Peter Nilsen of Barrington, RI and a member of the Rhody Fly Rodders caught this 24” school striped bass on a chartreuse and white Clouser streamer in the Narrow River in Narragansett last week. 
Lary Norin of Cumberland, Rhode Island with the 10 pound, 25” tautog he caught along Narragansett, RI’s rocky coast. Lary caught the fish in 30’ of water while using green crabs as bait.Tautog bite excellent, striped bass make their presence known
The tautog bite improved a great deal this week with some big fish in the nine and ten pound range being caught (see “Where’s the bite” below).
An important tip when fishing for tautog is chumming, attracting fish to the area with your bait of choice in addition to what is on your hook. Kevin Bettencourt from the East Bay Anglers and his Dad Albert have been fishing for tautog in Narragansett Bay and southern coastal water off Newport, Jamestown and Narragansett for many years. Kevin 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!” Robb Roach of Kettlebottom Outfitters from Jamestown said chumming is very important… “I chum with crushed mussels or crushed periwinkles.”
When fishing alongside a bulkhead or pier, barnacles and growth attached to the structure can serve as a great natural chum bait. Take an oar and scrape the structure allowing barnacles to fall in the water below serving as natural chum bait.
I like to use a mixture of crab legs and sea clams cut up into small pieces. One of the most useful tips for getting the chum where you want it appeared on the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) blog last year. Place chum in a small paper bag with a heavy rock inside at the bottom of the bag, secure the top of the bag with a line and place the bag in the water where you want the chum. The bag sinks to the bottom, wait a minute or two, the paper bag gets soaked, yank on the line a couple of times… the rock breaks through the bag and the chum lands under the vessel where you want it rather than having strong currents taking it away from the boat before it reaches the bottom.
New black sea bass and squid recommendations
The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) met last week to address the black sea bass fishery which has been designated as an overfished species. The council voted to recommend to DEM director Janet Coit a daily black sea bass limit of fifteen fish with a minimum size of thirteen inches and a season of July 11 to December 31. DEM’s preferred option was ten fish so the director may override the council’s recommendation. The council also recommended a proposal to require a saltwater fishing license when fishing for squid. Steve Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, said the topic brought much discussion at the council meeting, “…if squid was exempt, anyone out fishing without a license, who didn’t have a fish in the bucket yet, would just say they were fishing for squid.” The council also recommended that anglers should not be required to carry a photo ID in addition to a salt water license. Medeiros continued to say that the council recommended that shore-based spear fishermen had to have a license available “within a nearby car or other locations that is within in a five minute walk from the point of exit from the water”. Director Janet Coit is expected to consider RIMFC recommendations and rule on regulations this month.
Senate action on fisheries
Last week two bills hit the RI Senate floor pertaining to fishing. Bill 2011-S 850 titled “Senate Resolution Respectfully Urging Congress to Support the Marketing of Rhode Island Seafood” and bill 2011-S 846 titled “Senate Resolution Respectfully Urging the Rhode Eland Congressional Delegation to Give Rhode Island Representation on the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Council.” Both bills were recommended by the Environment & Agriculture committee chaired by Senator Susan Sosnowski.
This Wednesday the Special Marine Fisheries Task Force chaired by Senator Sosnowski was held in the Senate Lounge. The topic discussed was the establishment of a Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative. This is a good next step to brand and market Rhode Island fish to consumers in and out of the State of Rhode Island.
Economic impact of fishing being assessed
The port of Galilee in Narragansett, Rhode Island is undergoing an economic development assessment May 9 through May 11, 2011 by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and other federal agencies. The assessment team will hold meetings with local leaders to help identify economic development challenges and opportunities facing local fishing industries and communities. The goal of the visit is to provide customized technical assistance to the region, which has experienced reductions in ground fish fishing revenues in recent years. After the assessment, the EDA will present a report that captures economic development best practices and customized strategies for the region’s long-term strategic economic development. Narragansett is one of six fishing communities in the Northeast selected to participate in the economic development assessment project. The other communities are Portland, ME; Seabrook, NH; New Bedford, MA; Gloucester, MA; and Montauk, NY.
Where’s the bite
Tautog fishing improved a great deal this week. I received reports of good sized tautog being caught in the lower, mid and upper bay regions. Lary Norin of Cumberland caught a number of tautog including a 25”, 10 pound tautog when fishing along the rocky Narragansett coastline. The big tautog (and two 23” cod) were caught in about 30 feet of water using green crabs. Chris Catucci of Warwick landed a 9 pound tautog using green crabs while fishing off a dock in Warwick Neck. Reports of tautog being caught off Hope Island, General Rock in North Kingstown, and at the Bullocks Point concrete marker in Barrington.
Striped bass fishing continues to improve with school bass being caught in Greenwich Bay, the East Passage of Narragansett Bay and along the Rhode Island coastal shores. Fish are spotty but they are here. No reports of big fish being caught yet. Chris Catucci reports catching school bass off Rocky Pont. Chris said, “School striped bass are in. I caught a 20 inch bass on my first cast with a Yozuri.” Dave Sweet reports catching twelve school striped bass in the Narrow River, “...tagged and released 12 school stripers for the ALS, all about 14" long. I'm sure they were all winter hold-overs, no sea lice present. Fishing in 3-10 feet of water, low to slack low tide in the upper river. All fish caught on either a 3" Storm shad, a chrome Tony Acceta #14 spoon with yellow teaser feather, or a Cocahoe minnow.” Sunday night, I caught my first striped bass in Greenwich Bay and, believe it or not, my first bluefish of the season.
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