Fishing good for July 4th week

Kyle Grant of East Providence, RI went fluke fishing for the first time Sunday and landed this 27”, nine pound fluke (summer flounder) under the Newport Bridge with a standard fluke rig tipped with a squid strip and minnow. Kyle was fishing the incoming tide with a southwest wind.

Fishing good for July 4th week

Fishing in the Bay and in near coastal waters is very good.

Striped bass. Captain Rick Bellavance of Priority Too Charters in Point Judith said, “Striped bass fishing around Block Island exploded this week. Earlier in the season the fish were in the 15 to 20 pound range, this week fish in the 30’s was quite common.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait and Tackle, East Providence said, “Last week fish in the upper East Passage were biting on live menhaden and you couldn’t interest them in chucks. My customers Kevin and Allen Bettencourt of East Providence caught a number of fish in the 20 pound range.” Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “Bass are still in the Bay but they are dispersed. You have to hunt them out. We caught a couple of nice bass off Warrick Neck and on the usual rock piles (Ohio Ledge) last week using menhaden chucks.” Erick and his son Alex Apollonian took friend Chip Broderick bass fishing off Block Island this Saturday and caught six keeper striped bass fishing the southwest side and the north rip. Eric said, “Our largest fish (caught by Chip, 14 years old) was 26 pounds. We caught them on Diamond jigs, green parachute jigs and tube and worm.”

Overall bass fishing in the Bay has slowed which happens each year at this time as the water starts to heat up. Water in many places in the Bay is in the 70 degree range.

Fluke fishing continues to heat up too. Buzz at Maridee Bait & Tackle on Point Judith Road in Narragansett said, “Customers are picking up fluke off the sea walls at the Harbor of Refugee.” John Littlefield said, customers are catching fluke at Warwick Light as well as off Newport, with good fish coming out of 40 to 50 feet of water off Rose Island, Newport”. Kyle Grant of East Providence caught a 27” fluke (his first fluke) under the Newport Bridge using a standard squid rig tipped with squid strip and a minnow while fishing No Fluke Charters. Good fluke bite being reported at the Jamestown and Newport bridges, Dutch Island, Beavertail, and Austin Hollow and in front of the URI Bay Campus in North Kingstown. Gary Zera and David Cabral fished Seal Ledge off Newport for Fluke on Sunday and caught fourteen keepers (their limit) in about four and a half hours fishing the incoming and outgoing tides. Their largest fish was 27” with four fish in the 24 to 26” range. They were using squid strips and fluke bellies on standard squid rings. This is one of the best fluke fishing reports I have heard this year.
Large bluefish have still have not made their presence known in force in the upper Bay, however fish in the 2 to 3 pound range are quite common. Some large blues surfaced Sunday south of the Jamestown Bridge with anglers having a lot of fun fishing the school with poppers said Eric Apollonian.

Striped bass poaching law
At press time, the Rhode Island State House and Senate had approved a striped bass poaching bill that makes penalties more severe for taking striped bass illegally. The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) has advocated hard for stiffer penalties to protect the species and enhance a sustainable striped bass fishery. Anglers are urged to e-mail the Governor at www.governor@governor.ri.gov to express their thoughts about the bill. Steve Medeiros, president of RISAA said, key points that should be made for signing the bill include:

Striped bass are our most sought after fish
Recreational fishing is worth over $180 million in R.I.
Illegal taking of striped bass is a big black-market business
Current law is $50 fine per fish, yet a single striper sells for $75-$150 per fish
Poachers undermine the fisheries management process
Poachers take large stripers to sell and these are the breeders and future of the fishery
Striped bass belongs to ALL citizens, and poachers steal from everyone
Everyone, commercial, charter boats and recreational anglers support this legislation
The new fines would put us in line with CT and MA

NOAA sets fishing quotas for bluefin tuna
Last week NOAA announced quotas and other measures for bluefin tuna that underscore the nation’s commitment to sustainable science-based management of this vital fish stock. The allocations divide the available 2011 U.S. bluefin tuna quota of 957 metric tons among commercial and recreational fishing sectors for the fishing season that began on June 1.
The General category, which includes commercial fishermen who use rod and reel, will receive 435 metric tons, nearly half the 2011 U.S. quota. Allocations for the other categories are as follows: Angling category (which includes recreational fishermen), 182 metric tons; purse seine fishermen, 171.8 metric tons; longline fishermen, 61 metric tons; harpoon fishermen, 36 metric tons; trap fishermen, 0.9 metric tons; and a reserve of 70.6 metric tons. The reserve is set aside for scientific research and to account for landings and dead discards.
NOAA announced on May 27 that the Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act.
More information on bluefin visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2011/05/bluefin_tuna.html .