Atlantic menhaden landing bass for anglers

  Jay Ancgil of Coventry with bass to 17 pounds he and friend Mike Swain caught in the East Passage this week live lining pogies (Atlantic menhaden).

 

Frank Travis of North Kingstown with the 24” fluke he caught west of New Harbor, Block Island this week.

Mike Wade (owner of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly) weighs in Braeden Giller’s 7 pound, 8 once summer flounder (fluke) he caught off Misquamicut State Beach this week.

 

Atlantic menhaden landing bass for anglers

Atlantic menhaden or pogies as they are locally refereed to are a great bait fish for striped bass.  This week many of them were eaten by striped bass as anglers throughout the region used this great forage fish as bait.

Menhaden are an important part of the food chain. H. Bruce Franklin, a professor at Rutgers University, is author of The Most Important Fish in the Sea: Menhaden and America said, “This is what the menhaden do best: they get eaten. Game fish and seabirds, sharks and whales all seek out these oily fish as a favorite meal, making menhaden a crucial link in the ocean food chain.”

Atlantic menhaden are also roving filter feeders, converting algae into energy and thus reducing nutrient loads in bays and covers. An adult menhaden, through its unique filtering gills, is able to process up to 4 gallons of water per minute or a million gallons of water every 180 days. Multiply this by the number of menhaden in any given area and this is an amazing amount of water being filtered, a reduction of nutrients means fewer algae blooms and ultimately more oxygen for all fish.

Most (80%) of the anglers reporting they hooked up with a striped bass in the past three weeks said they were using Atlantic menhaden as bait.

 To catch live menhaden to use as bait, anglers cast a net for them or snag them with a weighted treble hook.  They are generally brought back to the boat and a hook is put through the bridge of the nose or back and then the fish is put back into a school of live menhaden. 

You can also use dead menhaden as bait (bought at a bait shop) fresh or frozen.  Some prefer to fish the menhaden whole others cut it in half, yet others chunk it up and use large pieces.  How anglers use dead menhaden as bait largely relies on what the striped bass want.  Some days/seasons they want it chunked, other times they want it whole and sometimes they won’t bite anything but live menhaden.  Some anglers use a weight slide to get the bait down to the striped bass.

Another method working to catch striped bass this spring is trolling with umbrella rigs (mimics a small school of bait fish) or trolling with tube & worm.  However, the larger fish in bays, coves and rivers caught so far this season have been landed using live Atlantic menhaden as bait.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “The bass are getting larger.  Albert Bettencourt of Riverside weighed in a 33 pound striped bass for the Striper Maine Tournament which took second place.  His grandson took second place too in the youth division with a 24 pound striped bass.  The largest fish we heard of from shore at Sabin Point last week was a 38” bass.  They even landed bass from shore at Colt State Park. One customer said there were 40 boats Sunday far up the Providence River.”  Angler Jason Ancgil of Coventry fished with Mike Swain Sunday and they landed bass to 17 pounds using live menhaden in the East Passage.  Mike said, “There were about 20 or 30 boats in the area, we moved a bit to say out of all the congestion.”  Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “We weighed in a 42.4 pound striped bass lass week.  The fish are getting large with the smaller fish being caught on umbrella rigs and the large ones with live pogies.  Last week we also heard of fish caught off Poppasquash Point and Colt State Park, Bristol.” Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly said, “Anglers are catching the bass with bunker. We have so much of it around.”  Julian Trozzi of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown said yesterday, “We have no large fish from the beach yet but anglers are catching school bass in Ninigret Pond and from the end of the Breachway with keepers mixed in.”

Summer flounder (fluke) fishing has been improving along the southern coastal shore.  We weighed in a seven pound, eight ounce fish caught by Braeden Biller right off Misquamicut Beach over the weekend.” said Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters.  Frank Travis of Wakefield landed a 24” fluke when fishing on the west side of Block Island in 55 to 70 feet of water.  “Fishing at the mouth of the Sakonnet, and in the Newport Bridge/Ft. Adams area was good last week.” said Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait.  Littlefield from Archie’s Bait said, “Hot places for fluke include the Sakonnet and Newport areas but also we had reports of fish being taken at Warwick Light as well.  Capt. Frank Blount, owner of the Frances Fleet, said, “Much improved fluke fishing this week with better numbers along with some real nice quality slabs hitting the deck of the Gail Frances (party boat) Wednesday through Saturday. On both Thursday and Saturday's outing nearly one third of the keepers were in the jumbo category (4 lbs or better). Biggest fish of the week was the fine 8 lb. slab.”

Atlantic menhaden (pogies) commonly used for striped bass bait have been spotted in large numbers  in Narragansett Bay, Mt. Hope Bay and in south county area in rivers, coves, salt ponds and sanctuaries.

Scup are just making their presence known with reports of anglers starting to land scup in several areas , not in large numbers yet but few anglers are targeting them at this time.

Offshore fishing is just starting.  Chris Young of North Kingstown said, “We fished the Dump and several other places Sunday and found fish but we could not get them to rise.  About three miles south of Block Island we came across a large school of school bluefin tuna but just could not hook-up.”

“Fresh water trout fishing has slowed; hopes are that DEM restocking will reinvigorate things later this spring.  However, the pickerel bite was very strong this week at the Kickemuit Reservoir and some nice carp have been caught in the Blackstone River.” said Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait.  “The bass bite has been good at Echo Lake, Barrington along with a decent catfish bite.” said John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait.

 

 

Local angler catches a cobia… an exotic fish

 Warm water fish:  Greg Vespe of Tiverton, RI caught this cobia, an exotic warm water fish, off Gould Island when fishing for striped bass with a bunker (Atlantic Menhaden) head as bait.

Fluke (summer flounder) fishing remains good off shore and in the lower Bay.  Pete Sousa of Warwick caught two fluke under the Newport Bridge an hour before high tide and then the bite was off.

Local angler catches a cobia… an exotic fish

“What a fight… the fish cleared the water by three feet and then dug under the boat and ran... boy they are tough fish.”, said Greg Vespe of Tiverton, RI as he recounted his fight with a cobia he caught off the south side of Gould Island in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay.  The fish was caught this past Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with a bunker (Atlantic Menhaden) head when Vespe was fishing for striped bass.  “The fish weighted 17 pounds, not really big for a cobia but what a fight.” said Vespe.

Cobia  are a great sport (and eating) fish and commonly weigh between 20 and 50 pounds with lengths of 20 to 47 inches.  According to the Florida Museum of Natural History a record cobia weighed in at 135 pounds.

Cobia migrate along the Atlantic coast on a seasonal basis. In spring, they move from southern Florida, to the Carolinas as water temperatures rise. I checked online and some have been caught in Rhode Island but usually later in the summer when the water has a chance to warm.  This Sunday surface water temperatures in the middle of the Narragansett Bay were in the 80 degree range so perhaps this is what enticed the cobia to come into the Bay.  In fall, Cobia reverse  their migration pattern and head south as water temperatures fall.

 A favorite food of cobia are crabs and they are commonly called "crabeater". They often cruise in packs of 3-100 fish, hunting for food during migration in shallow water along the shoreline. They will follow rays, turtles, and sharks, sneaking in to scavenge whatever is left behind.

This cobia is a real prize to be caught in Rhode Island, so congratulations Greg Vespe, and thanks for sharing your story about the fight.

Where’s the bite

Fluke fishing is good but is on and off some days.  Mike Swain of Coventry fished the Newport Bridge area with his fishing partner Darryl and boated ten keepers last week and then went back to the same spot the next day and caught two fish.”, said John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown.  I fished the west side of the  Newport Bridge with two lines in the water Friday just before the tide turned and landed three keepers in about an hour and then the fishing shut down.  “A customer landed four keeper fluke fishing the Quonset Point and Wickford areas this Saturday.”, said John Wunner.   Mary Dangelo of Maridee Canvas-Bait & Tackle, Narragansett said, “Customers are catching some fluke from shore.”  Capt. Dangelo of the charter boat Maridee II said, “Saturday we fished Block Island and had 41 keepers with six people on board.  The fishing has been good but we haven’t been catching large fish in numbers.  The largest so far this year has been in the seven plus pound range.”  Brian   Beltraimi on the RISAA blog said, “Fished the Newport Bridge area yesterday (Saturday), started with an outgoing tide and S wind, not the best drift conditions, this produced a few shorts. As the tide slowed we went into Potters Cove, dropped the hook and had lunch while waiting for the tide to change. We then went back and fished in about 80' with an incoming tide and S wind. We soon started to hit them, all keepers 20-22". Used pink and glow "Spintrami" spin rigs tipped with variations of squid, fluke belly, mackerel, and spearing.”

Striped bass.  “Fishing around Block Island has been good.”, said Capt. Andy Dangelo of the charter boat Maridee II. “Last week we landed a 51 pound fish and today our largest fish was 49.8 pounds.  Tolling umbrella rigs and jigs are working well.”  Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence said, striped bass fishing had been good, but then the water warmed in the Bay (the surface temperature at Poppasquash Point, Sunday was 82 degrees) and things slowed a bit.  Capt. Billy Silvia of Can’t Imagine Charters landed eight bass in the morning while hardly any other boats in the area even hooked up.” John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle said, “Our pogy sales have slowed a bit.  We may have seen the best of the day time bass fishing in the Bay, however, we are now starting to sell a lot of eels and customers are starting to do more night fishing due to the water warming.”

Scup fishing remains strong with anglers catching fish off bridges, from shore and from boats in the upper, middle and lower parts of the Bay.  Mary Dangelo of Maridee Canvas-Bait &Tackle said, “Customers are catching scup at State Pier number 5 in Narragansett.”

I have my UPV examination sticker… Yeah!!!

Patrick DeSorbo (left) and his son Kevin of Clifton Park, NY enjoyed a day of charter fishing for fluke(summer flounder) and black sea bass this weekend off Newport, RI.

Grand prize winner of SnugHarbor Marina’s 31^st Annual Shark Tournament was this 335 poundThresher shark caught by John Durand and his fishing mates aboard the vessel Bilda.

Doug Henson (left) andDavid Siesel of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (North Star Flotilla, Warwick)issue an Uninspected Passenger Vessel (UPV) examination sticker to the charterboat Angel Light.

I have my UPVexamination sticker… Yeah!!!

Life can be tough at times. So I make it a habit to claim even small victories. Small victories like Angel Light, my centerconsole charter boat, getting an Uninspected Passenger Vessel (UPV) examinationsticker from the U. S. Coast Guard. David Siesel and Doug Henson from the U.S. Coastguard Auxiliary, NorthStar Flotilla, Warwick, spent almost twohours reviewing my registrations, licenses and required documentation as well asphysically examining the vessel, engine, lights, charts, fire extinguishers,flares and much more (even the expiration date on the life jacket (flashlight) batterieswere examined). The examination was verycomplete.

Now that I have this optional UPV examination sticker, oddsare I am not going to be boarded by the US Coast Guard, the RI Department ofEnvironmental Management Law Enforcement Division, harbor masters, etc. for routine checks unlessI am obviously breaking the law in some way. This is a great relief for me (and other captains) as it makes for a fewanxiety provoking moments being boarded by authorities, particularly if youhave charter customers on board. Presently,I am about one of nineteen boats that have passed this examination in Rhode Islandand have the sticker (many of them belong to the Rhode Island Party &Charter Boat Association). There areover 200 vessels in RI with charter fishing licenses that could beexamined. It is a good program, one thatpromotes safety, the charter fishing industry as a whole and it is a greatconsumer benefit.

So as I say… yeah!!! I am claiming my UPV sticker as avictory.

335 pound thresher caught takesSnug Harbor Marina Shark Tournament

Talk about drama, big game excitement and the threat of a bigshark. It is the stuff the movie “Jaws”was made of. All of it came to a head this weekend at Snug Harbor Marina’s 31^stAnnual Shark Tournament. At 4:55 p.m. this Sunday (five minutes before theweigh in closed) there were still anglers fighting fish said Elisa Martin ofSung Harbor Marina. The grand prize winner, a 335 pound thresher, was caught onthe vessel Bilda by John Durand, a272 pound thresher caught by Shawn DeCastro on Hot Reels was the second place thresher. A 219 pound Mako caught by Derek Ritch wasthe first place Mako. The Saturday, July7 and Sunday, July 8 tournament had about 70 boats participants. Visit Snug Harbor’s website at www.snugharbormarina.com for photos and details. Tournament fundswill be donated to the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and theRecreational Fishing Alliance.

DEM closes Bristol Harbor toshell fishing

The Department ofEnvironmental Management (DEM) announced that in addition to the currently prohibitedand seasonal closures in waters within Bristol Harbor and surrounding HogIsland, the remaining waters of BristolHarbor and in the vicinity of Hog Island will be closed to shellfish harvestingbeginning at noon Friday, July 6th until further notice. The closure is being enacted because ofinformation provided to the DEM by the Town of Bristol that an electricalsystem failure caused a loss of disinfectant of the effluent from the BristolWastewater Treatment Facility during the night and morning hours of July 5 and6. DEM is collecting water samples ofthe Harbor to test for fecal coliform bacteria levels. DEM will then make a determination on theduration of the closure upon review of those sample results.

Where’sthe bite

Stripedbassfishing remains good in the mid and lower Bay as well as at Block. Angler Eric Appolonia of North Kingstown saidhe and three passengers caught eight keeper bass in about two hours on theSouthwest Ledge using eels Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait and Tackle, Warwicksaid, “Bass fishing in the East Passage at Sandy Point, Prudence Island, GouldIsland, around Newport and off Jamestown has been outstanding.” Captain Kevin Bettencourt of East Providencesaid, “We are still doing outstanding- catching bass off Jamestown early in themorning using chunks of menhaden.” Captain Drew Dangelo reports catching bassin the 30 pound range fairly regularly at Block Island with an occasional fishin the 40 pound range. “Narrow River is holding bass with anglers catching themon the outgoing tide.” said Mary Dangelo of Maridee Bait & Canvas,Narragansett.

Fluke(summer flounder) fishing has been good some days and off otherdays. Spots have been hot and othershave not. Angler Mike Swain of Coventrysaid, “We struggled at Austin’s Hollow off Jamestown last week catching onekeeper and three shorts”. Anglersfishing the mouth of the Sakonnet River continue do well there. I fished off Newport in the Seal Ledge areathis weekend with Patrick and Kevin DeSorbo of Clifton Park, NY and had good results, five keeper fluke and two black sea bassin about 90 minutes. Ken Ferrara ofRay’s Bait & Tackle said, “Customers are catching fluke around the bridges,at Austin’s Hollow, overall fluke fishing is good.”

Scupfishing remains strong. “Customers are catching scup on Pier 5 in Galilee and on the East Wall.”said Mary Dangelo of Maridee Bait & Canvas. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait said, “The scup have been thick at Rocky Pointwith 16” scup being taken there and at other places in the Bay.”