Fall fishing is great

Family tautog fishing:  Greg Vespe of Tiverton, RI took his family tautog fishing with Capt. BJ Silvia after hurricane Sandy. (From left to right) Shawn Hayes Costello (Tiverton, RI), Ric Vespe (Little Marsh, Pa), Greg Vespe, and Colleen Hayes Costello (Tiverton, RI). 

Tautog fishing is great: Chris Benn, mate on the Seven B’s party boat out of Point Judith, fillets my tautog catch Sunday.  Some customers limited out, many anglers took home two to four fish and the largest fish that day was about nine pounds.

Big bass migrating: Angler Kurt Rivard of Warren, RI landed this 35 pound striped bass last week drifting and eel in 30 feet of water near the Mount Hope Bridge.

Fall fishing is great

So you think it is all over. You think fishing is done for the season… hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter must have shut it down. Well… you are wrong… fresh and saltwater fishing is great.  Anglers are catching bass and trout in ponds and rivers stocked by the Department of Environmental Management (visit www.dem.ri.gov for locations) and saltwater fishing is outstanding.  

Captain Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boast Association said, “This is the best time of year to fish.”  Anglers are catching tautog, cod, scup and striped bass.  Black sea bass can still be caught recreationally in state waters (if you do not have a federal license).  Since Sandy came though many anglers are limiting out with tautog (six fish per angler) and they are catching migrating striped bass too.

Angler Kurt Rivard of Warren, RI landed a 35 pound striped bass last week drifting and eel in 30 feet of water near the Mount Hope Bridge. “The fish pulled 200 yards of line out before it got tired and turned” said Kurt’s fishing partner Corey Smith.

Five days after the hurricane, angler Greg Vespe fished for tautog. “I took my family out with Capt. BJ Silvia… we really clobbered them  (tautog) on the near shore and mid shore humps off of Newport…lots of five and six pounders, five seven pounders and a nine pounder was tops for the day. Picked up at least 40 legal sized tog.” said Vespe.

For anglers who may have put their boats away for the winter (and many did prior to the hurricane) there are a host of charter and party boats still fishing.  Visit the RI Charter & Party Boat Association web site at www.rifishing.com for a list of boats, fishing times, rates and boat web sites for details.  The smaller boats take two to six anglers and the larger party boats can take over a hundred anglers fishing.

The Snappa from Point Judith is a custom 46’ fishing vessel.  Captain Charlie Donilon, who has been fishing for tautog since Sandy,  said, “We (have been) fishing south of Newport in the deeper water between 50 and 100 ft. The largest fish weighed (about) 14 lbs. Approximately 1/3 of the fish are throwbacks.”  The Snappa has a heated cabin and will provide all bait and tackle. Your cost for an 8 1/2 hr. day of fishing is $130. A private group of six passengers can charter the boat for as little as $700. Additional passengers add $100/person. Visit www.snappacharters.com or call Capt. Donilon at 401-782-4040.

The Seven B’s is 80 feet and is licensed to take up to 120 people fishing.  They are tautog fishing now until December 15 at which time they generally switch to cod fishing. My brother-in-law and I fished with Captain Russ Benn this weekend, at first, the fishing was spotty but Captain Benn was determined to find fish and when he did all rods were bent.  The crew was fantastic. Some anglers limited out and others caught two to four keepers.  I did not speak to any unhappy customers.  We fished out in front a mile or two off shore from Newport to the Sakonnet River.  Seven B’s is now fishing Wednesday through Sunday, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Adults $85 and children $45.  Visit them at www.sevenbs.com or call 401.789.9250.

The Francis Fleet vessels are owned by Captain Frank Blount.  He and his family have been running the business since 1978. They are running both tautog and cod fishing trips now.  Visit them at www.francesfleet.com  or call them at 800.662.2824.

Windmill mitigation workshop for recreational and commercial fishers
The second wind mitigation workshop for recreational and commercial fishers will be held November 16, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the URI Bay Campus, South Ferry Road,  Narragansett, RI. For more informationcall 978-465-0492.  RSVP to Elizabeth Castle at ecastle@ene.com .

Fly Tyers to hold annual Christmas Banquet

The United Fly Tyers of RI (UFTRI) will hold their annual Christmas banquet December 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus hall on Sandy Lane in Warwick, RI.  The event will feature a meal, a guest speaker and raffle.  UFTRI is an educational organization, dedicated to teaching fresh and salt water fly tying. Yearly membership dues are $30 (September of current year through May of next year). Tying vises and materials are available for use by guests (anyone attending for the first time), as well as any paid member. Visit  www.uftri.org  for details and information.

Rhody Fly Rodders to meet November 20th

The Rhody Fly Rodders will hold their monthly meeting Tuesday, November 20, 6:30 p.m. at the Riverside Sportsmen Association, East Providence, RI.  The presenter will be Alan Caolo. He will 
be presenting a slide program, “Sight-Fishing for Striped Bass”, a comprehensive overview on an exciting style of fishing for taking stripers in the clear shallows, including strategy, stealth, presentation and flies. The presentation will include information for everyone from beginners to seasoned anglers.  Monthly Bucket Raffles with some great items will be held and as usual, the coffee pot is always on, along with a few tasty snacks.  For information call Peter Nilsen, board member, at 401.245.7172 or e-mail him at pdfish@fullchannel.net .  Directions: From Providence take Rt.195 to Exit 7. Bear right on the ramp & follow Rt. 114 South (Wampanoag Trail) for two miles. Look for WPRO Studios on left, and then take first U-turn back to Rt.114 North. Continue North and look for the Riverside Sportsmen’s Club sign on right side.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing has been good.  Reports of school bass all along the southern shore.  Angler David Sweet reports, “Made our way up to Narragansett Beach and fished just north of the Coast Guard House in about 5-10 ft. of water for 15 + schoolies. Tagged 15… “. Large striped bass being taken in the lower
Bay and along southern Coastal shores.  Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Outfitters, North Kingstown, RI  weighed in a 58.45 pound bass that Nick Gibbs caught while fishing at night off the Narragansett shore last week.  Nick was using a black bomber lure.  

Tautog fishing remains strong in the lower Bay and off coastal shores with a slower bite mid Bay and North.   I fished on the Seven B’s Sunday…  some anglers caught two to four fish, some limited out  and the top fish was about nine pounds.  Anglers experiencing a strong bite at Kettlebottom off Jamestown,  Newport in the Brenton Reef area, off Point Judith Light and off Narragansett on rock clusters.

Cod fishing is starting to pick up.  This past Sunday Captain Letourneau of On The Rocks Charters reported limiting out on Cod.  Captain Letourneau said, “Started out front in Newport with a 24" cod and never looked back…” The Francis Fleet repots an improved cod bite compared to this past week with the top fish Sunday weighing in at about 10 pounds.