Get you gear ready for big fish

Tommy Pelto of Tiverton, RI with one of the striped bass he caught this Saturday when fishing in the upper reaches of the Providence River.  Tom said, “There were tons of pogies in the Providence River.”

Get your gear ready

You might say, “I just use this rig for school bass, the small ones, so the line is fine.” However, you can’t pick the time when a big fish hits. So make sure your gear is in good working order at the start of the season and throughout the year.

The experts suggest checking all reels, rods and line before the season starts and do regular maintenance throughout the season. Replace line, repair line guides on rods and perform reel maintenance twice a season if necessary, particularly on those rigs that get a lot of action.

So, to make sure I do not lose a big fish, I perform the following maintenance routine before the season starts. To paraphrase Vince Lombardi the great football coach who said football games are won in the summer when training is done… big fish are caught in the winter when proper maintenance is done.

Reel maintenance

George Poveromo, host of George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing said, “As a rule of thumb, a reel should be brought to an authorized reel center at least once a year.” And, with reels that get a lot of action, perhaps twice a year.

Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off. Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times, the reel is marked where to do this. If instructions are long gone do not hesitate to stop by your local bait or tackle shop to ask where to grease. Do not grease the drag, it is not meant to be greased, if you do, it will not work. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside, RI, said, “Anglers often forget to put oil on the line guide worm gear on bait caster reels as this is can go a long way allowing the gear to perform properly throughout its lifetime.” It costs about $10 to $15 to clean and grease your average spinning reel.

Check the RISAA website at www.risaa.org for member bait and tackle shops that repair reels, many of them appear on the member discount landing page.

Line

Each year, replace used line. This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”. The braid line I spooled on two rigs at the end of the season is still ok, however, I took line off at the beginning of the reel that was showing signs of wear. Experts say a to cross braid line when spooling onto conventional reels to prevent the line from digging into the spool when a big fish is on. Another tip is to re-spool lead line putting the used portion on the reel first, this way you use line that is new as most anglers rarely use more than three to four colors (90’ to 120’) of line. Replace all the monofilament line on reels at the start of the season. Monofilament line has memory so it tangles easily and creates bird nest tangles when it is old or has been sitting in the cold for a while. Also stretch the line, the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory and avoid tangles. When you change any type of line it is important to spool tight or the line may slip on the spool.

Rods

Examine the rods for cracks and stress marks. Closely examine the eyes for chips or cuts that could cause line to snag, rub or break. Do not place hooks on the eyes or they will eventually create cracks that will cut line as it passes through. Place all baits at the base of the reel as those hooked to an eye brace will bang on the rod and may cause microscopic cracks in the rod blank that could lead to a broken rod..

Tackle

I get tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are fished… starting with tautog, striped bass, blue fish, fluke, sea bass, etc. I then go through tautog rigs first, then the striped bass, etc. Make sure you have enough rigs to fish the species. Hooks should be clean and sharp (no rust), and strong enough for the size fish you are going after. Often hooks that come with lures are not quality hooks so I replace them with stronger hooks.

Leaders/Hooks

Use wire leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for striped bass, fluke, sea bass, etc. Blues won’t bite though the wire and other species will find it harder to see the monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders. As a rule I replace all used leaders at the beginning of the season. During the season make sure leaders have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling. If they do, replace them. I switched most of my hooks to circle hooks, I did this so I can safely catch and release undersized or unwanted fish (particularly striped bass). Circle hooks are designed to hook the fish at the corner of the mouth and not down in the belly. All hooks should be sharp and rust free.



Opening day big success… new tautog and fluke regulations

John Littlefield (left) of Archie’s Bait & Tackle assists customer Wayne Eccleston of Riverside with his opening day order. Wayne’s baits of choice were meal worms and Berkeley Power Baits. He planned to fish Willet Avenue Pond.

James Rothermel (right) of Warwick, RI with the 20”, four plus pound, rainbow trout he caught at 6:10 a.m. this past Saturday in South County on opening Day. Aaron Casey (left) had just landed his rainbow trout when this photo was taken.

Opening day big success… new tautog and fluke regulations

Opening day of the trout season this past Saturday was great. The Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) Division of Fish & Wildlife did an outstanding job stocking trout in lakes and ponds. Although DEM said fish averaged 1.5 pounds, several anglers commented on how large the fish were. James Rothermel of Warwick, RI landed a 20”, four plus pound, rainbow trout at Silver Spring Lake in South County. Rothermel said, “It’s one of the largest trout I’ve caught. It took a while to bring in and once I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It started to flop around on shore and headed back to the water. I got wet as I stepped into the lake to save it, but it was worth it.”

According to DEM, approximately 80,000 hatchery raised brook, brown, and rainbow trout were being stocked in more than 100 ponds and streams. Many anglers will continue to fish these ponds and lakes. Visit www.dem.ri.gov for a complete listing. Bait shops throughout the state reported a brisk business the day before and opening day itself. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, East Providence (now at a new location at 292 Bullocks Point Avenue), said, “Business has been very good today. We sold a ton of shiners… other popular baits were meal worms and Power Baits.” I caught up with Wayne Eccleston of East Providence at 2 p.m. at Archie’s, “I thought I would avoid the madness and fish later in the day. I am very anxious to try these new Berkeley Power Baits. They were recommended by my friend who is a pro bass fisherman.”

Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “Popular baits this year are night crawlers, trout worms and giant meal worms. We sold a lot of special trout rigs with Gulp Powerbaits selling well too.”

John’s Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown was open all night. Owner John Wunner said, “Sales were good last night”. Steve Proctor an associate said, “Many local anglers were fishing Frenchtown Park Pound in East Greenwich. It was skipped last year but stocked this year.” Popular angler bait included Gulp Power Baits and John’s Special Trout rig.

The freshwater fishing season is just starting. If you are interested in fishing licenses and trout conservation stamps (you need both to fish for trout) they can be obtained at any city or town clerk's office, authorized agents such as bait and tackle shops, at Benny’s, DEM’s office or online at www.dem.ri.gov.

New saltwater fishing regulations for 2011 DEM announced new 2011 fishing regulations for select saltwater species late last week. Steve Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) and a member of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council, said DEM announced a closure of the black sea bass fishery until new regulations can be established. A public hearing on black sea bass will be held on April 18 said Medeiros. Regulations announced for fluke, winter flounder and tautog were as follows. Fluke (or summer flounder) Minimum size 18.5 inches, 7 fish daily bag limit, May 1 to December 31 is the season. Winter flounder** Minimum size 12 inches, 2 fish daily bag limit, split season…spring season April 24 to May 24, fall season Sept 24 to Oct 24. **NOTE-CLOSED: All of Narragansett Bay AND (new) all of Point Judith Pond and the Harbor of Refuge. Tautog (blackfish)* Minimum size 16 inches: seasons and bag limits… April 15 to May 31 - 3 fish per day, June 1 to July 31 – closed, August 1 to October 14 - 3 fish per day, October 15 to December 15 - 6 fish. *At all times while the fishery is open, a maximum of ten (10) fish per vessel per day. Party/charter boats this year have the same minimum sizes, daily bags and seasons as other recreational anglers, except that the 10 fish per boat limit does not apply. Bluefin tuna (BFT) public hearings Now is the time to express your thoughts on the bluefin fishery via public hearings being held on April 25, 2011, 6 to 9 p.m., Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland ,ME; and April 26, 2011, 6 to 9 p.m., Seaport Inn and Marina, 110 Middle Street, Fairhaven, MA. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is taking two actions regarding the recreational Atlantic BFT fishery: (1) adjustment of the daily retention limit for the remainder of 2011, and (2) closure of the southern area trophy BFT fishery. Visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfalhms/breaking news.htm to view the proposed rule and supporting documents. You may submit comments (identified by "0648-BA65") through April 28, 2011, by using anyone of the following methods: electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov; fax to 978-281-9340, Attn: Sarah McLaughlin; or mail Sarah McLaughlin, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.

Bluefin Tuna “Weak” hooks in the Gulf of Mexico spawning grounds What a great idea, use “weak” hooks on long lines in The Gulf of Mexico spawning grounds so giant bluefin tuna can free themselves. NOAA’s Fisheries Service will require commercial fishermen who fish for yellowfin tuna, swordfish and other species with longlines in the Gulf of Mexico to use a new type of hook, called a weak hook, designed to reduce the incidental catch of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The weak hook is a circular hook constructed of thin gauge wire, and is designed to straighten when a large fish, such as bluefin tuna, is hooked, releasing it but holding on to smaller fish. The average size of bluefin tuna landed in the Gulf of Mexico longline fishery is 485 pounds, while the average for yellowfin tuna is about 86 pounds.

Where’s the bite Freshwater fishing bite has been good. Reports of bass moving into warmer water areas and anglers are reporting a strong trout bite on the over 100 Rhode Island ponds and lakes stocked by DEM.

Tautog season opens this Friday, April 15. See rules above.

Striped bass will soon arrive as the water warms. Good reports of herring. Craig Castro of Erickson’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “ For three weeks now, we have had thousands of herring in Little Gorton Pond which is behind our shop.” Bass cannot be far behind. Cod fishing bite still good reports Francis Fleet (Galilee, RI) party boat captains.