Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar; Coast Guard Auxilary Boating and Navigation Courses

Learn how to catch big fish: George Poveromo, all smiles after landing this 39-pound striped bass, will host the Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series this Saturday at Rhode Island College.  Poveromo is also the host of the NBC Sports Network television series - George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing.

On patrol: Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary North Star Flotilla (shown here on patrol) are helping boaters sharpen their skills this winter by offering three courses.

Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar to be held Saturday

The Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series will be held in Providence, Rhode Island this Saturday, February 2, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Roberts Hall Auditorium, Rhode Island College. George Poveromo, host of George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing on the NBC Sports Network, and editor-at-large for Salt Water Sportsman, will headline the program, along with Tom Richardson, noted New England angler and a prominent fishing writer and editor.  Eleven captains and fishing experts will be on stage including local captain Andy Dangelo, distinguished authority on catching tuna, and sharks, as well as trophy fluke, blackfish and cod with his charter boat, Maridee II and Captain Dave Monti (author of this column), New England pro with 40 years of experience fishing on Narragansett Bay and off coastal shores for striped bass, fluke and tautog with his boat Angel Light from “No Fluke Charters”. 

Seminar Series tickets are $55.00 each. The ticket price covers six hours of instruction from the best pros in the business, and a gift bag that includes a course textbook, a one-year subscription or extension to Salt Water Sportsman and a host of other items.  Participants receive chances to win thousands of dollars worth of door prizes. The Grand Prize is a Bahamas fishing trip for two to the prestigious Bimini Sands Resort & Marina. The Super Grand Prize, to be awarded two weeks after the conclusion of the 2013 series, is a new Mako Pro Skiff 17’ center console.

Register by calling (800) 448-7360, or visit www.nationalseminarseries.com.

Fly tying and fishing program looking for volunteers

Dave Pollack and Capt. Ray Stachelek are organizing volunteers for the annual Cinder Worm fly tying and fishing program with RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the United States Fish & Wildlife  (USF&W) service at their Kettle Pond Nature Center.  The program includes fly tying workshops on Tuesday, April 30 and Monday, May 6, and then fly fishing with the flies at Ninigret Pond on Saturday, May 11.  A formal announcement with registration information will be published in a month or, however, they are asking for volunteers to help with the program.  In the past Connecticut and Rhody Fly Rodders as well as members of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association have volunteered and mentored at the fly tying and fishing sessions.  USF&W and RI DEM will provide tools, materials and tackle for the sessions. If you are interested in helping out with fly tying or fishing contact Dave Pollack dpollipo@cox.net or Capt. Ray Stachelek at castaflycharters@cox.net.

 ASMFC begins Preparations for tautog benchmark assessment 

This spring, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will begin work on the 2014 benchmark stock assessment for tautog.  The assessment will be used to evaluate the health of the tautog stock and inform the management of this species.  The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public with the date workshop being held March 25 to 29, 2013 and an assessment workshop that will take place in the fall of 2013 (date and meeting locations to be determined).

The Commission welcomes the submission of data sources that will improve the accuracy of the assessment.  This includes, but is not limited to, data on landings and discards (commercial and recreational), catch per unit effort, biological samples (length, age, frequency), and life history information (growth, maturity, fecundity, spawning stock biomass weights, natural mortality). 

The data workshop will review all available data sources for tautog and identify data sets that will be incorporated in the stock assessment.  An assessment workshop will include model development and parameterization of the accepted data sets. The benchmark stock assessment will be peer reviewed in the summer of 2014. 

For those interested in submitting data and/or attending the tautog data workshop (space is limited), contact Dr. Katie Drew, ASMFC Stock Assessment Scientist at kdrew@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740. The deadline for data submission is Friday, February 22, 2013.

Coast Guard Auxiliary helps sharpen boating skills, and it is a great place to volunteer

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a range of courses this winter to help boaters sharpen their skills.  The North Star Flotilla of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering four courses starting February 4; two end in March and one in June.  The four courses are Boating Skills & Seamanship, Sailing Skills & Seamanship and Navigation (beginning & advanced).  On Monday, February 4, 2013 the Flotilla is offering an eight week course on Boating Skills & Seamanship and a Sailing Skills & Seamanship.  The power boat classes are $85 and sail classes $95.   Both classes meet twice a week on Monday and Thursday for eight weeks.  The navigation class meets Mondays for 17 weeks and the cost is $160.  All courses are held at Toll Gate High School in Warwick.  You can visit the Flotilla’s web site at www.northstarflotilla.com or call Roz Butziger at 401.739.6028.

You can also join a local Flotilla which is the basic organizational unit of the Auxiliary.  We have several in RI.  If you feel strongly about the rewards you can get from serving your community and enjoy the water, the Coast Guard Auxiliary might be the right place for you to volunteer.   You can serve doing on-water operations, in the Auxiliary's public education program, the vessel safety check program, be a radio watch stander, help with Coast Guard recruiting, work on marine environmental protection or with Coast Guard administration.

Captain Arnold (Nick) Butziger, of the North Star Flotilla, said they are always looking for new members.  The North Star Flotilla is located in Warwick in the Brewer's Greenwich Bay Marina/Chellos' Restaurant parking lot at the mouth of Apponaug Cove.  For information contact Capt. Butziger at 401.739.6028.  

Fly tying fun for all

George and Michael Fotiades of Narragansett, RI enjoy tying flies at a United Fly Tyers of RI monthly meeting last week. George, eleven years old, has been fly tying for three years.

Four year old Liam Palumbo of North Kingstown, RI with the first tautog he ever caught this weekend off the north end of Hope Island on No Fluke Charters.

Richard Palumbo (seven years old) of North Kingstown, RI caught his first tautog this weekend (and the fifth fish of is lifetime as he was proud to claim) this past Sunday.

Chris Catucci of Warwick, RI with the bass he caught last week at Warwick Pond.

Fly tying great fun for men, women and children
“Just fluff it up, like this, to give it that 3-D effect.” said Mike Maddalena as he instructed saltwater fly fisherman on how to make a Peanut Bunker (juvenile menhaden) fly. The Peanut Bunker fly ended up being about four inches in length. All five anglers at his table including, Jim Mancini of East Greenwich, RI, watched intently as Mike fluffed up his fly strategically being held in place by his fly vice as he instructed the group.
Maggie Grenier of Jamestown, RI has been fly fishing for over ten years with her husband and tying flies for about five years. “We fly fish together, but I do most of the tying. We usually fish freshwater even though we are surrounded by saltwater in Jamestown.” Maggie and the group at her table were tying what you might call a juvenile May Fly… a blue winged olive emerger.
Michael Fotiades and his son George from Narragansett, Rhode Island were tying a bass bug diver fly that used a Stacking Deer Hair technique at an intermediate skill level table. Mike said, “George is eleven years old and he has been tying for three years now. He first started with the United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island’s Junior Program for youth and now has advanced to tie intermediate level flies. We fly fish together, both salt and freshwater so living in Narragansett is ideal.”
I experienced these and other fly fishing and fly tying stories from men, women and children at last week’s United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island’s (UFTRI) monthly fly tying workshop held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 475 Post Road, Warwick, RI. They meet there the first Wednesday of each month from September to May at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend and try fly tying at no cost the first time, then if you like it, become a member for $30 a year and receive expert instruction and fly tying materials for the entire year.
Each month 40 to 60 members in groups of five or six meet to tie flies. The UFTRI has an online catalog of flies on their web site at www.uftri.org . Members who see a fly in the catalog that they would like to learn how to tie can request it as one of the five or six featured flies they focus on each month. The UFTRI meeting I attended last week was great. Club members and volunteers are very welcoming to newcomers and beginners and it was obvious that members enjoy each other’s company, that they meet to tell stories, learn from each other and often end up fishing together.
Peter Burgess, UFTRI vice president, said, “The first thing we tell people when they come in the door is just try it tonight, don’t give us your $30 membership fee until you think you might like to join.” No need to be concerned if you do not have the tools. Peter, UFTRI president Mike Maddalena or one of their fellow club volunteers will greet you at the door and set you up with a fly tying kit for the night that includes a vice. For information visit their website at www.uftri.org .

NOAA considers whether river herring should be on endangered species list
NOAA has determined that a petition to list alewife and blueback herring, collectively referred to as river herring, under the Endangered Species Act presents enough scientific and commercial information to merit further review. As a result, the agency will conduct a formal review of river herring population status and trends. If NOAA determines that a listing is appropriate, the agency will publish a proposed rule and take public comment before publishing a final decision. However, if NOAA determines that that listing these species is not appropriate, the process ends.
Both alewife and blueback herring are found in coastal waters and rivers from Canada to North Carolina, although blueback herring’s range extends farther south to Florida. Both species are managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Rhody Fly Rodders to meet Tuesday, November 15
Rhody Fly Rodders, the oldest saltwater fly fishing club in America, will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, November 15th. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a short session of fly tying, with Steve Messier tying Atlantic salmon flies and Armand Courchaine tying his favorite Striped Bass Fly. At 7:30 p.m., a slide presentation on Tarpon fishing, and the story of artist, Armand Lamontagne's carving of Ted Williams will be presented by Gene Matteson. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the Riverside Sportsman Association, Mohawk Drive (off Wampanoag Trail, ¼ mile north of the WPRO radio station) in East Providence.
Where’s the bite
Striped bass. RISAA angler Joe Petuli said, “Caught about eight fish mid morning (Saturday) around Conimicut Light, all on the troll fishing amongst the birds. (Striped) Bass were deeper (used down rigger)and a couple were in the 32-34" range. Two heavy bluefish came on top… blues were spitting juvie menhaden. All fish released.” Striped bass bite has slowed around Block Island but some great fish still being caught.
Tautog fishing is fair to good when anglers can get out due to rough seas last week. Captain Rich Hittinger said he fished the Seal Ledge area off Newport early last week catching keepers with shorts mixed in with rough water. This weekend I had the pleasure of tautog fishing with Liam (four years old), his brother Richard (six years old) and their dad Richard Palumbo from North Kingstown. The boys caught their fist tautog ever off the north side of Hope Island. Tom Pelletier an associate at Quaker Lane Outfitters, North Kingstown, said, “Customers are catching fish off Newport and southern coastal shores.” Dave Howe on the RISAA blog reports, “All keepers on Brenton Point today (Sunday) in 30 to 35 feet.” The Seven B’s party boat out of Galilee, RI reported a good black fishing day Saturday with a few limits on the boat with the largest fish over seven pounds.
Fresh water. Angler Chris Catucci of Warwick, said, “ I was fishing Warwick pond for a couple of hours this weekend and ended up getting a couple nice bass on a finesse jig. Seems like this time of year you don't get many bites but the ones you do happen to get are good sized bass.”