Fishing tournament for visually impaired adults

 Last year’s VIP winners:  Winners of last year’s RI Lions Sight Foundation Visually Impaired Persons fishing tournament for the blind are first place Louis Musco Jr., second place Elliott Mitchell and third place winner Janice Musco.

Rocky Point proposal: Kevin and Meghan Costice got engaged at the entrance of Rocky Point Park on February 29, 2012.  This was just one of the many memories shared by attendees at the Rocky Point Foundation.  Shown here with their baby boy Travis. 

Fishing tournament for visually impaired adults

The RI Lions Sight Foundation (RILSF) will host their 6th Annual VIP Fishing Tournament for Visually Impaired Persons (VIP’s) of Rhode Island on June 23, 2013.  The tournament will take place on a chartered party boat out of Galilee RI.

The Tournament is sponsored and organized by the RILSF and is supported through donations from RI Lions Clubs and individuals. The event includes breakfast and a half-day of summer flounder or fluke fishing, followed by a luncheon and awards presentation at a local restaurant. The event is free of charge to all VIP’s and their guides.  

The only requirements for eligibility are:  must be Legally Blind, at least 17 years old,  are physically able to fish from a party boat, must be accompanied by a guide, transportation and/or guides will be provided if needed.

In addition to competing for trophies in the RI Tournament, three of the top winners will be eligible to represent Rhode Island at the 2013 National VIP Fishing Tournament to be held in October on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This Tournament will also include competing in the 4^th Annual New England Lions Tourney where participants compete against VIP’s from the other participating New England states.  Rhode Island has won two out of three New England Tournaments and two of five national tournaments.

The trip to North Carolina for Tournament winners is dependent upon the availability of funding for transportation.  Donations in any amount are welcome and will cover cost of the event.  However donations for participants are voluntary.

Visit http://www.lions4sight.org/index.htm or http://www.ncvipfishing.org/ for information.

Rhody Fly Fodders set summer fishing scheduled

Rhody Fly Rodders have announced their summer meeting fishing schedule and according to Pete Nilsen members will meet around 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and fish until dark.  Members and non-members are invited to attend.  Participants are urged to bring hot dogs or burgers and a chair.  The club will provide the grille, chips and water.  Event dates and times are: Thursday, May 23, Bristol Narrows (in-coming) – High tide – approx 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, June 18 – Goddard Park (boat ramp) (out-going) – High tide – approx 3:50 p.m.;  Thursday, July 18 –– Sepowet Marsh (out-going) – High tide – approx 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, August 15 –– Quonochontaug (boat ramp) (out-going) – High tide – approx 3:00 p.m.; Thursday, September 26 –– Narrow River (Sprague Bridge) (out-going) – High tide – approx 1:30 p.m.

Erickson Bait & Tackle not for sale

Craig Castro of Erickson Bait & Tackle, 1257 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, said, “The bait shop is not for sale, we are open welcoming all customers. The “For Sale” sign in front of our shop is the landlords, he is selling the building. We are open for business as usual.” Compete for Prizes at the 6th Annual Great 

Outdoors Pursuit

On Sunday, May 19 at Lincoln Woods State Park, the Departments of Environmental Management and Health will launch the 2013 Great Outdoors Pursuit, a summer-long program and game designed to help children, families and individuals enjoy the recreational resources Rhode Island state parks have to offer to encourage more physical activity by trying new outdoor activities. The event will run from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The game will take Rhode Islanders to seven different state parks and forests over a 13-week period. Teams can register for the game at: www.riparks.com. 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.

Rocky Point Foundation casts a big net

Last week the Rocky Point Foundation held a public hearing on the future of Rocky Point Park at Rhodes on the Pawtucket in Cranston and hundreds of Rhode Islanders attended sharing their ideas about possible Park uses.  In March of 2013, the sale of the remaining 82 acres of the former amusement park was conveyed to the state of Rhode Island and plans call for it to be converted into a State Park.  Suggestions at the hearing were far reaching including a camp ground, beach cabanas, a public venue for concerts, a fishing pier, a dock for recreational boating,  a water taxi service to other State Parks and a host of other ideas.  Visit www.rockypointfoundation.org for information on how to make a donation or how to get active in the Foundation.

Where’s the bite

Tautog fishing remains good with anglers often catching there limit (three fish/person/day) when fishing in popular Bay and near coastal waters including Conimicut Light, Ohio Ledge, Rocky Point, General Rock, off Narragansett and other popular tautog fishing spots.  Make sure the tide is moving when fishing.  They are biting on green crabs, Asian crabs, worms and one angler reports catching his limit using quahogs. Last week Dan O’Hara of Cranston reported caching there boat limit at Plum Lighthouse next to the Jamestown Bridge, “I went Saturday to the lighthouse next to the Jamestown bridge. We caught 20, 10 were keeper size. We started at 10:30 a.m. at dead low tide and the action picked up soon after on the incoming. Used green crabs, 4 oz sinker.”  Craig Castro of Erickson’s Bait & tackle said tautog fishing has been excellent all over the Bay with customers catching them on green crabs and worms.

Striped bass fishing remains good from shore and from boats.  Al Johnson of Warwick said, “I started fishing at 4 p.m. Sunday and caught three nice keeper striped bass, the largest being in the mid-thirty inch range when fishing from shore at Conimicut Point.” The Providence River is thick with Atlantic Menhaden. Adam Maziarz reports on the RI Saltwater Anglers Association blog Sunday, “Providence River from the Squantum Club to Bold Point was so full of pogies…that no one was catching any bass.
I went south to Prudence Island and caught a few keepers and some shorts off the north point. We even caught some 5-7 lb blues. Bass were everywhere for a few hours, busting all over the surface chasing silver sides.”  Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “Striped bass fishing has been hot along the East Bay Bike Path and at Sabin Point with bass up to 44"s taking clam tongues, sea worms and pogey chunks. Bridge fishing on the bike path in Barrington and Warren has been active with a lot of schoolie bass and small tautog but persistent fishermen are rewarded with occasional keepers of both blackfish and striped bass.”

Squeteague. “Domenic Petraca caught three 10 pound weakfish (squeteague)… off Prudence Island's Mount Tom.”, said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Bluefish do get some respect

Winners of the Lions Club Visually Impaired Persons (VIP) Fishing Tournament were (left to right) Janice Musco (first place), Lincoln, RI; Norman Boyce, Bristol, RI (second place); and Gerardo Cerino (third place), Providence, RI.

Peter Sousa of Warwick, RI with a fluke he caught on No Fluke Charters off Point Judith this weekend in 55 feet of water using a conventional squid rig tipped with squid, fluke belly and a freshwater minnow.

Captain Rich Hittinger out of Point Judith, RI with a black sea bass he caught this past Sunday off of Point Judith Light in Narragansett, RI.

Bluefish do get some respect
The bluefish column last week got quite a few responses. There are bluefish fans out there. Select comments appear below, bluefish recipes to follow next week (please share your favorite recipes). One request from Chris Del Sesto of Cranston was actually a question… “Where do they serve bluefish?” So if you know what restaurants in RI or MA serve bluefish, let me know and I will pass the information along.

“We read your column today -- excellent. I used to order bluefish at Legal Seafood in Warwick, but they took it off the menu. Do you know of any RI or Mass. restaurants that serve bluefish?”
Chris Del Sesto and Donna Lee, Cranston, RI.

“Dear Dave. Glad to see you’re giving bluefish their due. I am eighty three and have been fishing for them since I was a kid in Jamestown. I agree with you completely concerning both their fighting ability and their culinary desirability. My fishing buddy these days is my 14 year old grandson and he would rather catch blues than anything else he has tangled with so far in his young life including plenty of Penobscot River smallmouth. I have two excellent books on bluefish; I am sure you are familiar with John Hersey's "Blues", I also have "The Bluefish Cookbook' by Greta Jacobs and Jane Alexander which my wife picked years ago when we were on a visit to either Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard. I don't know if either are still in print.
Tom Lyons, Portsmouth. RI

P.S. My favorite lures are; for surface fish, the Heddon Super Spook Jr, I remove the treble hooks and replace them with a single circle hook. Although I prefer all white I am not sure color makes a whole lot of difference. For sub-surface fish I prefer the 1/2 oz Acme Need- L-Eel. Unfortunately these are no longer made but I was able to stockpile several before they disappeared.”

Fish for striped bass during bluefish feeding frenzies

Don Smith, RI striped bass fishing expert, shared a tip for catching big striped bass during bluefish feeding frenzies on the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) blog. Don said, “Eels work anywhere providing you get them into the strike zone, and of course past the bluefish. Over the years of fishing with eels we (Don means he and Peter Vican, his fishing partner who holds the RI striped bass record at 77.4 pounds) have found that the big, lazy stripers will travel up the water column about 15' to get them anytime. They will rarely go further than that. That is why in my seminars I have always referred to keeping the eel in the strike zone… Very often in back of a school of marauding bluefish will be a school of striped bass picking up the pieces left by the blues. They are usually about 200 yards. downstream of the bluefish. So my advice is when you run into a school of bluefish move down current and see if there are stripers following them.”

4th Annual VIP Fishing Tournament for the blind and visually impaired

The Rhode Island Lions Sight Foundation’ 4th Annual VIP Fishing Tournament for the blind and visually impaired was held Sunday, June 26, 2011 aboard “The Lady Frances” party fishing boat in Galilee, RI where the participants were competing for several trophies.
The fishing tournament was followed by a buffet lunch at George’s of Galilee Restaurant in Galilee where the participants enjoyed lunch and the winners’ trophies were distributed.
First Place was taken by Janice Musco of Lincoln with a total of 76" of fish, thanks to a very unusual catch of a 30' Bluefish.

Second Place was taken by Norman Boyce of Bristol with a total of 75" of fish all Fluke.

Third Place was taken by Gerardo Cerino of Providence with a total of 68.5" of fish all Skate.
The Rhode Island Lions Sight Foundation would like to send the top three winners of the tournament to compete in the National VIP Tournament on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in October, as they have the last three years, if the funds can be raised to allow it. If you would like to make a donation to help fund this event or would like information on the RILSF VIP Fishing Tournament please visit our websites at www.lions4sight.org and www.ncvipfishing.org .

Where’s the bite
Striped bass fishing continues to be good at Block Island at the North Rip and on the Southwest Ledge. Fish being taken on tube and worm, umbrella rigs, eels and jigs. This past Sunday activity in both places was good early in the morning but by 10:00 a.m. activity slowed dramatically. Some striped bass activity in Narragansett Bay this week. Joe Petuli reports on the RISAA blog he took, “Five bass to 36" on the east channel edge off Barrington beach last week (fish were taken during the) last hour of the incoming tide. (fish were caught using) Rubber shad frames off downriggers. Only one fish was short.” The Francis Fleet reports an excellent striped bass bite on its night trips.
Fluke (summer flounder) fishing remains strong. Captain Rich Hittinger reports a reduced fluke bite off Point Judith, however there are still fish there Rich reports. Peter Sousa of Warwick caught keeper fluke Sunday while fishing off Point Judith in 55 feet of water using a conventional squid rig tipped with squid, fluke belly and a freshwater minor while aboard No Fluke Charters. Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, reports landing several fluke at the mouth of the Sakonnet River Sunday. The largest fish taken on his boat was ten pounds. The Seven B’s reports a good fluke bite last week with sea bass mixed in. The largest fish for the week was 8.5 pounds. Some customers reached their seven fish fluke limit.
Black sea bass bite is good. Anglers catching keepers mixed in with shorts while fluke fishing. Captain Rich Hittinger said he caught some nice keepers off Point Judith this past Sunday.
Bluefish bite off shore around Block Island has been good, often creating problems for striped bass anglers. Anglers continue to find bluefish in the West passage of the Bay between Hope Island and Greenwich Bay.