Al Anderson inducted into IGFA Hall of Fame

 A first for New England: Capt. Al Anderson (left), skipper of the Galilee based charter boat Prowler, is inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s (IGFA) Hall of Fame for his fish tagging conservation efforts. Rob Kramer, IGFA president with Al at the induction ceremony.

Three generations:  Mike Bucko (center), owner of Bucko’s Tackle Service, Fall River, spoke last week on reel maintenance and repair at a Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association seminar.  Mike Bucko flanked by his son and father (both named Joe) have been in business since 1978.

Al Anderson inducted into IGFA Hall of Fame

Al Anderson, captain of the Galilee based charter boat Prowler, was inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s (IGFA) World Fishing Hall of Fame for his career tagging of nearly 60,000 game fish for science, along with his work as an author. He is the first New England charter captain ever to be so honored by the IGFA.  Anderson became a USCG Licensed charter captain in 1967, and credits his clients who supported his “conservation for science” ethic by assisting with his fish tagging activities.

Anderson has won five conservation awards for this tagging of bluefin tuna, striped bass and other species.  In 2010 he received the American Littoral Society (ALS) Conservation Award for 2,200 plus reported striped bass tag recaptures. In 1987 he was a founding member of the RI Marine Sportfishing Alliance and serves on the board of a number of sport fishing clubs, associations and tournament committees.

Congratulations to Capt. Al Anderson, a Rhode Island sport fishing legend!

U.S. Court of Appeals rules against New Bedford & Gloucester in favor of catch shares program 

Last week the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled against the cities of New Bedford and Gloucester and industry plaintiffs in their challenge to Amendment 16, the framework for the federal government's fisheries catch share system. In an excerpt from the decision the Court said, “This case involves legal challenges to recent federal management actions taken in New England's sensitive Multispecies Groundfish Fishery. We reject the many challenges and affirm entry of summary judgment for the federal defendants.”

The ruling supports the catch share fisheries management approach engaged by fish managers in New England. Fishing community leaders speaking out after the ruling included Dave Preble, a member of the New England Fishery Management Council who said, “… the appeals court (ruling) was complete, thorough, and well-informed on the issues and history of Amendment 16. It was a proper ruling.”  Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association said, “This is the third court ruling in favor of catch shares. It has proven to be an effective management tool.  It is time to move on as objections have been rejected by the courts three times.”

Prevent corrosion on the inside of your fishing reels

“Today’s fishing reels have more moving parts than ever… more parts with dissimilar metals, and this is how galvanic corrosion sets in.” said Mike Bucko of Bucko’s Tackle Service, Fall River, MA.  Anglers should wash reels with soapy water after each use, rinse and dry them… but this is not enough to prevent galvanized corrosion.  Bucko said, “Only an internal cleaning can prevent corrosion.”

Speaking at a Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) seminar last week, Mike Bucko explained the science of galvanic corrosion and what anglers need to do to prevent it.  Bucko, his son and father (both named Joe) have been in business for 34 years serving anglers across the country providing them with service and an extensive parts inventory.  The company totally dismantles reels, puts all parts through an extensive cleaning process and then reassembles the reels for use.  Visit them at www.buckoparts.com.

A lot of windmill activity

Rhode Island has two ocean windmill projects off its shores in the development phase and both are being spearheaded by developer Deepwater Wind. The first project is the five turbine Block Island Wind Farm and Transmission System project and the second is off both Rhode Island and Massachusetts shores which has been designated as an area of mutual interest (AMI) between the states. 

Rick Bellavance, liaison between Deepwater Wind and the fishing community, said, “The Block Island project had its second fishing community information meeting this Tuesday on Block Island for those in the fishing community that might not have been able to make the first meeting held in Narragansett in October.”  Those attending learned about the fisheries data that has been collected and what research is proposed as the project moves forward.  Bellavance said, “The fishing community hopes to be able to negotiate with Deepwater Wind directly to talk about mitigation from two perspectives.  First how it directly impacts those that have history fished in the area the wind turbines will be located in, and secondly how the wind project will impact the fishing community as a whole.”  For further information, contact independent fisheries consultant Rick Bellavance at 401.741.5648 or www.biwffisheries@gmail.com .

Wind farm input opportunities, meetings and notices (recently held and planned)

October 9: First Block Island Deepwater Wind farm (five turbines) and transmission system informational meeting for recreational and commercial fisheries

November 16:  Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) fishing/wind conflict mitigation workshop at the URI Bay Campus

November 30:  BOEM announces the renewable energy ocean lease sales for wind farms.  The proposed sale notices offer 277,550 acres in two "Wind Energy Areas" - one area offshore Virginia and the other area of mutual interest offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island which is the area of the 200 plus wind turbine project Deepwater Wind has expressed interest in.

December 4:  second Deepwater Wind farm and transmission system information meeting on Block Island

December 31:  Army Corps of Engineers has extended is comment period on the Deepwater Wind project until December 31, 2012.  The original public notice for the project and project details can be found on the US Army Corps of Engineers website at www.nae.usace.army.mil.  Anyone wishing to comment should submit them in writing by December 31, 2012 or call Michael Elliott at 978.318.8131 with questions.

January 15:  the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) of RI is soliciting public comment on Deepwater Wind’s Block Island project.  Plans for the project can be seen at the CRMC office in Wakefield, RI.  Deepwater Wind has made the Environmental Report they submitted with their CRMC application available on their website at www.dwwind.com.  A hearing on the project may be requested by submitting an objection in writing to the RI CRMC at their 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield address. Note: all objectors must attend the hearing once it is scheduled and give sworn testimony.  Hearing requests must be received by CRMC by January 15, 2013.

Thankful for the fish, especially Atlantic Menhaden

 Largest bass ever:  Rhody Fly Rodders member Dave Pollack reached a milestone a few weeks ago by catching his largest bass yet on the fly, 42 inches and estimated at over 35 lbs.  Rhody Fly Rodders meet every 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Riverside Sportsmen Association, East Providence.

Tautog fishing still very good:  Gil Barao (in photo) and his son Travis fished near the #2 red can off Newport in 58’ of water Saturday and landed eight tautog.  Fishing weather has been cold and breezy but those braving the weather are catching some nice tautog.

Thankful for the fish, especially Atlantic Menhaden

It is Thanksgiving already.  We have a lot to be thankful for in Rhode Island, we were clobbered by hurricane Sandy but did not experience the loss of life and property that New York and New Jersey experienced.  By no means am I belittling our losses in Westerly, Misquamicut and along our southern coastal shores.  Our residences suffered major losses and we need to continue to help them.

Overall it was a good year for recreational fishing in our bays and ocean.  Fishing this year was better than it has been in a number of years.  The striped bass run in the Bay was moderate, however, the bass fishing continued to be great offshore around Block Island, the fluke season was good and we had an outstanding scup and black sea bass fishery this year.  All this was capped with a surprisingly good fall tautog season that we are still experiencing.  This is a lot to be thankful for.

One species I am forever grateful for is Atlantic Menhaden as it serves as a food source for so many other fish including striped bass. If you fish RI coastal waters, offshore or in Narragansett Bay, now is the time to voice your concerns about this important fish species as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlanta Menhaden Management Board meets December 14, 2012 to consider regulations for this important species.

In addition to being a primary food source for many other species of fish, menhaden serve as roving filters, converting algae into energy and thus reducing nutrient loads in bays and covers. An adult menhaden, through its unique filtering gills, is able to process up to 4 gallons of water per minute or a million gallons of water every 180 days. Multiply this by the number of menhaden in any given area and this is an amazing amount of water being filtered, a reduction of nutrients means fewer algae blooms and ultimately more oxygen for all fish.

The ASMFC’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board will meet on December 14, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland to consider approval of Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. The meeting will take place at the Best Western Plus Hotel and Conference Center, Chesapeake Room, 5625 O’Donnell Street, Baltimore, Maryland.

At the meeting, the Board will select the final measures to be included in the Amendment as well as an implementation timeline. Draft Amendment 2 was out for public comment until November 16, 2012. The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) and other fishing groups in Rhode Island and Massachusetts expressed their thoughts on these important Atlantic Menhaden regulations at public hearings.  However, even though the public comment period is officially closed it is important to continue to put pressure on the ASMFC committee to regulate on the side of the fish. To make sure this species is here to stay and will not continue to be overfished. Advocating for this species should continue through December as regulations are finalized and implemented.  Watch this column for ways to advocate for this species as we get closer to the December meeting and beyond this meeting date.

Amendment 2 presents a suite of options to manage and monitor the stock in both the short and long-term. These include options to end overfishing; change the biomass reference points to match the fishing mortality reference  points; and establish a specification process to set and allocate total allowable catch (TAC), including  procedures to close the fishery when a certain percentage of the TAC has been projected to be landed. It presents accountability measures to address quota transfers, rollovers, and overage payback, as well as options to allow for a specified amount of the TAC to be set aside for small scale fisheries and episodic events. To address monitoring and data collection needs, the Draft Amendment also presents options for timely quota monitoring and the collection of biological data through catch sampling.  Overall it is a very comprehensive amendment.

BOEM holds stakeholder workshop on windmills

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held a workshop at the URI Bay campus Friday to discuss ocean windmills and their impact on fishing.  This was the second of a series of eight workshops taking place on the east coasts to obtain input from commercial and recreational fishers.

This input meeting addressed future potential conflicts between fishing and wind projects within the Ocean Continental Shelf (OCS). BOEM is seeking input from commercial and recreational fishing industries, as well as fisheries management agencies and scientists, relative to proposed offshore wind energy development.

Some of the wind energy/fishing issues discussed included radar performance around wind farms (wind farms can a negative impact on radar), obstruction markings, the ability to shut down the wind farm for emergencies/rescues, exclusion zones, safety zones, electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by turbines and their impact on fish, and financial compensation for equipment loss, liability damage, cable damage, etc.

BOEM intends to process and summarize meeting input for consideration when formulating lease requirements for wind farms.  Recreational anglers recommended such things as added underwater structure around turbine foundations to attract fish, a mooring ball system over the structure so anglers can tie up and fish, reflective markings on structures in addition to lights, radar reflectors, chart markings, mariner notifications during wind farm construction and some type of alert or warning system.  For more information visit BOEM’s website at www.boem.gov.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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.