Fall fishing in full swing

Chris Bellavance with a black sea bass caught off Block Island on Priority Too Charters out of Point Judith.

Perfect sunset… angler Tom Peters of Warwick caught this 15.6 pound bluefish on his way back from Block Island this weekend in front of Quonset Point, North Kingstown. The bluefish was caught on menhaden that was put back into the school he snagged it from (the school is the circular ripple behind him in the upper right corner of the photo).

Fall fishing in full swing

Bay Scallop season to open in RI
The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced that the bay scallop harvest season opens at sunrise on Sunday, November 6 and continues until Saturday, December 31 at sunset. Residents can take up to one bushel of scallops per day without a license, and commercial license holders can take up to three bushels per day/per boat from state waters. Non-license holders cannot offer scallops for sale. Harvesters are reminded that possession of seed scallops is prohibited. Legal scallops possess a defined, raised, annual growth ring.
To protect scallops and bottom habitats from dredge damage, scallops can be harvested by dip-net only from a boat from November 6 through November 30. Dredging will be allowed after November 30 to access remaining adult scallops residing in deeper waters. Additional information on bay scallop harvesting is available on the DEM website at www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/fishwild/rimf5.pdf .

West Bay Anglers weekly “Lobster Raffle”
The West Bay Anglers will hold its first weekly “Lobster Raffle” on Saturday, November 5 at the Fraternal Order of Police Loge #7 in Warwick, RI. They raffle off a lot more than lobsters. They actually raffle hundreds of prizes throughout the year; from flat screen TV’s to turkey’s, roasts and lobsters. Lunch for a great price is available throughout the two to three hour event each Saturday. The “Lobster Raffle” events run throughout the fall and winter months. Pam Tameo, president of the West Bay Anglers, said, “We raised about $16,000 last year with our Lobster Raffles, half went to this Take-a-Kid-Fishing initiative and half went to the non-profit Impossible Dream.” For information e-mail Pam Tameo at wbapamtam@cox.net .
Rhody Fly Rodders to meet October 18
The Rhody Fly Rodders first fall meeting will take place Tuesday, October 18, 6:30 p.m. at the Riverside Sportsman Club off the Wampanoag Trail on Mohawk Drive. The Rhody Fly Rodders is the oldest American salt water fly fishing club. Captain Bob Hines will speak about Steelhead Fishing in the upper New York State area. The meeting will start with a cookout. For information contact member Peter Nilsen at pdfish@fullchannel.net .
Public Hearings on Menhaden
A public hearing on menhaden quotas for 2012 was held Wednesday, October 5 by the Atlanta States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) at the URI Bay Campus, Narragansett, RI. The meeting was held to discuss comments on proposed regulations as the menhaden population has declined by 88 percent in the last three decades. Steve Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Association (RISAA), and RISAA members, proposed a 37 percent reduction for a total harvest of 143,200 metric tons. This is a very important species for salt water anglers. Historically menhaden has comprised 70 percent of the diet of the striped bass. They now account for just 7 percent and bass, particularly in the Chesapeake, have shown signs of malnutrition. One company Omega Protein of Reedville, VA landed over 80% of the menhaden, the remaining 20% was landed by commercial bait boats and recreational anglers as ASMFC records show. The ASMFC will take regional hearing input into consideration as it develops menhaden regulations for 2012 at their November, 2011 meeting.
Public comments can still be submitted until 5 p.m. Nov. 2, 2011. Direct them to Toni Kearns at tkerns@asmfc.org or by mail at Toni Kearns, AMFSC, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Va, 22201.

Clarification of scup and black sea bass regulations
Captain Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association, said some anglers have been confused about scup and sea bass regulations between state and federal waters. So here is the scoop Images are not displayed
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Scup regulations: in Federal Waters (Outside of 3 Miles) is June 8th to September 26th open at 10 fish per person 10.5 inches. Closed after September 26th. Scup in State Waters (Inside 3 Miles) October 12th to December 31st shore and private anglers as well as party and charter boats are at a 10 fish/person/trip limit. Fish have to be 10.5 inches for private anglers and 11 inches for party and charter boats.
Black Sea Bass regulations: in Federal Waters is May 22nd to October 11th open at 25 fish per person 12.5 inches, October 11th to October 31st Closed, November 1st to December 31st open at 25 fish 12.5 inches. Black Sea Bass in State Waters for recreational anglers and party/charter boasts is July 11th to December 31st open at 12 fish per person 13.0 inches.
Where’s the bite
Scup fishing has been outstanding. Anglers Rich Jones of East Greenwich and Peter Sousa of Warwick caught several keeper size scup while tautog fishing on No Fluke Charters on the North and South sides of Hope Island this weekend. The largest was a nice eighteen-inch fish. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, East Providence said the scup bite continues to be strong at Colt State Park in Bristol and around Prudence Island. Captain Rick Bellavance of Priority Too Charters said, “I enjoy bottom fishing and I anxiously await mid fall's approach as this is prime bottom fishing season. The Black Sea Bass, Scup and Tautog fishing around Block Island has been spectacular this year, we even had a couple keeper Cod in the mix already.”
Black sea bass bite has been good with anglers taking fish while tautog fishing as well as when targeting the species directly. They are taking green crabs from tautog anglers and squid stripes from anglers targeting the species. Fair amount of fish being caught off Newport as well, with a few fish in the Bay but the big bite seems to be around Block Island. Captain Rich Hittinger, RISAA vice president, said he fished for black sea bass at Block Island, “The action was non-stop on rock piles in 35 to 45 feet of water. The only problem was there were so many small scup you had to catch a dozen or more of them to get one keeper sea bass. We caught 1 - 20” fluke on a scup rig also.”

Striped bass fishing at Block Island remains good although it is not as outstanding as it has been the past couple of weeks. Anglers taking small and large fish with eels but they are as plentiful. A few fish are being caught under the menhaden schools that are in the West Passage of the Bay. Angler Mike Swain of Coventry related he has been catching bass with chucks and live menhaden in the West Passage from the mouth of the Bay to Quonset Point… anywhere you usually find bass. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said customers have been catching bass by snagging porgies they find in the West Passage, cutting them up into chunks and then sending them down on the edges of the menhaden school to the bottom with sinkers to get them beyond the bluefish.

Menhaden. Dave Henault of Ocean Sate Tackle, Providence, commented on the common reference to menhaden schools as being menhaden pods. He said, “Mammals swim in pods, finfish swim in schools.” So as Dave related, the menhaden pods you see in the Bay are not pods, they are schools.

Tautog fishing reports in the Bay have been spotty. Most anglers are catching fish but the keeper to short ratio has not been good. Some good fish being caught along the coastal shore on rock piles off Narragansett and around Block Island.

Bluefish. No schools on the surface reported yet monster blues are being caught in the menhaden schools throughout the West Passage. Tom Peters of Warwick caught a monster 15.6 pound bluefish under a menhaden school off Quonset Point this weekend. Find a menhaden school and you likely have found bluefish, now all you have to do is catch one.