Worm hatch strong, bass can be elusive

 

Squid are in:  John Migliori of Newport with a squid he caught on the Goat Island Bridge in Newport last week.  Migliori said, “Squidding at Goat Island is better than it has been in a few years.”

VIP fishing:  Visually impaired persons fish aboard the Frances Fleet party boat.   The 7^th Annual VIP Tournament will be held on June 22 this year.

Where’s the bite

With warmer weather and a lot of bait (Atlantic Menhaden and squid) in Narragansett Bay and along coastal shores fishing broke wide open this week with tautog, fluke and striped bass.  Here’s what is going on.

Striped bass bite for smaller school bass was very strong all along coastal shores and in Narragansett Bay.  Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly said, “Many fish were caught in the River (Pawcatuck) this week with s 28” keeper caught from shore at Weekapaug.”  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “There were more striped bass in Greenwich Bay this week than in years.  Everyone was catching school bass with an occasional keeper (one in fifty fish).”  Last week’s warming water combined with bait fish (Atlantic Menhaden) being in the Bay in large numbers seemed to be the combination of conditions needed to activate the bass.  Dave Pickering, noted author and shore striped bass fisherman said, “The hot artificial combination that has been scoring big time has been a Red Gill teaser set up on a leader along with a white, 7 1/2 inch Slug-Go at the terminal end.  The leader that holds this all  together is made with 30 lb. test mono and is about 2 1/2 feet long.  The teaser (Red Gill) dangles about 6 inches off the leader's swivel.  This is cast out and twitched along with short pulls of the rod tip as you retrieve at a slow to moderate speed.  The Slug-Go moves erratically in the water and stripers simply cannot resist slamming it.”  Several anglers have reported worm hatches in coves and rivers in both the east and west passages of the Bay with striped bass feeding on the surface.  Reports have been from Allen Harbor, East Greenwich Cove and areas in the Mt. Hope Bay area.  A few warm days have created ripe conditions for worm hatches. Fly fisherman Ed Lombardo said, “Fished the Barrington and Warren Rivers last week… we did very well in the Warren River with dark olive streamers and black colored streamers as well. A lot of mummy chubs showing in the river. The bass we caught had sea lice and where in the 12" to 18" class, lots of fish and lots of fun!”

Tautog fishing was heated up this week too.  Angler Larry Norin said he fishied off shore this week for tautog, “Left Point Judith at 7:00 a.m. Three guyes fished for two and a half hours and we caught eleven fish, nine keepers to six pounds, all on crabs in 30-40 feet of water.” Ken Landry and friend caught tautog to 11 ½ pounds using both clam worms and green crabs. “They fished at Plum Point Light, General Rock and Ohio Ledge.” said Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait.  Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters said the tautog bite has been slow as not many anglers are targeting them this spring.

Fluke fishing is heating up with commercial fishermen starting to land fish along the southern coastal beaches.  Noted fluke angler Cathy Muli said, “Got the word there's small fluke on the beach  here, draggers are working out front.”  So Cathy and her husband Pat gave it a try this weekend. “There were only three boats out (ours being one of them) from Watch Hill to Weakapaug Breachway.” They picked up a few fish, all under 18” (recreational minimum size is 18” this year, 8 fish/angler/day).  Cathy said, “I used the Jackpot Digger Jig with a new addition to the line… a fluorescent squid skirt on a glow jig head. That's what I was using tipped with a strip of squid.  Pat, on the other hand, was using the white/red bucktail jig. We got out late 12:30 p.m. stayed 2 hours… Nothing to write home about but at least we know they're moving in.”  Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet reports that, “(Last week) hi hook took home six fine keepers with everyone on board getting at least 2- 3 fish apiece to take home. Pool fish was 5 lbs…. This past Saturday's fluke fishing was also pretty good with a nice pull of keepers... From mid week on they have been marking increasing amounts of bait as well.”

Squid fishing has blown wide open with the Frances Fleet reporting great squid trips, “Patrons are landing a half of bucket (five gallon pail) each which is equal to last year’s best trip,” said Roger Simpson.  John Migliori of Newport said, “Squidding at Goat Island is better than it has been in a few years.”

Worm hatch strong, bass can be elusive

Several anglers reported worm hatches in rivers and coves in Narragansett Bay this week. All it took was a few days of warm weather. Reports are from both the East and West Passages of the Bay and we can expect worm hatches in such places as Salt Pond in Narragansett, East Greenwich Cove, Allen Harbor, Wickford Cove, the Barrington and Warren Rivers in the West Passage as well as areas in Mt. Hope Bay.

As related in an earlier column this year, fishing worm hatches for striped bass can be exciting and frustrating at the same time. Cinder worms are small spawning worms almost tadpole like in their movements.  They have a wormlike body up top with a tail that wags through the water propelling them in an erratic fashion at fast speeds in circles through the water.

Striped bass (bluefish too) key in on the spawning worms (often in May and June) and feed actively on the surface, close enough to the shore to be well in range of anglers casting with spinning reels or wading fly rod fishermen.  They are also fished from boats on saltwater ponds, coves and in saltwater estuaries of all types.

When the worm hatch is at its peak using a fly or bait that resembles a cinder worm may not be a good idea.  If there is too much bait around the bass may not bite, however, if you present something different to the bass, to gain their interest, you could hook up with some nice striped bass.  It’s all about getting the bass interested in what you have to offer and they can be finicky and difficult to catch during a hatch.  However, when the hatch starts to slow down it may be a good idea to present bait that looks like a cinder worm as the bass may be hunting for the worms as they are getting scarce. 

Fluke fishing seminar this Friday at Watch Hill Outfitters

Watch Hill Outfitters, 157 Main Street, Westerly, will hold a free seminar on summer flounder (fluke fishing) Friday, May 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Mike Wade, owner of Watch Hill Outfitters, said quest speakers will be Capt. Tom Logan of Fish-On-Charters and Cathy Muli of Jackpot Digger Jigs. Fishing gear and rig manufactures will be on hand as well.  Call 401.207.4952 for reservations and information.

Fluke fishing and cooking seminar May 19

A RI Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) summer flounder (fluke) fishing and cooking seminar will be held Monday, May 19.  Captains Ron Hartman and Rich Hittinger along with local fluke expert Bob Murray will share tips from over their combined sixty years of fluke fishing experience.  Chef Ralph Battista, executive chef and owner of Luigi’s Restaurant & Gourmet Express, Johnston, will talk about cooking fluke.  Chef Battista is an avid angler who also loves to fish aboard his vessel Hook’n & Cook’n.  Seminar at 7:00 p.m., West Valley Inn, Blossom Street, West Warwick.  Non-members are asked to make a $10 donation, RISAA members attend free.

Fishing Tournament for visually impaired adults

The RI Lions Sight Foundation (RILSF) will host their 7th Annual VIP Fishing Tournament for Visually Impaired Persons (VIP’s) of Rhode Island on June 22, 2014.

The Tournament, which takes place on a party fishing boat out of Galilee, RI, is supported through donations from RI Lions Clubs and individual donors. This year, the Tournament will also receive support from the Pabst Brewing Company through the Pabst Blue Ribbon Northeastern Fishing Tournament held from June through September (visit www.pbrfishing.com).

The event includes breakfast and a half-day of fluke fishing followed by lunch and an awards presentation.  Participants vie for the opportunity to represent Rhode Island at the Lions National VIP Tourney being held in October in North Carolina. 

The event is free of charge to all VIP’s and their guides. To be eligible participants are must be legally blind, at least 17 years old, are physically able to fish from a party boat, and must be accompanied by a guide (transportation and/or guides will be provided if needed).

VIP’s and guides must fill out an application to participate.  Visit http://www.lions4sight.org/index.htm or call Ken Barthelemy at 401-529-6173 for information.

DEM and DOH to Kick off Great Outdoors Pursuit this Sunday

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the RI Department of Health (DOH) will kick off their Great Outdoors Pursuit (Pursuit #1) Sunday, May 18, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Lincoln Woods State Park.  Subsequent “Pursuit” events will take place the same time of day on June 22 and July 27 with the final “Pursuit #4” taking place Saturday, August 9.   The aim of the program is to encourage Rhode Islanders to reconnect with the great outdoors, get active and have fun.

“Our Great Outdoors Pursuit gets families outdoors, where they can enjoy nature, get fit and have fun.  Reconnecting children and families with the natural world will ensure a healthy future for our children and for our planet.” said DEM Director Janet Coit.

Four of the Pursuits take place on specific dates in set locations and are guided by DEM staff and their partners. Guided Pursuits include free outdoor adventures such as biking, hiking, nature walks, fitness challenges, kayaking, fishing and rock climbing. They also include music, environmental and health-related exhibits and free raffles, give-a-ways and samples.

Teams of children and adults will be challenged to visit different facilities and take part in outdoor adventures and learn about environmental and health issues over a 12-week period. They earn points for each “Pursuit” event they attend and can win prizes valued up to $1,000 at the Grand Finale. Each team must include a minimum of two people – one member over age 18 and one member under age 18. There is no limit on the number of members that each team may have.

This year program partners include United Healthcare, Verizon, Clivus New England, Fort Adams Trust, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the YMCA, and Coast 93.3.

For more information contact Robert Paquette at (401) 667-6200 (robert.paquette@dem.ri.gov) or Terri Bisson at (401) 222-2776, ext. 4402 (terri.bisson@dem.ri.gov).

Working together for the good of the fish

Signed, sealed, and delivered:   Dean Bruce Corliss of the URI Graduate School of Oceanography and Janet Coit, DEM Director sign an agreement to form the RI Maine Fisheries Institute that aims to sustain fisheries in RI. 

Agriculture Day with an aquaculture twist:  Speakers on Agriculture Day included Bob Rheault of Ocean State Aquaculture Association; Senator Susan Sosnowski, chair of the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee; Janet Coit, DEM director; and Art Handy, chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources committee.

Working together for the good of the fish

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the University Of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) announced the formation of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Institute (RIMFI) which is a research collaboration that aims to sustain fisheries in Rhode Island.  RIMFI will coordinate marine fisheries science, research and educational activities.  It will serve as a link between marine fisheries programs at DEM and URI serving as the focal point for collaboration with the Rhode Island commercial and recreational fishing communities.

The formation of RIMFI was announced Monday at an overview session at the URI Bay Campus Mosby Center which included an agreement signing ceremony with URI Graduate School of Oceanography Dean Bruce Corliss and DEM Director Janet Coit, followed by words of support from Congressmen James Langevin.

Jason McNamee, DEM marine biologist and one of the principle architects of the Institute said, “The Institute was an idea that Mark Gibson had (Gibson is Deputy Chief of Marine Fisheries at DEM).   He encouraged us to form the Institute. The concept is based on the successful model developed by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the University of Massachusetts.”  McNamee continued to say, “The RIMFI will utilize the strength and resources of Rhode Island fishing industries (both commercial and recreational) for marine fisheries research.”

The primary objective of the new Institute is to develop and undertake innovative and practical fisheries research projects that will contribute to the scientific understanding and sound management of the marine fisheries resources of the State and region, and to the economic growth and stability of the commercial and recreational fishing industries that rely upon those resources.

Professor Jeremy Collie, URI Graduate School of Oceanography, worked with DEM’s McNamee to develop the Institute proposal.  Professor Collie said the projects developed by the RIMFI will be collaborative in nature with Rhode Island’s fishing industry, both recreational and commercial. The ideas for the collaborative projects will be developed through steering meetings to be held between the RIMFI and Rhode Island fishing industry stakeholders.

Collie said, “Possible projects might include the impact of climate change on lobster and shellfish; specie specific research on recreational summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and river herring fisheries; squid and windowpaine founder; as well as scup processing to name a few.”

Representatives from the commercial and recreational fishing community were well represented at the meeting. Steve Medeiros, president of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association said, “We plan to participate in Institute input sessions and provide substantive research recommendations that would help us understand our fisheries better.” Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) members in attendance (including me) were happy to see the formation of the Institute.  The hope is that research that is better coordinated will lead to better information to make fisheries management decisions.  The RIMFC makes commercial and recreational fishing regulation recommendations to DEM.

Jason McNamee said the hope is that other educational institutions such as Roger Williams University (Dr. David Taylor), NOAA (their Narragansett, RI research lab directed by Dr. Jonathan Hare), Save-the-Bay, the Nature’s Conservancy and other NGOs doing fisheries and eco-system research will collaborate and become part of the Institute’s work. “We wanted to first have the two founding partners… URI and DEM… agree on RIMFI’s mission before getting others to join.”

“(The Institute) is a model that puts Rhode Island’s best foot forward: marine fisheries scientists, researchers, and managers from the state agency and the state university, working together with industry to develop strong science to inform the fisheries management process and achieve robust and sustainable fisheries,” said DEM Director Janet Coit. 

Where’s the bite

Striped bass.  The good news is that the spring run of striped bass are here, however, they are the advance run of small school bass with large fish behind them.  Al Conti of Snug Harbor Bait & Tackle, South Kingstown said, “They caught school bass in big numbers this weekend at the West Wall (of the Harbor of Refuge) with two anglers that I know of catching keepers size bass (28” or over).”  I worked on my boat at Gardner’s Wharf, North Kingstown Saturday and school bass were swirling in Wickford Cove.  Jason Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren, said, “School bass are in but no reports of anyone catching a keeper bass but customers are buying clams to fish for bass.”  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said “School bass are in East Greenwich Bay and Cove from Sally Rock all the way back to the Godard Park boat ramp in East Greenwich Cove.  My son caught fish in the mid twenty range but no keepers.” 

Tautog fishing is very slow.  Scott Kiefer who caught a 16 pound tautog in the lower Bay last year said, “Slow start for me this year, three trips with bad weather and no bites… the 16 pounder is getting mounted and hopefully on the wall soon.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle East Providence said, “Customers just are not catching a lot of tautog from boats.  One customer fished the General Rock North Kingstown area, Half-Way Rock between Jamestown and Middletown and then tried Ohio Ledge in the East Passage of the Bay and not even a nibble. Shore anglers at the Wharf Tavern, at American Tourister  plant and at the Barrington Bridge seem to be doing better with tautog.”  Al Conti of Sung Harbor Marina said, “The water is still very cold.  It was 46 degrees this weekend, that’s still too cold for tautog and large striped bass.”  The water temperature in the middle of the Bay Saturday on my boat was just 50 degrees in the sun.  Generally striped bass and tautog fishing generally gets rolling once the water hits 55 degrees. Another interesting thing, there were very few boats in the water for this time of year. Al Conti said, “Guys have not even been able to paint their bottoms and put their boats in the water because the weather has been so cold and rainy.”

Scup season opened May 1^st and anglers are starting to target them check www.dem.ri.gov  for scup, saltwater and freshwater fishing regulations.

Summer flounder (or fluke) fishing is just starting with a slow start again due to cold water.  Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “A few fish were caught this weekend by anglers off the southern side of Block Island.”  Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said, “Fluke fishing got underway today, Saturday and the anglers aboard managed to scratch a couple keepers and a few throwbacks in the morning. Water temps reading 46 degrees out at Block Island and they are likely a few degrees colder on the bottom. These are the coldest water temps since back in May of 2003…”

Freshwater fishing remains very strong with largemouth bass being caught in many places throughout the state.  Trout fishing is particularly good at lakes and ponds that have been stocked by DEM (visit www.dem.ri.gov for a complete listing).

ASMFC spring meeting May 12-15

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries (ASMFC) will hold its spring meeting in Alexandria, Virginia May 12 to 15.  The ASMFC sets fishing policy and regulations that Rhode Island must follow on a variety of spices. Agenda items worth noting include a review of spiny dogfish (an alternative proposal is being submitted for RI by Robert Ballou of DEM); a workshop on the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act; striped bass catch and release fishing is being considered in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as well as a Technical Committee report and consideration of draft addendum IV on striped bass for public comment.  I will have a report on meeting highlights as they become available.

Agriculture Day with an aquaculture twist

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) along with local farmers, aquaculture associations, universities and government agencies celebrated RI Agriculture Day (and aquaculture), May 1^st in a big way.  Forty eight exhibitors displayed and served their products at the Rhode Island State House.  

Get your gear ready for that big fish

Trout fishing good.  Molly Ean of Providence, an associate at Ocean State Tackle, caught this trout over the weekend at a small pond in Exeter, RI.

Catch big bass with lures.  Noted surf fisherman Steve McKenna, Cranston, said, “Bucktails do not look like anything but resemble everything.” McKenna spoke Monday at a RISAA seminar.

Jamestown cod.  Chris Lundin of Providence caught this 25” cod  this weekend.  “The water was clear but only 44 degrees and Chris caught just the one cod.” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Get your gear ready for that big fish

The last thing you want to do is loose a big fish (any fish for that matter) due to faulty gear or tackle. Experts suggest checking all reels, rods and line before the season starts and to perform 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.

Reel maintenance 

Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off. Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times this is marked on the reel.  If instructions are long gone, ask your local bait shop where to grease.  Do not grease the drag, it is not meant to be greased, if you do, it will not work.

 “Today’s fishing reels have more moving parts than ever… more parts with dissimilar metals, and this is how galvanic corrosion sets in.” said Mike Bucko of Bucko’s Tackle Service, Fall River, MA.  Anglers should wash reels with soapy water after each use, rinse and dry them… but this is not enough to prevent galvanized corrosion.  Bucko said, “Only an internal cleaning can prevent corrosion.”  His company totally dismantles reels, puts all parts through an extensive cleaning process and then reassembles the reels for use.  Visit them at www.buckoparts.com. 

Line

Each year, replace used line.  This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”.    Braid line I spooled on two reels at the end of last the season was still OK, however, I took line off line at the beginning of the reel that was showing wear.  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 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.  Also stretch the line, the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory and avoid tangles.  When you change  line spool tight or the line may slip on the spool. To prevent braided line from slipping first spool some monofilament backing to the reel, tie line together, then spool the braided line onto the reel.

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 baits at the base of the reel when traveling to avoid banging and 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… in this region that means starting with tautog, then striped bass, fluke, bluefish, sea bass, etc.  Make sure you have enough rigs to fish the species.  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.  During the season make sure leaders have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling.  If they do, replace them.  All hooks should be sharp and rust free.

Free fishing weekend… fish stocking suspended at Carolina Trout Pond  

 “Free fishing weekend (this weekend, May 3^rd and 4^th) is a terrific incentive to get outdoors and try something new, especially after the long, cold winter we’ve endured this year,” said DEM Director Janet Coit.   For the fifth year, DEM fish hatcheries are offering anglers the chance to catch a coveted golden rainbow trout. Ponds receiving the golden trout include Brickyard Pond in Barrington, Peck Pond in Burrillville, Browning Mill Pond in Exeter, and Silver Spring Lake in North Kingstown.  Instead of holding a central event this year, they will be stocking these fish in several ponds across the state so that more Rhode Islanders will have an opportunity to fish for the golden trout.

Lucky anglers who catch a golden trout during the free fishing weekend and throughout the season will be given a free golden trout pin. Take a picture of your catch and send it to Kimberly Sullivan of DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education program at Kimberly.Sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

DEM announced that the stocking of trout will be suspended at the Carolina Trout Pond, Richmond, until dam repairs can be made.  Anglers are being asked to stay off the dam.

Saltwater fishing regulations final

At press time, the Department of Environmental Management’s Marine Fisheries Division, was just about to announce final 2014 fishing regulations approved by director Janet Coit. The final regulations are a reflection of what was approved by the Marine Fisheries Council in April.  Complete regulations for all species can soon be found on www.dem.ri.gov or on the RI Saltwater Anglers website at www.risaa.org.  Highlights on five popular species are noted below.

Striped bass:  Status quo with last year’s regulations, 28” minimum size, a possession limit of two fish/person/day. No closed season.

Summer flounder (or fluke):  Status quo with last year’s regulations, 18” minimum size, a possession limit of eight fish/person/day.  May 1 to December 31 season.

Black sea bass: The minimum size is 13” with a shorter season for the first sub-period due to a needed 7% reduction by the ASMFC.  Season runs from June 29 to August 31 with a three fish/person/day limit.  The second sub-period would run from September 1 to December 31 with a seven fish/person/day limit.

Scup:   10” minimum size with the 30 fish/person/day limit with a May 1 to December 31 season. The bag limit for party and charter boats from September 1 to October 31 will increase to 45 fish and then back down to 30 fish/person/day from November 1 to December 31. The 9” minimum size Special Area Provision for shore anglers that was engaged last year for the first time has been expanded to include all of the 2013 areas… India Point Park, Providence; Conimicut Point, Warwick;  and Stonebridge, Tiverton as well as new areas including Fort Adams, Newport;  Fort Wetherill, Jamestown;  the East and West Walls at the Harbor of Refuge, Pt. Judith/Narragansett; and Rocky Point, Warwick.

Tautog:  The spring season ends May 31 so now is the time to fish for tautog as they are illegal to fish June 1 to July 31 during spawning season. Fish have to be sixteen inches. The catch limit for private recreational anglers from April 15 to May 31 and then August 1 to October 17 is three fish/person/day, which  jumps to six fish/person/day on October 18 to December 15 .  There is a ten fish per boat per day limit in all periods.  The boat limit does not apply to charter and party boats. 

Giant tautog caught this week

Huge tautog:  Scott Kiefer of Exeter, RI with the sixteen (16) pound tautog (two above photos) he caught off Hope Island in Narragansett Bay.

Trophy bass:  Robby Araujo of Attleboro, MA with a trophy sized 51 pound striped bass he caught this week drifting eels on the southwest side of Block Island with Capt. Tracy Terrien and his father.

Squeteague still biting.  Carole Prisco (above) of Warwick (with daughter Amanda and husband Charlie) caught four squeteague; the largest was 26” (below) using large pieces of squid between Hope and Gould Islands.

First striped bass.  Benjamin Amadio of Coventry, RI catches his first striped bass while fishing with Joe Pagano of Stuff-it Charters.

Giant tautog caught this week

It was a chilly fall morning requiring jackets.  The sun rose Sunday and things started to warm up at Hope Island off the northern tip of Jamestown in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay.  Anglers Scott Kiefer of Exeter, RI and his fishing partner Angelo Manni anchored and sent their chum pot down. 

“We started to land fish right away.  The tide was ripping.  Conditions were right.” said Scott Kiefer. Then Scott got a huge hit on the green crab he was using for bait. “This fish didn’t go down heading for structure like most tautog.  It ran, very much like a striped bass.  It went behind the boat. Under the boat and when I finally brought it up Angelo looked it in the eye and it ran again.” said Kiefer.  It took Scott with Angelo’s help on the net about six minutes to land the tautog.

The fish was sixteen (16) pounds, and about 30” long.  This is a huge tautog. A ten pound fish is considered a prize and a fish of a lifetime for many.  The Rhode Island record for tautog is 21 pounds, 4 ounces, established in 1954.  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick weighed the fish in and said, “I have never seen a tautog this big up close… they caught some nice six and seven pound fish too but I couldn’t take my eyes off this big one.”

Tautog tips from the experts

Feel the bite… tap, tap and then get ready for a tug of war.  Captain George Cioe said, “I believe with the first tap the tautog is positioning the bait for consumption.”  Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and pressure on so the fish is not able to run for cover. Captain Rich Hittinger, RISAA vice president and a long time angler out of Point Judith said, “If you get two bites with no hook-up your bait is gone. Reel in and re-bait.”

Where to fish for tautog.  From shore, look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport, the rocky shore line off Point Judith and off jetties along the southern coastal shore.  Docks, piers, bridges are good structure too.  From a boat, I have had good luck at Conimicut Light, Plum Point light house next to the Jamestown Bridge, the jetty at Coddington Cove in Portsmouth, off Hope Island, around Brenton Reef and Seal Ledge in Newport, Whale Rock, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage, General Rock in North Kingstown and any other places there is structure, debris, rock clusters, wrecks, etc.  Another key factor is water movement, so a couple of hours before or after high or low tide is good. 

Chumming for tautog will enhance your catch dramatically.  Kevin Bettencourt from the East Bay Anglers said, “Chumming is a critical part of tautog fishing. If you want to land numerous tautog you must establish an effective chum line. This can be accomplished with grass shrimp or crushed Asian/green crabs. Don't be afraid to feed them! If you don't, they won't stick around long!”  Captain Robb Roach of Kettlebottom Outfitters from Jamestown said chumming is very important… “I chum with crushed mussels or crushed periwinkles.”

 Where’s the bite

Striped bass.  Capt. Charlie Donilon of Snappa Charters said, “Striped bass fishing the past few days has been the best ever at Block Island.   We caught 80 bass in one trip this week.”Dave Sweet and Craig Picard fished off Pt. Judith Sunday. Dave said, “Using a small silver spoon, my first fish was a 16 lb. bluefish on light tackle, what a workout!  We each managed a couple of nice stripers, from about 23" to largest at about 36"… looks like the fall run is on.” Capt. Al Anderson of the charter boat Prowler reports similar results with striped bass and blues off the center wall and in front of Scarborough Beach.  Both boats tagged and released their bass.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, East Providence said, “It has been hit or miss at Block Island for my customers, no bites at night and then the next day the bass bite was on.” Capt. Tracy Terrien said, “Drifted eels for six bass 35- 51 pounds on the southwest side. Broke off on three and when bringing the fish up there was numerous monsters swimming with them…”  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “School bass with keepers mixed in are being caught with storm shad baits early morning and at sunset in Apponaug Cove.”  Angler Ron Nalbandian said, “Birds all over the place (in front of Charlestown Breachway). (Landed) 14 Stripers 20”- 34” all on metal and 6” shads.”

Tautog.  The big news this week is the sixteen pound tautog caught by angler Scott Kiefer of Exeter, RI.  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, weighed the fish in and said, “They fished Hope Island for about an hour and half and the action was great with big fish and then things slowed down with a lot of shorts being caught.”  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait said, “The tautog bite is good at Conimicut Light, Rocky Point, and the bridges in Barrington and Warren but with a ratio of about one keeper (16” or larger) to eight smaller undersized fish.  Saturday I fished Seal Ledge off Newport and managed three keepers with six shorts and a lot of small black sea bass. Other boats were fishing south of Brenton Reef and others off Castle Hill Light. 

 

Cod fishing continues to improve with fish to twenty pounds being taken on the Frances Fleet this week. Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said, “We are seeing tremendous amounts of herring, squid and even some sand eels on the ground so there should be more fish showing in the weeks to come.”

Offshore.  Angler Eric Weybrant said, “(Friday) The drift was North to South (at the Mudhole) and we were 1/2 mile or so South of the deep spot when we had our first taker which turned about to be a 177 lb Mako.”

 

DEM to hold fly fishing programs

The DEM Fish & Wildlife Division’s Aquatic Resource Education program will hold three fly fishing workshops.  The programs are produced in conjunction with instructors from Trout Unlimited, Rhody Fly-Tyers, United Fly-Tyers, and with many more organizations and volunteers.  Families with children over 10 years of age are encouraged to attend.  Programs range for beginner to advanced angler. 

“Introduction to Saltwater Fly-Fishing”, Saturday, October 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Kettle Pond Visitors Center in Charlestown.  Fly-fishing instructors will teach participants fly-tying, casting techniques, and knot-tying. All materials and equipment are included with the $35 per-person registration fee. Participants should pack a lunch and bring a pair of waders.

“Fly-Fishing Express,” a fly-fishing safari around Aquidneck Island on the Old Colony Train Saturday, October 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The train will stop at several remote public access fishing areas around the island. Fly-fishing instructors will offer advice on the best flies and fly- fishing tactics. The program is designed for advanced beginner, intermediate and advanced fly-fishing anglers, and is perfect for those who have already participated in the “Introduction to Saltwater Fly-Fishing” workshop and would like to hone their fly-fishing skills while fishing.  Pack a lunch and your chest waders.  All other equipment, including flies, is provided with the $35 per-person registration fee.

“Fall Fly-Tying 2013”, held on six Thursdays beginning November 7 to December 19, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the North Kingstown Community Center. Professional fly-tyers will teach beginning and intermediate fly-tying techniques for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. All material and equipment is included. Cost of the program is $5 for each class or $25 for all six sessions. Pre-registration is recommended, although walk-ins are accepted.

For additional information and for registration materials, contact Kimberly Sullivan in DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education program at 539-0037 or via e-mail at kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

NOAA releases new summer flounder and striped bass assessments

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, released its 57th Stock Assessment Review Committee report on summer flounder (Paralichthys dentata) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis).  The good news is that both stocks were found to be in good condition. Neither is experiencing overfishing or is overfished.  Summaries of the two stock assessments findings can be found at nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/crd/crd1314/.

 An important aspect of any assessment is the determination of current stock status. The status of the stock relates to both the rate of removal of fish from the population – the exploitation rate – and the current stock size. The exploitation rate is the proportion of the stock alive at the beginning of the year that is caught during the year. When that proportion exceeds the amount specified in an overfishing definition, overfishing is occurring. So a stock can be either experiencing overfishing or overfished or both.

 

 

Tug of war season on with tautog

 

First tautog: Josh McElwee of Boston, MA caught this 19 ½” tautog, his first ever, using a single hook rig with egg sinker on top.  He used green crabs and was at General Rock, North Kingstown.

 

Big striped bass:  Russ Weymouth of Charlton, MA caught this 48 lbs., 49” striped bass while drifting eels in the morning on the southwest side of Block Island.  The fall run/migration of striped bass has started.

Tournament winners:

  on the beach in front of the Ocean Mist in South Kingstown, RI are winners of the Pabst Blue Ribbon Tournament that attended the awards ceremony Saturday.

Sharking experience:  Ken Montigny (Fairhaven, MA), John Starakas (Wakefield, RI) and Jeff Montigny (Fall River, MA) landed this 500 pound mako shark when fishing at the Mudhole (15 miles east of Block Island) last past Friday.



Tug of war season on with tautog

 

The fall tug of war season with tautog is on.  Tautog (or blackfish) is a great eating fish with a white dense meat.  Their bulldog like fight (similar to grouper) is very exciting and much like a tug of war between you and the tautog.  Once a tautog is hooked it will try to bulldog its way back down into rock or structure.  So when the fish bites, it becomes the angler’s job not to let it bury itself in the structure. 

 

From shore or boat

Tautog can be fished from shore or boat.  The common thread is structure.  From shore it is a matter of trial and error to find a sweet spot or hole that holds big fish.  You want to be near, next to or over structure. 

 From a boat locate the structure you want to fish (on sonar if you have it).   Estimate wind and current and then anchor up current so that as the anchor line pays out the vessel is over structure or slightly before it.  Tie off the anchor line and fish.  Tautog is very territorial so it is important to fish all sides of the boat, even cast a bit covering as much area as you can from different positions in the boat.  If still no bites pay out a little more anchor line to reposition the boat, repeat the process until you are totally off the structure and if still no bites it is time to move to another spot.

Rigs and Bait

Tautog rigs should be kept simple.  My favorite rig is homemade. I use one tautog hook connected to a swivel with a two or three once egg sinker on top sliding on a small three to four inch piece of monofilament line.  Another swivel above the egg sinker connects the monofilament and the braid line (30 lbs.) coming from the rod/reel. Since I have started using this rig bottom hook ups have been cut in half. Braid line does not stretch, so this is my preference, whereas monofilament line may stretch allowing the tautog to reach structure.

 I use green crabs and Asian crabs (when available).  When using green crabs, break off claws and legs and cut the crab in half.  Hook the crab though one leg socket and out another.  This exposes most of the crab and makes it easy for the tautog to put its mouth on the bait.

Standard premade tautog rigs usually have two hooks and a loop below to tie on a bank sinker.  I usually cut the upper hook off. Captain John Rainone of L’il Toot Charters said, “One hook saves rigs and fish… waiting for another fish to jump on makes no sense… I tie rigs with a lighter sinker line so it breaks and hook/fish is retrieved.” The idea is to have less on the rig to get tied up in structure.

 Pabst Blue Ribbon tournament winners

The 2012 second annual Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) striped bass and fluke tournament concluded this past Sunday, September 22 with an awards ceremony at the Ocean Mist in South Kingstown, RI.  The tournament is one of the largest bass and fluke tournaments in the Northeast. 

This year the $10,000 first place striped bass boat division prize went to Jeff Thibodeau of Wallingford, CT with a 60 lbs. 11 oz. fish.  Robert Ferraro of Narragansett, RI took second place ($5,000) with a 58 lbs. 8 oz. striper; and third place ($3,000) went to Joseph Bartnicki of Hackettstown, NJ for a 54 lbs 9 oz. fish.

Shore division striped bass fist place winner was Michael Coppola of New York, NY; John Hanecak of Rock Hill, CT second place; and Thomas McGuire of Narragansett, RI was third place shore division winner with a 34 lbs. 7 oz. striper.

The first place summer flounder (fluke) prize ($5,000) went to Samuel Dibner of Woodbury, CT for an 11 lbs. fluke; second place ($3,000) went to Joseph Giuliano, Niantic, CT; and third place fluke price ($2,000) went to Matt McDermott of Plainview, NY.

 Junior winners include Andrew McGarry, Block Island, RI (bass winner) and Fin Howat, Southport, CT (fluke winner).

The PBR tournament ran from June 1^st to September 15^th and took place in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Visit www.pbrfishing.com for photos.

Where’s the bite

Tautog. John Wunner of John’s Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown said, “Tautog fishing is just starting to pick up with anglers now catching keepers.” Angler Dave Fewster said, “I tried for an hour last Sunday and got a bunch of shorts, one keeper tog…it will get better every day with lower temps and shorter days.” I fished with Joshua McElwee Saturday and he caught his first tautog (and keeper sized fish over 16”) at General Rock, North Kingstown, RI.  Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait & Tackle, Westerly said, “Anglers are catching tautog at Watch Hill reef and Ragged Ledge.  Most are using green crabs.”

 

Striped bass.  Russ Weymouth fished the southwest side of Block Island Thursday and said, “Drifting slightly north from the Peanut, (we) caught the biggest fish on my boat One Iota… a  49" striped bass at 48 pounds (using eels).  We continued to repeat the drift and caught as many keeper stripers as we had eels…” John Wunner of John’s Bait said, “I had three customers leave Allen’s Harbor, North Kingstown at 6:00 p.m. Friday night for Block Island and returned at 1:00 a.m. Saturday.  They left with 40 eels and could have caught as many bass, all were in 30 to 40 pound range.”  Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait, Westerly, said, “Fishing improved Tuesday night with anglers catching keeper bass mixed in with a lot of school size bass fishing from shore at Misquamicut and Charlestown beaches.” No reports of a strong bass or blue fish bite starting yet in Narragansett Bay.

 

Shore fishing picked up but is still slow as anglers are having difficulty hooking up with fish consistently.  Dave Pickering, noted local shore angler authority and author said, “Today (Saturday) I went down and checked out places that had been producing earlier in the week.  I found no bait, no birds diving, no fish and no fishermen. I fished a lot of white water and rocky drop-offs today but could not even find a schoolie or a bluefish…”  Visit Dave’s striper blog at www.ristripedbass.blogspot.com.

 

Offshore. John Starakas of Wakefield, RI, said, “(I) took two friends, Jeff Montigny of Fall River, and Ken Montigny of Fairhaven, MA on their first shark fishing trip Friday.  Fished the Mudhole (about 15 miles east of Block Island) all day, no luck trolling for tuna, after chumming for sharks for almost four hours… (we) landed a large mako,  8’ 10” fork length which makes it approximately 500 lbs.”  Jeff was on the rod and fought the fish, Ken wired the fish and John ran the boat and harpooned the shark.

Fresh water fishing.  Dave Pickering fished for carp at night this weekend in the Blackstone River. Dave said, “I noticed a fish grubbing at night right in front of me in about a foot of water.  From experience I know that carp will come in very close to feed under cover of darkness.  So, I put out a flip cast of about 10-15 feet with both outfits.  That did it as the alarm went off about 10 minutes later.  A good fight ensued in total darkness and soon I flipped on my headlight to see a big mirror carp at my feet. Yes, they do hit at night.”  Visit www.ricarpfishing.blogspot.com.

 

 

Fishermen vocal on two key issues

 

New England Boating TV show: Co-host Parker Kelly caught this 24” fluke at Austin Hollow, Jamestown last week fishing with Capt. Dave Monti.  Kelly and her co-host Tom Richardson were shooting a Wickford, RI episode that will air on the New England Sports Network. 

 

Restoration perfectionists:  Michael Borrelli of Metan Marine restores vintage boats.  Seen here this past weekend at the Newport Boat Show with a 21 foot 1969 Boston Whaler Sakonnet.

 

Fish of a lifetime:  Bret Bokelkamp (in photo) of Marion, MA and Bill Dzilenski of Warwick, RI caught this seven foot white marlin west of the Acid Barge in view of Block Island.  Bill said, “The hook-up was followed by an extended series of leaps and bounds by the fish.” 

Capt. Dave Monti and co-hosts Tom Richardson and Parker Kelly fished for summer flounder off Jamestown. They filmed a Wickford, RI episode of New England Boating to air in October on NESN.

 

Fishermen vocal on two key issues

Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) members at the September 9, 2013 meeting voiced concern about Atlantic Menhaden quotas and minimum sizes on commercial ground fish regulations being reduced on haddock, yellowtail flounder, witch flounder and American Plaice.

Mark Gibson, Deputy Chief of the Marine Fisheries Division of DEM, commented on the minimum sizes being reduced.  He said, “The Division recommends adoption of these measures as the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has requested that states complement federal (commercial) groundfish management actions which have reduced minimum sizes on these species in hopes of reducing discard rates.”

 Discards are fish thrown back in the water as they are below the minimum size allowed; they often die due to the trauma of being dragged in a net and brought up on deck. Changing RI regulations to dovetail with federal regulation would avoid enforcement challenges when fishermen travel in state waters with smaller fish.   Mark Gibson said that Rhode Island NEFMC participants will monitor developments regarding discard minimization and recommended a one-year sunset provision so minimum sizes can be reevaluated next year.

Minimum sizes were established on these species based on best available science i.e. establishing sizes that would allow female fish to mature and reproduce.  Members argued that moving minimum sizes below current levels goes against the science ie.. taking female fish before they spawn which could eventually lead to a fisheries failure.

Council members argued that the solution to reducing discard rates is not to take smaller fish but to make the webbing in fishing nets larger so small fish can escape.  Most agreed, however, the majority felt with no time to change net regulations, the Council should recommend to Director Janet Coit that she approve the new minimum sizes.

Where’s the bite

Summer flounder (fluke) fishing is surprisingly good.  Normally, at this time of year they move offshore. Matt Conti of Sung Harbor Marina, South Kingstown, said “Charter boats are still hitting fluke just south of the southeast corner off Block Island.  And, fishing east of Point Judith is pretty good too.”  Last Wednesday I fished with Parker Kelly and Tom Richardson at Austin Hollow, Jamestown.  The duo caught fluke to 24”, they are co-hosts of the television show New England Boating and were shooting an episode in Wickford, RI that will air in October on NESN. 

Tautog fishing is just starting to pick up.  Tautog minimum size is 16”, three fish/person/day with a boat limit of ten fish.  Limit increases to six/person/day on October 19 through December 15 but the ten fish boat limit still in effect.  Charter and party boats not subject to ten fish boat limit.

Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “This is the first weekend that customers are landing keepers.  Most Bay fish are short, but out in front… off Beavertail, Narragansett and Brenton Reef (and around other rock clusters) customers are catching keepers.”  I was at Seal Ledge off Newport Sunday and twenty boats were southwest of the Ledge and ten boats north of the Seal Ledge bell, all were tautog and catching tautog. “Anglers are landing keeper tautog at the Breachway in Charlestown.” said Phil Matteson of Breachway Bait & Tackle.  Tautog fishing has been good in the Sakonnet too, Kurt Rivard landed a nine pound tautog this weekend as part of the Aquidneck Island Striper Team’s Sergeant Christopher Potts Tournament .” 

Striped bass fishing slowed this week.  David Sanford of East Greenwich fished in the Lumbermen Striped Bass Tournament out of Champlin Marina, Block Island and said, “Fishing was slow.  We managed to land two bass, in two days.  The winning tournament fish was 38 pounds.”  Dave Henault of Ocean Sate Tackle said, “Pogies are moving into the Providence and Seekonk River and customers are catching blues and striped bass.”  Phil Matteson of Breachway Bait & Tackle said, “Anglers are catching 15” to 33” bass off the wall with eels at night and sliver baits like Deadly Dicks during the day.  The fish are larger out in front with boat anglers landing bass to 35 pounds.”    Matt Conti of Sung Harbor said, “Fishing was slow this week at Block Island with a lot of bluefish.” Matt’s father Al said, “Those getting to the Southwest side (of Block Island) before 10 a.m. are catching bass.  We also had a school of stripers come to the surface off the West Wall (at the Harbor of Refuge) both Sunday and Monday, the fish were not very large but were a lot of fun for anglers.” Manny Sousa of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “Customers have caught striped bass off Bullock’s Point, East Providence.  There have been keepers but nothing big yet… my son caught a 29” and 32” fish using clam tongues.”  “We fished from 2:00 a.m. until about 10:00 a.m. Saturday and couldn’t hook up with striped bass.  We were using both eels and chucked menhaden fishing the Hope and Gould Island areas.” said angler Mike Swain of Coventry.

Scup anglers continue to catch large scup along coastal shores and in Narragansett Bay having no trouble landing keepers (10 inch minimum).

Offshore fishing slowed last week. Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “Shark fishing is still good.  Three were caught this weekend, we weighed in a 149 pound Mako Sunday but few tuna are being caught.” Bret Bokelkamp of Marion, MA and Bill Dzilenski of Warwick, RI caught a seven foot white marlin west of the Acid Barge in view of Block Island last week.  Bill said, “The hook-up was followed by an extended series of leaps and bounds by the fish. We came up empty on tuna, but were grinning ear-to ear and we still are.”