buzzard's Bay.” East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “Last week began with the west end producing on the early west tide without breaks during daylight. Jay Saucier, vacationing from Old Town, Maine, hooked a high-end slot with a bone-colored Savage during an early dropping tide. Carlos Reis from Falmouth, enticed a 40-inch beast with his green Striper Gear Shaddy Daddy that brought the Boga down to 25 pounds! High hook went to Sandwich’s Joe “Green Gloves” Moneghan bouncing a green mac jig off the bottom to deceive two 47s and a 48-inch monster!”  Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown, said, “Striped bass fishing remains productive, with a good variety of sizes being caught. Bluefish are still present, and there have been reports of some good-sized ones.”  “Last week I caught a 32” and three smaller bass at Narrow River, Narragansett on an incoming tide.  Used my burgundy color fly that caught some hickory shad as well,” said Ed Lombardo, fly fishing expert and instructor.

Tautog season closes May 31. Anglers have filed fewer reports as the spring season comes to an end.

Black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke) and scup.  Last week I caught small keeper fluke north of the Jamestown Bridge on American Ledge.  Angler Matthew Haczynski reports fishing Block Island Monday, “After a lot of slow fishing all of a sudden we loaded the cooler ending with all anglers on the boat limiting out.  The tides nearest to slack produced best.”  Nick Krajewski of Quaker Lane, said, “Anglers are catching keeper scup and black sea bass now.”                                                                                                                                     

Freshwater. Some ponds restocked with trout for Memorial Day. For information in RI visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov.