Favorite ways to catch striped bass

Dave Sweet of Narragansett used a Tony Accetta #14 chrome spoon with yellow feathers to catch this 33” striped bass off Narragansett. Dave said, “They mimic the sand eels pretty well”.


Favorite ways to catch striped bass

The reports are in… striped bass are all over Narragansett Bay and along southern coastal shores. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “A customer caught a 38” fish off Hope Island and Jamestown this week.” Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said the bass are making their presence known at Block Island’s North Rip. Good reports of school bass with keepers mixed in all along the East Passage and even a good bite in Greenwich Bay (perhaps keeping the menhaden boats out of Greenwich Bay and the upper East Passage is working).
With all this action why is it that some days, you just cannot get a bite… you scour waters trolling lures and tube & worm, cast in the shallows and around structure with soft plastics, hard plastics and surface poppers. You hit all your favorites spots, where you have caught fish and where others have caught fish… and still… no bass.
Do not lose faith. It’s a matter of persistence, mixing it up, paying attention to water movement (tide and current) and yes trying to match what the bass are eating (or would like to eat).
Thursday at 5 a.m. I said, “Today I’ll fish Greenwich Cove… catch school bass… as the fog and time I have to fish is limiting.” Captain Jim White of White Ghost Charters (noted author and Bay fishing expert) said, “You have to mix it up… present different baits to the striped bass until you find one that works.” In the past I would try to fish with one or two favorite lures with limited success. This morning I lined up seven lures all ready to go with fluorocarbon leaders. I had two surface poppers and swimming lures and three soft plastic baits. I tried all seven, found one that worked (a Yozuri Crystal Minnow) and caught six bass in 45 minutes. So mix it up to find out what works before you settle on a bait or fishing location.


Favorite Ways to Catch Striped Bass (will share more ways to catch bass next week)
1. Trolling with umbrella rigs. Technique often used to troll off Block Island and in deeper parts of Narragansett Bay, off coastal shores with a variety of squid, shad, and eel umbrella rigs. Hook two fish at the same time and you will experience a great fight.
2. Casting soft plastics, various bait types and weights to fish different depths. Many anglers love this technique and use it successfully in the spring. Make sure the plastic baits are scented if not add some scent. Who wants to eat plastic?
3. Buck tail jigs with pork rind squid strips. Have had success with this method to get under schools of blue fish and to the striped bass on the bottom.
4. Live eels. Used by shore and boat anglers, some fishing guides use this as their primary method to catch killer stripers. Hook the eel through the mouth and out one eye.
5. Live menhaden. Snag the live bait with a weighted treble hook or net them. Hook the bait through the bridge of the nose, find a pod of fish and put the live menhaden into the pod. Used when menhaden are running strong, particularly up the Providence River in early spring.

West Bay Anglers Striper Tournament
The West Bay Anglers will hold their 2011 William Beaudry Jr. Memorial Striper Tournament from June 4, 12:01 a.m. thru June 12, 1:00 p.m. First place prize for largest fish is $500 with 2nd and 3rd place cash prices too. Prizes awarded at the Warwick FOP at 1 p.m., June 12. Rules and applications online at http://www.westbayanglers.org/ or at local bait & tackle shops including Ericson’s, Johns Bait , Lucky’s, Ray’s Bait & Tackle and the Tackle Box. Entry fee is $25, open to all anglers, must register by 5 p.m., June 3rd.

Fishing tournament June 26 for visually impaired adults
The RI Lions Sight Foundation will host its 4th annual fishing tournament for Visually Impaired Persons(VIP) of Rhode Island. The half-day tournament will be held on a Francis Fleet party boat out of Galilee RI where the participants will be competing for one of several trophies and; for an opportunity to represent Rhode Island at the Lions National VIP Tourney on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in October. Applications for the tournament and on the Lions can be found at http://www.lions4sight.org/index.htm and http://www.rilions.com/ or contact Ken Barthelemy (kenbar123@aol.com) at 401-529-6173.

Where’s the bite
Striped bass fishing is great. Bass all over the Bay and off southern coastal shores. Ken Robinson caught his first bass at 32” one mile south of Popasquash Point, Bristol. Rocco Patriarca also hit his first bass with menhaden south of Colt Sate Park on Sunday… a nice 40 ½” fish was the longest of five with the heaviest fish weighing in at 24.5 lbs. Alan Stewart reports catching 20 keepers in the Westport River mostly using surface plugs. Alan said, “I also have had some luck with 3" storm shads… one side note, I've now caught two six+ pound Tautog bouncing storm shads off the rocks on the bottom in 9' of water for stripers.”
Tautog fishing in the Bay north of Hope Island in the West Passage and in Mount Hope Bay and north all the way up the East Passage to Providence has been outstanding.
Squid fishing reports have been good. Catching them in Newport and Galilee. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “Most guys have been buying small Pink, Orange and Luminescent rigs.”