Great to learn more about striped bass

Ralph Craft, owner of Crafty One Customs, with one of his custom rods “Striper Sniper” that he built for an Iraq veteran. Mr. Craft said, “Crafty One Customs is the ‘Orange County Choppers’ of custom rod building.” Visit them at http://www.crafty1customers.com/.

Charley Soares with a large bass he caught using live bait. His presentation, “Live baits for trophy bass”, was a big hit last week at the West Bay Anglers seminar.

Great to learn more about striped bass

This was a great week to learn about striped bass fishing in Rhode Island. Two striped bass seminars were held this week. Captain Jim White’s three day Striper University at the Sheraton Airport Motor Inn Warwick, RI and the West Bay Anglers’ seminar “Live baits for trophy bass” presented by Charley Soares, noted striped bass fishing guide and author, which took place at Sherman Elementary School, Warwick.

Charley Soares’ presentation was a big success and had nearly eighty people in attendance. The workshop focused on using live bait such as eels and menhaden but also addressed the use of some artificial bait when live bait is not available or inappropriate. Charlie related fishing tips on rigs, baits and tactics to catch trophy sized bass. A few tips from Charley on eels,”Buy large eels, 24” if you can get them, paying a premium is worth it. Large eels will go to the bottom faster and be less likely to tangle themselves in a knot”. Charley’s favorite way to store eels is in seaweed in a five gallon pale with a false bottom (board with holes drilled in to it with three inch legs). Charley said, “The seaweed keeps the eels from touching each other which means less slime and they live longer. The slime drops to the bottom of the pail through the perforated false bottom.” Another live bait tip is to allow snagged menhaden to bleed out a bit in a separate pail before putting them in your bait well as the blood will clog the well. Also do not use large hooks with live bait, particularly eels because the large hook may make you miss the hook set. A strong steel hook is essential, but keep it fairly small. Charley passed out samples of TruTurn CAM action hooks 2/0 size. On their website TurTurn says, “The slight offset forces the point to turn toward pressure…like stepping on a rake, it acts as a cam forcing the handle to rise.” and hook the fish. The hooks come in blood red which TurTurn and other manufactures say have been proven to out fish any other hook color.

The Striper University presentations were spirited and very informative this weekend. One of my favorite products was Crafty One Customs, a custom fishing rod company owned and operated by Ralph Craft. Ralph is also the president of the Aquidneck Island Striper Team. Crafty One custom rods are top performing designer rods with an edge to them. Ralph Craft said, “We are the Orange County Choppers of fishing rods.” The company aims to turn customer dreams and performance expectations into a functional, professional quality piece of angler art. All components are carefully reviewed with the customer. Each rod is crafted to the specifications of the customer and handcrafted to ensure a quality and unique finish that will be sure to perform. Ralph said, “We have made custom rods for fishing guides to help brand their business, as well as one-of-a-kind rods for customers like the “Striper Sniper” camouflage design we made for an Iraq veteran”. The rods are very reasonable for custom rods, $150 to $200 is not uncommon. Visit them at http://www.crafty1customs.com/ .

Another great hit at Striper University was Captain Pat Rena who spoke about his “T-Man” tube and worm fishing system (http://www.tmancustomtackle.com/ ). Pat has been a popular speaker at striped bass seminars for a few years. His deep water keel system allows you to use lighter gear to catch big striped bass. Pat’s keel system added to the front of the tube or between the main line and leader allows him to use small tubes and medium light rods with 50 lb braid. This eliminates the need for wire or lead core line to get deep. And, the greatest advantage is that you get to catch a big fish with light tackle for a great fight.

DEM advises angler’s ways to minimize the spread of largemouth bass virus

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is advising anglers of steps they can take to minimize the spread of Largemouth Bass Virus (LMBV). The advisory comes in the wake of confirmation that largemouth bass sampled last fall from Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods State Park have tested positive for LMBV. According to Trish Barbash, fish health biologist for the Lamar Fish Health Center, LMBV is a naturally-occurring fish virus that does not pose a human health risk for people who eat or handle infected fish. However, all freshwater fish should be thoroughly cooked before being consumed. DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife advises anglers to minimize the spread of LMBV by not transplanting bass from one water body to another; draining, cleaning and drying boats, motors and fishing gear between each use; not releasing bait fish into any water body; minimizing the stress to bass caught and released as much as possible during periods of high water temperatures; and reporting all fish kills to the Department at 222-3070.

Tuna University

Enroll in the first annual “Tuna University” this Sunday, April 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wood Boat and Motor, 3630 West Shore Road, Warwick, RI. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Saltwater Fishing University. Learn how to properly rig your boat when targeting tuna, meet and learn from representatives of top gear manufacturers and the some of the best tuna Captains in New England. Cost is $99, space is limited, register in advance at http://www.woodboatand/motor@verizon.net .

Where’s the bite

Upper Bay action. Avid fresh and saltwater angler Harold Hemberger said, “… I went down to the hurricane barrier with a light rig and some small jigs. I worked a school of white perch for about 30 minutes. I caught 7 including a few nice fat ones. They circled around and would be back in front of me about every 7 to 10 minutes.”

Cod Fishing. Seven B’s V is making cod trips regularly with good success. Visit them at http://www.sevenbs.com/ . Francis Fleet started sailing at 6 a.m. this Wednesday as the sunrise bite for the past two weeks has been very strong. This weekend Captain Mike O’Grady of the Francis Fleet said, “From sunrise the action was nonstop … there were plenty of keepers to go around … with a half dozen apiece to take home and as stated before just never ending action with short cod keeping anglers very busy at the rails.” Call or visit the Francis Fleet web site at http://www.francisfleet.com/.