Lots new at the Newport Boat Show

Steve Brustein of Portland, ME with a 30 pound Block Island striped bass he caught Saturday on No Fluke Charters.

Fluke still holding inshore: Angler Jack Leyden of North Kingstown with two fluke to 22” he managed to catch while fishing in the Newport Bridge area after storms last week.

 Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle and Capt. Jack Sprengle of East Coast Charters with the 120 pound bluefin tuna they caught Friday in Cape Cod Bay.

Lots new at the Newport Boat Show

The Newport International Boat Show held this weekend was a great success.  I attended Sunday under threatening skies and the in-the-water show docks were crowded with attendees. Over 600 exhibitors were at the show with an assortment of boats and a wide variety of accessories, equipment, electronics, gear and services for boaters. I visited the People’s Choice Award Winning manufacturer and checked out a few other exhibits that impressed me. 

The Nordic Tug 40 foot Flybridge won the People’s Choice award at the show.  Its big sister the Nordic 44 Tug took second place in the People’s Choice.  The Nordic Tugs on display at the show were getting a lot of attention when I toured them. I ran into three different Nordic Tug owners who were just stopping by to say hello to the Nordic team.  One owner said, “You know what makes the Nordic a desirable boat… it’s the fit and finish, just look at this woodwork.”  Paul Tortora, sales representative for Wilde Yacht Sales that represents Nordic, said, “Nordic gives you the economy of a displacement hull (2.5 gallons/hour), yet it can comfortably cruise into the mid to upper teens.”  The Nordic 40 features a new wider swim platform with a large stern entry door and new this year a second side door at the stern. The Nordic Tug 40 brochure price was $729,950. Visit www.wildeyachts.com   for details.

The Parker 2510 walk around with a cuddy cabin is a fishing machine.  This stable fishing platform has been upgraded with some finer touches such as colored hulls and fabrics.  Over the past couple of years they added a stern cockpit door and live well.  Tom Grimes, sales associate for Don’s Marine in Tiverton that represents Parker in this market said, “Parker was always a great fishing boat appealing to fishermen.  They now have added some touches like hull colors and fabric colors that appeal to women and families.”  The 25 foot Parker on display a the show featured a Windlass Package, a  West Coast Bow Rail Package, a Sandy Tan Hull and two 200 horsepower engines.  The show special price on this 2016 2510 W/A was $132,366.  Visit www.donsmarineri.com  for details on this Parker and others.

Dockwa software application that can find you dockage or a mooring in Newport, Boston, the Cape and Islands, New York and a host of other destinations. Discover and stay in new harbors… just tap, book a slip or mooring. The app works from your telephone or the web.  The application can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google and it is totally free. So book in advance or make a last-minute reservation with Dockwa.  Visit www.dockwa.com  for details.

Zipwake dynamic trim control tabs.  These are not your conventional aluminum trim tabs but a system that incorporates a state of the art series of durable, fast-acting interceptors that eliminate the trim problems of planning and semi planning boats between 20 and 60 feet.  Zipwake sales associate Dan Schermerhorn of Pro Marine Distributing said, “The system eliminates boat pitch when passengers walk around the vessel automatically and the system automatically eliminates wave resistance which saves fuel and money.”  Prices for the system which includes a control panel, distribution unit and their state of the art interceptors that extend and retract as needed start at about $1,800 for vessels 18 to 20 feet.  To get a feel for how this system works, visit www.zipwake.com.

Fisheries Council reviews policy document

The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC), which makes commercial and recreational fishing regulation recommendations, met last week largely to review and approve a new policy and procedures document for the Council.  The document formalized new Department of Environmental Management (DEM) policy pertaining to how it solicits public input on fisheries regulations at newly formed public workshops.

The workshops take the place of specie advisory panels that use to meet multiple nights rather than at one workshop meeting.  The workshops are part of the Department’s “lean initiative” that identified ways to save time and money while enhancing public participation at input meetings.

Although most specie advisory panels were eliminated, two remain intact; the Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) that coordinates recommendations from commercial fisheries sectors and the Shellfish Advisory Panel (SAP) which provides recommendations to the Council on all shellfish-related matters.

The RIMFC also welcomed two new councilpersons to their first meeting;  Michael Roderick, an executive at Town Dock, Narragansett and Travis Barao of East Providence, a recreational fisherman and a member of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) board of directors.

For information on RIMFC meeting material and minutes from past meetings, visit www.dem.ri.gov .

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing improved greatly this week as the water cleared from the storm.  Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “Anglers are catching striped bass from shore in the lower Providence River from Pawtuxet to Conimicut Point using eels and lures. Fishing is also good on the Cape. Customer Elijah Depaolo (13 years old) caught a 32 pound bass using live eels on the Cape Cod Cannel.” Jason Macedo of Lucky Bait, Warren caught a 47 pound striped bass last Friday at Block Island using eels at night.  Angler Eric Appolonia said, “My son Alex and his friends fished the Southwest Ledge of Block Island this past week and caught nine striped bass on one drift using eels.” I fished with Steve Brustein of Portland, ME Saturday at the Southwest Ledge where he managed to hook up with bass to 30 pounds trolling tube & worm.  Bill Sokolowski reports on the RISAA blog that, “We fished the Southwest Ledge Saturday night and once the sun set bass started to hit on each drift. Three of us caught a total of ten striped bass. The largest was 35 pounds. We each kept a small fish and released the balance. So much for no fish on a full moon. It couldn't have been a more beautiful night!”  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “School size bass are being caught in the East Passage with a few keepers mixed in.”

Black sea bass and fluke.  The fluke bite has softened a great deal, however the black sea bass bite is still good.  Angler Mike Swain of Coventry fished off Narrgansett Saturday and boated six nice black sea bass and one summer found.  I fished south of the windmill area at Block Island Saturday as well as the Hooter buoy area off Pt. Judith and did not catch as may black sea bass as we have in the bass with only short fluke caught at this time.  Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait said, “Sea bass fishing for some customers is OK with fluke still being gh off Newport and at the mouth of the Sakonnet River.”

False Albacore. “ The albie bite from shore at Pier Five, actually anywhere from Narrow River to the West Wall has been outstanding from shore.  One customer caught 50 false albacore from Pier Five. Most people do not eat them but I have some customers that like eating them.  They prepare them using coconut milk.” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Cod fishing has been good.  Angler Lary Norin reports catchingt cod to 30 pounds on Cox’s Ledge.  Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “Our largest fish this week was in the 20’s with fish taken on both bait and jigs.  Hi hook this week went to an angler that boated seven nice cod fish.”

Bluefish large and small are being caught in the Bay with skipjacks growing in size.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait said, “Some skipjacks are 6 to 10 inches long, and they are still very plentiful.”  Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait said, “Bluefish are all over the Bay, more plentiful than they have been most of the season.”

Tuna fishing for school bluefin is hot at the Cape.  Angler Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “I fished with Capt. Jack Sprengel of East Coast Charters, Warwick Friday on the Cape and landed a 120 pound bluefin using light tackle with a spinning reel and jig in 173 feet of water.”

Get hooked on fly fishing

 Travis Barao of East Providence with a cod he caught when fishing with his father Gil at Cox’s Ledge.

 Karen Franzesem Farmingdale, NY with 8.4 pound fluke she caught on the Frances Fleet.

Amanda Prisco of Warwick with black sea bass she and family caught off Newport.

Get hooked on fly fishing

Lean how to freshwater and saltwater fly fish this fall at the Department of Environment Management (DEM) fishing training program.

 

DEM is offering three programs:  Introduction to Freshwater Fly-fishing, Saturday, September 19, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Addieville East Game Farm, Mapleville; Introduction to Saltwater Fly-fishing, Saturday, October 17, 900 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the US fish and Wildlife Service’s Kettle Pond Visitors Center, Charlestown; and Fall Fly-tying 2015, sessions held on six Mondays beginning November 2 to December 7, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the North Kingstown Community Center.

Instructors for all classes are knowledgeable and experienced fly-fishing instructor guides and most belong to organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Rhody Fly-Rodders and United Fly-Tyers. The freshwater and saltwater lessons are $15 and the fly-tying classes are $5 each or six for $25.  Space for all classes is limited and registration is required.

For information and registration materials contact Kimberly Sullivan in DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education program at 401.539.0019 or at kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

Black sea bass limit increases to seven

The black sea bass catch limit increased to seven fish/person/day last week. Anglers are reporting a good bite off Pt. Judith, at Block Island, off Newport, along the southern coastal shore and in the Bay in the Jamestown and Newport Bridge areas. So now is the time to try to catch some for your dinner plate as they are a great eating fish. 

Black sea bass facts

Black sea bass (BSB) is a delicate, sweet-tasting saltwater fish. The firm, white flesh of this species is a favorite of many.  They have the ability to adjust their color to blend in with the bottom with colors ranging from grey, brown, black to a deep indigo hue.  BSB are hermaphroditic fish… they begin life as female then turn male.  They put up a good feisty fight but do not grow to be huge fish in the Northeast.  The largest black sea bass caught was 9 pounds, 8 ounces and about 19.7” long.   Ideal water temperature for black sea bass is 59 to 64 degrees.

How and where to catch black sea bass… rigs and bait

Rigs often used to catch black sea bass have two hooks approximately 12” to 16” apart with a bank sinker to hold bottom.  Squid or sea clams are most often used as bait.  Anglers often catch them while fishing for summer flounder (fluke) or tautog because they are on or close to the bottom.  They can also be caught with jigs and many prefer this method.

Any underwater structures… rocks, wrecks, piers and jetties will attract black sea bass.  The larger males are generally found in deeper water.

NOAA seeks assessment working group members

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking members for regional stock assessment workshop working groups for upcoming assessments of monkfish, black sea bass, surfclam, ocean quahog and maceral.  The way members for working groups are selected has been revised.  Members of the SAW WG must have the technical expertise and knowledge required to make meaningful contributions to the stock assessment.  Applications for the black sea bass group are due September 21, other assessment group applications are due September 30.

For information contact Olivia Rugo, NOAA Regional Office, at 978-675-2167 or email her at Olivia.Rugo@noaa.gov.

Learn “The Little Things” about fly fishing

The Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU225) will host its monthly membership meeting Wednesday, September 30, 6:30 p.m. at the Coventry/West Greenwich Elks Lodge, 42 Nooseneck Hill Road (Rte. 3, Exit 6 off of Rte. 95), West Greenwich, R.I.  This will be the first indoor meeting of the season.

Learn about the "The Little Things” (seemingly the minor factors that can make a big difference in your fishing results) from Steve Culton, an experienced fly fishing guide, professional fly tyer, and freelance writer from neighboring Connecticut.  Steve’s passions include fishing for trout, stripers, steelhead, and in small streams with wild brookie populations.  For information contact Ron Marafioti (401) 463-6162.

Newport International Boat Show September 18^th-20^th

The largest boat show in New England, the Newport International Boat show, will ‘kick off’ the fall boat show season, Thursday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20^th.

The Newport International Boat Show provides visitors from around the world a venue to see the latest boats and product offerings from hundreds of manufacturers and dealers, including dozens debuting for the first time in the United States. Show planners are offering a variety of educational and fun activities for boating enthusiasts of all ages and experience.  For information visit www.newportboatshow.com.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing continues to be strong on Block Island’s Southwest Ledge with anglers landing bass using eels.  This week even the day bite has been good.  Anglers Peter Vican and Don Smith said they have been doing well at night hooking up multiple times as many as fifteen fish a night.  Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “Customers are catching bass on eels even during the day.  Fish are in the 25 to 30 pound range.”  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle said, “A few school size bass are being caught a Barrington Beach but the blue fish bite has been very good there with fish in the 3 to 5 pound range.”  “Block Island bass fishing is still hot with good sized keepers being caught from the Charlestown Breachway.” said Julian Trozzi of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown.  “Business has been very good this weekend.  Fluke, black sea bass, and striped bass are all biting at Block Island.  We have sold a lot of eels to customers going bass fishing on Block Island.” Fly fishing expert Ed Lombardo said, “We have been fishing the Narrow River which is producing great hickory shad fishing. Lots of bait in the rivers right now mostly silversides in sizes from 1” to 4” in length. Small flies made of black buck tail over white buck tail with a body made of silver tinsel are working very well, 2” in length. Lots of action and fun on 6 to 8 wt. rods. The Charlestown Breachway has a lot of bait and shad as well, bass are not up inside of the rivers yet, water is just too warm. Bass are being taken on the beaches and at the month of the river.”

Summer flounder (fluke) fishing is still good. “Customers are still catching fluke on the southeast side of Block Island and at the hooter buoy off Pt. Judith in about 80 feet of water.” said Matt Conti of Snug Harbor.  I fished this weekend off Newport and found fluke fishing very difficult landing three small keepers about 19 inches".  Julian Trozzi of Snug Harbor said, “Fluke fishing off Green Hill has been good, but the fish have not been large.” Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “We had some limit catches, especially earlier in the week. A few fish in the 8 to 9 pound range earlier in the week for pool winners with 6-7 pound fish the pool fish average later in the week. Various forms of gulp worms, whole squid, hi lo buck tails and regular rental rod set ups all had their respective moments in the sun this past week so be prepared to vary your approach when necessary.”

Bonito fishing is still very good.  Matt Conti of Snug Harbor said “The green bonito are all around from Narragansett to Westerly but they are up and down so you have to chase them.”  Julian Trozzi of Breachway Bait & Tackle said, “There is an awful lot of bait in the water and the bonito fishing is good as they chase bait all along the southern coastal shore.”

Scup fishing is good in most places.  John Littlefield of Archie’s bait said, “Anglers are catching scup at Sabin Point, Hanes Park and Colt State Park.”

Black sea bass (BSB) fishing (with an enhanced angler limit of seven fish per day as of September 1^st) has been very good.  “Albert Bettencourt of Riverside and two fishing partners’ boated 21 sea bass to five pounds in less than two hours at Block Island.” said John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle.  Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “A good number of black sea bass limits this week with many fish in the 2 to 4 pound range with a decent amount upwards to and even over 5 pound on a few outings.”  Angler Dick Pastore said, “BSB fishing west of southwest ledge (off Block Island) Sunday with great success. Large squid baits on fluke rigs, although a single hook with a few beads and maybe a spinner does just fine. Fish were in 85’ of water. Size ranged from 14” to 22”.”

Offshore fishing. “Cod fishing is still good at Coxes Ledge.” said Matt Conti of Snug Harbor. “The yellow fin, big eye tuna and sword fish bite has been good at the west Atlantis canyon area.  Anglers are having success chucking and chumming this week.  They have caught yellow fish tuna in the 80 pound range.” Conti said.  Patti Ferrara of Ray’s Bait said, “We sold several flats of mackerel to anglers fishing offshore. The offshore bite is good.”  Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “Anglers on our first offshore tuna trip crushed the yellowfin tuna with many of them easily limiting out. Nice fish mostly in the 40 to 60 pound range with the best around 70 pounds. A good amount of mahi was caught as well. Frances Fleet captains reported the ocean to be alive with bait and tuna busting all over the place. Some big swordfish came into the slick including one estimated at well over 300 pounds but no offering could tempt the fish. The bite was reported to be primarily a bait bite with just a few on jigs and no bite on the troll.” Angler Dick Pastore said on the RISAA blog, “One enormous blue shark released. Had two white marlin in the slick at different times. Was chumming with mackerel pieces and butterfish with menhaden chum bucket over the side. Each white marlin hung around for 15 minutes. Threw a butterfish bait at the second one and he inhaled it. Had 30 pound fluorocarbon leader which he bit off at the knot in about 10 minutes. Another boat on my dock hooked up a white marlin on a green machine Saturday. There are a bunch of these fish around.”