Squid are in: John Migliori of Newport with a squid he
caught on the Goat Island Bridge in Newport last week. Migliori said, “Squidding
at Goat Island is better than it has been in a few years.”
Where’s the bite
With warmer weather and a lot of
bait (Atlantic Menhaden and squid) in Narragansett Bay and along coastal shores
fishing broke wide open this week with tautog, fluke and striped bass. Here’s what is going on.
Striped bass bite for smaller school bass was very strong all along
coastal shores and in Narragansett Bay.
Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly said, “Many fish were caught
in the River (Pawcatuck) this week with s 28” keeper caught from shore at
Weekapaug.” Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait
& Tackle, Warwick said, “There were more striped bass in Greenwich Bay this
week than in years. Everyone was
catching school bass with an occasional keeper (one in fifty fish).” Last week’s warming water combined with bait
fish (Atlantic Menhaden) being in the Bay in large numbers seemed to be the
combination of conditions needed to activate the bass. Dave Pickering, noted author and shore striped
bass fisherman said, “The hot artificial
combination that has been scoring big time has been a Red Gill teaser set up on
a leader along with a white, 7 1/2 inch Slug-Go at the terminal end. The
leader that holds this all together
is made with 30 lb. test mono and is about 2 1/2 feet long. The teaser
(Red Gill) dangles about 6 inches off the leader's swivel. This is cast
out and twitched along with short pulls of the rod tip as you retrieve at a
slow to moderate speed. The Slug-Go moves erratically in the water and
stripers simply cannot resist slamming it.”
Several anglers have reported worm hatches in coves and rivers in both
the east and west passages of the Bay with striped bass feeding on the
surface. Reports have been from Allen
Harbor, East Greenwich Cove and areas in the Mt. Hope Bay area. A few warm days have created ripe conditions
for worm hatches. Fly fisherman Ed Lombardo said, “Fished the Barrington and Warren
Rivers last week… we did very well in the Warren River with dark olive streamers
and black colored streamers as well. A lot of mummy chubs showing in the river.
The bass we caught had sea lice and where in the 12" to 18" class,
lots of fish and lots of fun!”
Tautog
fishing was heated up this week too.
Angler Larry Norin said he fishied off shore this week for tautog, “Left Point Judith
at 7:00 a.m. Three guyes fished for two and a half hours and we caught eleven
fish, nine keepers to six pounds, all on crabs in 30-40 feet of water.” Ken
Landry and friend caught tautog to 11 ½ pounds using both clam worms and green
crabs. “They fished at Plum Point Light, General Rock and Ohio Ledge.” said Ken
Ferrara of Ray’s Bait. Mike Wade of
Watch Hill Outfitters said the tautog bite has been slow as not many anglers
are targeting them this spring.
Fluke fishing is heating up with commercial fishermen starting to
land fish along the southern coastal beaches.
Noted fluke angler Cathy Muli said, “Got the word there's small fluke on the beach here, draggers are working out
front.” So Cathy and her husband Pat gave
it a try this weekend. “There
were only three boats out (ours being one of them) from Watch Hill to Weakapaug
Breachway.” They picked up a few fish, all under 18” (recreational minimum size
is 18” this year, 8 fish/angler/day).
Cathy said, “I used the Jackpot Digger Jig with a new addition to the
line… a fluorescent squid skirt on a glow jig head. That's what I was using
tipped with a strip of squid. Pat, on the other hand, was using the
white/red bucktail jig. We got out late 12:30 p.m. stayed 2 hours… Nothing to
write home about but at least we know they're moving in.” Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet reports that, “(Last week) hi hook
took home six fine keepers with everyone on board getting at least 2- 3 fish
apiece to take home. Pool fish was 5 lbs…. This past Saturday's fluke fishing
was also pretty good with a nice pull of keepers... From mid week on they
have been marking increasing amounts of bait as well.”
Squid fishing has blown wide open with the Frances Fleet reporting
great squid trips, “Patrons are landing a half of bucket (five gallon pail)
each which is equal to last year’s best trip,” said Roger Simpson. John Migliori of Newport said, “Squidding at Goat Island is better than it has been in a few
years.”
Worm hatch strong, bass can be elusive
Several anglers reported worm
hatches in rivers and coves in Narragansett Bay this week. All it took was a
few days of warm weather. Reports are from both the East and West Passages of
the Bay and we can expect worm hatches in such places as Salt Pond in
Narragansett, East Greenwich Cove, Allen Harbor, Wickford Cove, the Barrington
and Warren Rivers in the West Passage as well as areas in Mt. Hope Bay.
As related in an earlier column
this year, fishing worm hatches for striped bass can be exciting and
frustrating at the same time. Cinder worms are small spawning worms almost
tadpole like in their movements. They
have a wormlike body up top with a tail that wags through the water propelling
them in an erratic fashion at fast speeds in circles through the water.
Striped bass (bluefish too) key
in on the spawning worms (often in May and June) and feed actively on the
surface, close enough to the shore to be well in range of anglers casting with
spinning reels or wading fly rod fishermen.
They are also fished from boats on saltwater ponds, coves and in
saltwater estuaries of all types.
When the worm hatch is at its peak using a fly or bait
that resembles a cinder worm may not be a good idea. If there is too much bait around the bass may
not bite, however, if you present something different to the bass, to gain
their interest, you could hook up with some nice striped bass. It’s all about getting the bass interested in
what you have to offer and they can be finicky and difficult to catch during a
hatch. However, when the hatch starts to
slow down it may be a good idea to present bait that looks like a cinder worm
as the bass may be hunting for the worms as they are getting scarce.
Fluke fishing seminar this Friday at
Watch Hill Outfitters
Watch
Hill Outfitters, 157 Main Street, Westerly, will hold a free seminar on summer
flounder (fluke fishing) Friday, May 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mike Wade, owner of Watch Hill Outfitters,
said quest speakers will be Capt. Tom Logan of Fish-On-Charters and Cathy Muli
of Jackpot Digger Jigs. Fishing gear and rig manufactures will be on hand as
well. Call 401.207.4952 for reservations
and information.
Fluke fishing and cooking seminar May
19
A RI
Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) summer flounder (fluke) fishing and
cooking seminar will be held Monday, May 19.
Captains Ron Hartman and Rich Hittinger along with local fluke expert
Bob Murray will share tips from over their combined sixty years of fluke
fishing experience. Chef Ralph Battista,
executive chef and owner of Luigi’s Restaurant & Gourmet Express, Johnston,
will talk about cooking fluke. Chef
Battista is an avid angler who also loves to fish aboard his vessel Hook’n & Cook’n. Seminar at 7:00 p.m., West Valley Inn, Blossom
Street, West Warwick. Non-members are
asked to make a $10 donation, RISAA members attend free.
Fishing Tournament for visually impaired adults
The RI Lions Sight Foundation (RILSF) will host their 7th Annual VIP
Fishing Tournament for Visually Impaired Persons (VIP’s) of
Rhode Island on June 22, 2014.
The Tournament, which takes
place on a party fishing boat out of Galilee, RI, is supported through
donations from RI Lions Clubs and individual donors. This year, the Tournament will also receive support
from the Pabst Brewing Company through the Pabst Blue Ribbon Northeastern Fishing
Tournament held from June through September (visit www.pbrfishing.com).
The event includes breakfast and a half-day of
fluke fishing followed by lunch and an awards presentation. Participants vie for the opportunity to
represent Rhode Island at the Lions National VIP
Tourney being held in October in North Carolina.
The
event is free of charge to all VIP’s and their guides. To be eligible
participants are must be legally blind, at least 17 years old, are physically
able to fish from a party boat, and must be accompanied by a guide
(transportation and/or guides will be provided if needed).
VIP’s
and guides must fill out an application to participate. Visit http://www.lions4sight.org/index.htm
or call Ken Barthelemy at 401-529-6173
for information.
DEM and DOH to Kick off Great Outdoors
Pursuit this Sunday
The Department of Environmental
Management (DEM) and the RI Department of Health (DOH) will kick off their
Great Outdoors Pursuit (Pursuit #1) Sunday, May 18, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at
Lincoln Woods State Park. Subsequent
“Pursuit” events will take place the same time of day on June 22 and July 27
with the final “Pursuit #4” taking place Saturday, August 9. The aim of the program is to encourage Rhode
Islanders to reconnect with the great outdoors, get active and have fun.
“Our Great Outdoors Pursuit gets
families outdoors, where they can enjoy nature, get fit and have fun. Reconnecting children and families with the
natural world will ensure a healthy future for our children and for our planet.” said DEM Director Janet Coit.
Four of the Pursuits take place on specific dates in set
locations and are guided by DEM staff and their partners. Guided Pursuits
include free outdoor adventures such as biking, hiking, nature walks, fitness
challenges, kayaking, fishing and rock climbing. They also include music,
environmental and health-related exhibits and free raffles, give-a-ways and
samples.
Teams of children and adults will be challenged to
visit different facilities and take part in outdoor adventures and learn about
environmental and health issues over a 12-week period. They earn points for
each “Pursuit” event they attend and can win prizes valued up to $1,000 at the
Grand Finale. Each team must include a minimum of two people – one member over
age 18 and one member under age 18. There is no limit on the number of members
that each team may have.
This year program partners include United Healthcare,
Verizon, Clivus New England, Fort Adams Trust, Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor, the YMCA, and Coast 93.3.
For more information contact Robert
Paquette at (401) 667-6200 (robert.paquette@dem.ri.gov) or Terri Bisson at
(401) 222-2776, ext. 4402 (terri.bisson@dem.ri.gov).
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