It’s all about the wiggle
Jigging continues to gain popularity with fishermen that target bottom
fish like fluke and tautog as well as striped bass and tuna that might be
anywhere in the water column. I attended
the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) monthly seminar last
week and one of the topics was vertical jigging for bass and tuna.
Ron Poirier of Ronz Lures talked about vertical jigging for striped bass
and tuna. Ron said, “Vertical jigging
allows you to locate the fish with electronics and then send down a jig with
pinpoint accuracy for quick hook-ups.” Poirier
said, “With Ronz Lures it’s always about the wiggle.” Ronz soft plastic baits are connected to a
wedge like head that allows the head to walk from side to side so the attached tail
is always wiggling too. The wiggle elicits a strike from the game fish. A tip from Ron on how to know you are hooked
up when the bait is falling… “Drop the bait and if it stops falling or goes
faster you may have a bite.”
Ronz Lures use Owner and Gamakatsu hoops. Their hydro jig heads are made of pure tin
which make them durable and non-toxic.
Soft plastic tails are fish oil infused.
Find Ronz Lures on line at www.ronzmfg.com
.
Jigging for tautog
Bottom jigging for fish such as fluke and tautog is more popular than
ever before too. With the tautog season
upon us you might want to give jigging for them a try. Jigs come in many weights from ¼ once to 10 ounces. Using light tackle to jig for tautog creates
a whole new type of tautog fishing. It
makes catching even small tautog a lot of fun.
To take a look at tautog jigs visit www.htlureco.com
.
More tautog fishing tips
Cinderblock as anchor
After losing two
anchors that were caught in structure I have started to use a cinderblock when anchoring
over severe structure to tautog fish. Often
you want to be on top or on the edge of structure so the more precise you are
with boat placement the better the fishing.
Because the cinderblock can be dropped anywhere, even on top of rocks, it
allows you to be targeted with your boat placement. If you lose a cinderblock who cares… they
cost $1.29 at Home Depot. Use a chain on
the block to avoid line chaffing.
How to get the chum down to where you want it?
Fill a brown
paper lunch bag with your chum (grass shrimp, crab legs, pieces of clam, crushed
crab, etc.) and a three to four inch rock.
Tie a line to the bag and lower it to where you want the chum, let it
sit on the bottom for a couple of minutes and then yank the line. The bag breaks and releases the chum exactly
where you want it to go. The technique
was shared by a RISAA member a few years ago.
Fish lodged in
structure.
Here is a tip from George
Poveromo’s “Rock’em Sock’em” article that appeared in a back issue of Saltwater
magazine. When a fish is hooked and it has muscled its way back to structure,
apply pressure forcing a respectable amount of bend in the rod. If the fish is
not moving, hold the rod vertically to the water, tighten the line and pull or
pluck the fishing line like a banjo string. The sharp vibrations emitted work
their way back down to the fish through the line and irritate it. The fish, in
a state of confusion, may back out of the hole to free itself from the
irritation. Once you sense this has happened start reeling in the fish. If this
does not work try letting the line just go limp for a minute or two. With no
pressure on the fish, it may dislodge itself. The rig often frees itself, the
fish may get unhooked, or you may still catch the fish.
Bay
scallop season opens Nov. 3rd
The Department of Environmental Management
(DEM) announced that the bay scallop harvest season will open at sunrise Saturday,
November 3 and continues until Saturday, December 31 at sunset. Rhode Island
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 3 through November 30.
Dredging will be allowed after November 30 to access remaining adult scallops
residing in deeper waters. Visit www.dem.ri.gov for additional information.
US Coast Guard boating
safety class at Wood Boat & Motor
The US Coast Guard will hold a safe boating class on October
27, November 3, 10 and 17 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cost will be $50.00
which includes all the materials. Participants
will get both State and Coast Guard Certified. Class size is limited to 30.
Sign up today by calling Debbie Wood, Wood Boat & Motor, Inc., 3630 West
Shore Road in Warwick, RI 02886 or at 401-739-4040.
Where’s the bite
Freshwater fishing is expected to improve as DEM stocks select area ponds and
rivers with trout for the fall season.
Visit www.dem.ri.gov for details.
Striped bass fishing is picking up along southern coastal beaches and in the
Bay. Mary Dangelo of Maridee Bait and Canvass,
Narragansett said, “Quite a few customers are catching striped bass in front of
the Coast Guard House in Narragansett. I
weighed a 24 pound fish Saturday.” John
Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown said, “A customer caught
two keepers in East Greenwich Cove last week using surface plugs.” Angler Chris Jalbert fished Block Island last
week during the evening. He reports on
the RISAA blog, “Wind picked up at dark and made for bad drift until the tide
turned. First bass was about 30 pounds and I thought it would be a great night…
(but after that)… all the stripers were small by Block standards, many were 28
to 32 inches.”
Green bonito and false albacore fishing
continue to be excellent along the RI southern coastline. Mary Dangelo of Maridee
Bait & Canvas said, “The albies are all along the beaches but they are pretty
elusive, not many shore anglers are catching them.”
Tautog. Patti Ferrara of Ray’s Bait
& Tackle, Warwick, said, “Customers are catching tautog at Ohio Ledge and
around Prudence Island.” John Wunner of
John’s Bait & Tackle said, “Customers are catching tautog at about a 10 to
1 ratio. One of my customers, a young
man, caught a 4 pound, 2 once and a 5 pound, 5 once tautog when fishing with
his Dad.” Angler Tom Peters of Warwick and his brother Allan limited out on
keeper tautog at General Rock, North Kingstown this weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment