Barao of East Providence appointed to Marine Fisheries Council

 Travis Barao of East Providence, RI has been appointed to the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council.

 Steve Gillissie with a Block Island striped bass caught last week using an umbrella rig.

Louie Alarie, Bob Ferioli and Mel Blake had no trouble catching black sea bass to 22” under and just south of the Newport Bridge last week aboard No Fluke Charters.

Barao of East Providence appointed to Marine Fisheries Council

Travis E. Barao of East Providence, RI has been appointed to the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC).  He is one of three recreational representatives on the Council and replaces Richard Hittinger who reached his two term limit. Three commercial fishing representatives and two scientists also serve on the Council.

The RIMFC makes commercial and recreational fishing regulation recommendations to Janet Coit, executive director of the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM).  The RIMFC solicits input from fishermen and community input on proposed fishing regulations and then makes recommendations to the DEM director.

Barao also serves on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Black Sea Bass, Fluke and Scup advisory panel which provides regional regulation recommendations for these and other species. He is a Life Member of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association where he has served on their board for three years.

Barao was confirmed by the RI Senate on June 16 with a term that expires on April 1, 2020.

United Fly Tyers open to new members

If you are interested in fly fishing and want to learn how to tie your own flys or improve you skills in this area, The United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island may be the club for you. Meetings are more like workshops where members share their knowledge on how to tie flys that target both fresh and salt water species. 

The United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island (www.uftri.org) meets at the Knight of Columbus, 475 Sandy Lane, Warwick, R.I. 02889, the first Wednesday of each month, September through May. Call Jeff Perry at 741.0598 or Cindi Chrostek at 871.2332 for more information.

Trout Unlimited July meeting

The Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU225) will host its next meeting on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. at the Deer Check Station, Rte. 165 (Ten Rod Road), Exeter, RI.  This will be the third of four streamside meetings for this summer.

The primary focus of the meeting will be ‘A Night with RIDEM Conservation Officer Michael DiPietro’.  Officer DiPietro will review important issues from DEM’s perspective with a question and answer period where members can relate how the feel about key issues.  Networking will start at 5:00 p.m., food will be available at 5:30 p.m. and a short meeting will start around 6:00 p.m. followed by the discussion. 

One additional benefit of the summer streamside format is that the sun is still shining when the meeting is adjourned, and anglers have time to fish before the sun goes down. Contact chapter president, Ron Marafioti at (401) 463-6162 with questions.

Where’s the bite

Fresh water fishing has slowed with the heat and warming water.  “Low water levels at the Wood River  reduced fishing activity on the River.” said Kim Petti of Fin & Feather Outfitters, North Kingstown. “Bass fishing for customers has been slow.  When they have been able to catch them they have been down in deeper cooler water as the water is warming up quite a bit.” said Sam Busenbark of Bucko Bait & Tackle, Fall River.

Striped bass fishing remained very strong at Block Island last week with reports of 50 plus pound fish being caught at the southwest ledge.  Capt. Rob Roach of Kettlebottom Outfitters said, “Bunker in Providence River are becoming scattered and hard to locate and game fish are moving out of the Bay and onto South Shore and Bay reefs.  Many inlets are still producing a lot of school to small keeper-sized fish as are the associated salt ponds.  Eels at Block Island are showing good results with many 40 lb+ fish caught lately.” Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “Last week’s Wednesday Night's bass trip had a full boat limit of bass to 35 pounds by 9:30 p.m. and anglers practiced catch and release fishing thereafter and the boat was still tied up at the dock by midnight… at least a half dozen other bass around 30 pounds that night and many others in the 20's.”  I fished Block Island last week with Josh and Ron Barnes and friends where they caught bass to 46 pounds.  Umbrella rigs and eels seem to be the bait of choice with other methods working too.  Capt. Rick Bellavance of Priority Too charters said, “Striped bass fishing this week switched more to a night time bite on Block Island where anglers are using eels.  Parachute jigs are working well in the day too.”

Bluefish.  Kim Petti of Fin & Feather Outfitters, North Kingstown said, “I was in Jamestown this weekend and small bluefish (and stripers) were being caught by fly fishermen.  Others are doing well in the Quonochontaug area with a decent bluefish bite off Prudence Island in the Bay as well.”  Angler Steve Hamilton and his son Devin caught a 28” bluefish while fluke fishing in the West Passage off the URI Bay Campus in Narragansett.  This fish took a small fluke rig tipped with squid and a silverside.” Sam Busenbark of Bucko Bait & Tackle, said, “The bass have moved out of the Sakonnet River due to the heat but some nice bluefish have moved in.”

Summer flounder (fluke).   Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “A big body of fish set up along the south side of Block Island and there were numerous angler limits and many fishers who boxed several nice fluke apiece on trips this week. Whole squid, buck tails and regular bait rigs all worked this past week. Best advice is to be prepared for two or three of these fishing strategies and adjust accordingly as the tide/wind conditions dictate.” Sam Busenbark of Bucko Bait & Tackle said, “We had some nice keepers taken at Elbow Ledge last week but fluke fishing activity has been slow.”  “Fluke fishing south of the Block Island is hot… some days it looks like there are 100 boats there.”, said Rick Bellavance of Priority Too charters. I bottom fished three times this week off Jamestown and Newport and had trouble hooking up with summer flounder as they do not seem to be in the area yet, hope is that they arrive this week or next.

Black sea bass and scup fishing is very strong just about everywhere.  Nelson Valles of Maridee Canvas & Bait, Narragansett said, “Scup and black sea bass fishing is very strong from shore off just about every dock, jetty and even from the beaches with a good bluefish bite from shore too.” “Scup fishing has been fantastic with fish being caught from shore at the Stone Bridge, Tiverton all the way up to Fall River from shore as well as in the Gooseberry and Horseneck areas.” said Sam Busenbark of Bucko’s Bait & Tackle.

Tuna fishing offshore locally has been slow.  Tuna fisherman Mike Schreffler said, “There have been no bluefin in close.  Guys are catching them at the Canyons, a 120 mile run, but we are waiting for them to get a bit closer at least to the Fish Tales which is about 70 miles offshore.  So things have been slow off Rhode Island and Cape Cod with some fish being caught up north.  We have heard that some are catching mahi mahi in the Shipping Lanes which is about 50 miles offshore.”

Fishing advisory panels meet on management plans

Angler Brian Beltrami with the 8.95 lbs. tautog he caught Saturday in Narragansett Bay using green crabs.  At the time of the weigh-in at Quaker Lane Outfitters, North Kingstown, the fish was in 1^st place in the RISAA tautog fishing tournament.  

Fishing advisory panels meet on management plans

The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) held commercial fluke (summer flounder), scup/black sea bass and herring advisory panel meetings on October 2 in preparation for a Thursday, November 8, 2012 public hearing.  The purpose of the advisory panels is to provide industry (fishermen) and the general public with the opportunity to offer input and proposals to be considered at public hearing. 

Advisory panels reviewed Department of Environmental Management (DEM) presentations on stock assessment, historical fishing activity and allocations. The November 8^th public hearing on proposed management plan changes is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI.  Commercial and recreational fishermen are urged to attend and provide input on proposals.

Fluke (summer flounder) advisory panel meeting highlights

Summer flounder stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, the fishery is considered rebuilt.

RI quota for 2013 will likely be 1.796 million pounds, a decrease of approximately 11% from 2012 quota.

Proposals reviewed 

A status quo proposal (same quotas/regulations as last year).

The Marine Fisheries Division made a proposal to shorten the summer season to May 1 through September 15, but keeping the quota percentage the same for this period at 35%.  The proposed change would allow inshore commercial fishermen the opportunity to take advantage of the stock when it was close to shore.

A change in starting possession limits were also proposed (see recommendations at www.dem.ri.gov ).

Additionally, the fluke advisory panel approved moving a RI fluke sector fishing plan forward to public hearing.  The proposal would allow the program to run for one year under the 2011 proposal plan and agreement guidelines giving DEM time to consider departmental policy on alternate fisheries management approaches. 

Meeting participants applauded the sector’s track record for reducing discards at historically low levels and the program’s financial benefit to even non program members.  Non sector fishermen received the benefit of higher market prices in part due to a consistent supply of fish to the market, spreading available fish over a longer time period when they are not ordinarily available.

Scup advisory panel meeting highlights

Biological reference points indicate that the scup stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.

Recruitment actually exceeded the 1984-2011 average of 104 million in 2011.  So the stock is in good shape moving forward.  DEM proposed enhancing limits from 5,000 lbs/wk on May 1, 2012 to 50,000 lbs/wk on September 15, 2012.

The RI 2013 commercial quota is generally 56.19% of the coastwide summer allocation, so for 2013 this would be 4,995,284 lbs, a 16% decrease from our 2012 quota, however, scup landed in 2012 was well below quota.

Scup proposals included a status quo proposal as well as a Marine Fisheries Division proposal to increase the starting aggregate limits in an effort to keep up with the high level of quota. These limits would increase to 10,000 lbs/wk.

Black sea bass (BSB) highlights

The stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.

2011 recruitment was 21 million fish, this year and recent years have been near average recruitment.

Three closings occurred in 2012 to ensure that RI did not overfish its quota.

RI’s share of the Coastwide commercial quota in 2013 will likely be 189,827 lbs which is a 1% increase in quota from 2012.

Fishermen (both commercial and recreational representatives) at the advisory panel meeting testified to the abundance of black sea bass (inshore and offshore) at a variety of sizes.

DEM recommended no changes to the black sea bass commercial fishery in 2013, however, (due in part from fishermen input on an abundance of stock) fish managers related the stock can likely accommodate more harvest and they will continue to improve estimates in the stock assessment and continue to improve the stock assessment itself so that harvest levels can be increased in the future.

The second BSB proposal was from the RI Commercial Rod & Reel Association (RICRRA) pertaining to spring and summer sub-period adjustments to insure the season remain open to offer a consistent supply of product to dealers.  The proposal called for a deceased starting possession limits to 25 pounds per day, May through October.  A third proposal called for a decreased starting possession limit, increased minimum size, and changed sub periods.  The fourth proposal increased starting possession limits to 100 pounds per day, May through October.  A fifth proposal set aggregate limits in spring and summer periods.

Atlantic herring ad hoc panel meeting highlights

DEM Atlantic herring fishery regulation proposals include a river herring by catch allowance of 5% (which would allow in state and out-of state boats to land their catch in RI, 0% by-catch allowance was the case in 2012.  Zero tolerance discouraged commercial fishermen from landing their catch in RI).  The second major recommendation by DEM provides for a closure of state waters to herring boats if it is deemed that an area will likely have 5% or more of river herring. These proposed amendments come with a lot of qualifying details, the plan (Part VII – Section 7.19; pages 65-66) can be found online at www.dem.ri.gov. 

After the November 8^th public hearing the proposed regulatory changes to species management plans along with input from the public will be presented to the RIMFC for consideration.  The council then votes on the proposed recommendations/changes and forwards its recommendations to DEM director Janet Coit for consideration. 

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing is very good for anglers all along the southern coastal shores of Rhode Island.  Steve McKenna noted RI shore angler and associate at Quaker Lane Outfitters, North Kingstown, said, “Shore fishing has been the best in years.  Since the end of August I have caught bass to 40 lbs in the surf using plugs at Narragansett.  There is so much bait around… peanut bunker, needle fish, silversides and more mullet than I have ever seen before.”  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick,  said, “Customers are catching some nice bass out in from of Brenton Reef and Beavertail using eels as well as tube & worm.”  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait and Tackle, East Providence,  said, “Customers Albert and Kevin Bettencourt of East Providence are doing well with bass at night drifting eels in the Bay.”

Tautog fishing is good but anglers have to work their way through a lot of shorts and an awful lot of small black sea bass to earn keeper tautog.  John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown said anglers are catching ten short tautog to everyone keeper. Angler Brian Beltrami said he weighted in an 8.95 lbs. tautog at Quaker Lane Outfitters Saturday that he caught in Narragansett Bay using green crabs (when weighed in the fish was in 1^st place in the RISAA tautog fishing tournament).  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait said, “Anglers are catching tautog all over the Bay but there are a lot of shorts mixed in.”  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle said the tautog are at Hope Island, General Rock and this week some anglers are catching them off the Rocky Point dock in Warwick.

Bluefish are roaming the Bay and coastal shores.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait said, “One customer had ten fish in the six to twelve pound range lined up on shore at Sabine Point”.  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait and Steve McKenna shore angler said the blues are mixed in with the bass along southern coastal shores.

Proposed panel format designed to enhance fishermen input

Captain John Sheriff with the 43 pound bass he caught on the Southwest Ledge of Block Island fishing at night with eels.

Suzanne Sustello with a nice black sea bass she caught off the center wall at the Harbor of Refuge when fishing with her husband Rick last week.

Bob Brodeur with the 24” fluke that Larry Ruddy caught on his boat Popcorn2 when fishing under the Newport Bridge last Thursday.

Angler Ed Mardo with two of the doormat fluke he caught this weekend when fishing the south side of Block Island.

Proposed panel format designed to enhance input

In a move to enhance fishermen participation the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) is exploring full-day meetings to consider annual amendments to species-specific management plans. These annual amendments traditionally address such things as catch limits, season length, size limits, etc. for both commercial and recreational fishing. Historically, Advisory Panel meetings have been held on separate nights i.e. striped bass, fluke (summer flounder), tautog.  With the single night approach fishermen have to attend several evening or afternoon meetings to provide regulation input on the variety of species they fish.

Robert Ballou, acting chief of the Division of Fish & Wildlife of the Department of Environment Management (DEM) and chairman of the RIMFC, introduced the proposal at July’s RIMFC meeting. “Now I would like to continue the discussion regarding streamlining the Advisory Panel process.”  Consolidating the meetings was recommended by Councilman Rick Bellavance of North Kingstown (a charter boat operator and captain).  Captain Bellavance said, “Holding meetings together on one or two days or evenings will enhance participation from fishermen who cannot make multiple meetings and allow greater council participant at a variety of species meetings.” Bellavance continued to say that fishermen have too many meetings to go to.  Consequently they often have to miss meetings to fish or prepare their vessels for fishing

The draft proposal calls for a full-day (and/or night) meeting in September and a meeting in February that will likely be one and a half or two days.  The fall meeting would address commercial summer flounder, scup, black sea bass as well as herring.  The winter meeting could address commercial tautog, striped bass, menhaden, bluefish and weakfish; federally managed species such as monkfish, dogfish, skates, cod, winter flounder; lobster;  and recreational summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, tautog, striped bass and winter flounder.

Advisory panels and committees that would remain in effect, meeting throughout the year as needed, would include the Industry Advisory Committee (IAC), enforcement, floating fish trap and shellfish possibly both wild harvest regulations as well as aquaculture lease proposals.

The proposal received wide support at the meeting.  DEM and the RIMFC hope to enact the new meeting structure this year keeping advisory panel and committee membership as it presently exists.

Fluke exemption certificate

The summer flounder (fluke) exemption certificate program was also discussed at the RIMFC meetng.  The Council voted to not eliminate the certificate and then asked DEM to develop an alternative proposal that addressed key fishermen concerns if the certificate was eliminated  i.e. too much pressure on inshore fish in the summer, possible early season closures due to overfishing but yet address the inequality of the present certificate program.

 The fluke advisory panel had voted unanimously (8 to 0) to “recommend not eliminating or modifying the summer flounder exemption certificate program.”  The program allowed vessels to apply for a “RI Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate” prior to 1/1/97.  173 permits were issued with approximately 148 (56 are non-resident permits) active today.  The permits allow fishermen “to possess, land, sell” more than two hundred (200) pounds of summer flounder in any calendar day in Rhode Island as catch limits permit. 

The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance sponsored a proposal to eliminate the permit relating that the proposal was about creating equity amongst Rhode Island fishermen. However, some at the summer flounder advisory panel meeting and the following RIMFC meeting voiced opposition to eliminating the certificate program relating the “too much inshore pressure” and “overfishing” arguments.  Those voicing opposition to eliminating the certificate included the Rhode Island Commercial Rod and Reel Association as well and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA).

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing has been good at Block Island at night.  Captain John Sheriff reports landing bass to 43 pounds on the Southwest Ledge Friday night.  Captain Sheriff said, “We caught a 34, 25 and a few 20 pound class fish as well…Bass caught with live eels with no weight in 45 feet of water.” Steve McKenna, a noted local shore angler and fishing author said the shore bass bite has slowed a great deal off Narragansett and other areas he fishes.  Steve said, “I caught over one hundred fish in April but since May I have caught about seventy fish… I have been shore bass fishing for 39 years and places where I would catch five and seven fish a night are now yielding two to no fish.” Angler Dave Morton reports that Saturday night, “…we decided to hit the car docks at Quonset where we came across schools of stripers chasing squid and small bunker type bait, by the end of the night my friend’s brother landed his first Rhode Island striper at 25 inches! In total the three of us landed 30 stripers from 12 to 28 inches all stuffed with squid.” John Littlefield from Archie’s Bait & Tackle, East Providence said, “The striped bass bite has slowed a great deal in the upper Bay and River.”

Squeteague (weakfish or saltwater trout as they are often referred to) are being caught in Narragansett Bay in larger numbers.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, East Providence, said, “Two days in a row customers have reported catching squeteague.  One caught four off Warwick Light when fluke fishing and a second caught two off Barrington Beach.”  Ed Bison caught a 25” weakfish in 60’ of water when fluke fishing Saturday. The legal size for squeteague is 16” with a possession limit of one fish per angler per day with no closed season.

Fluke (or summer flounder) fishing slowed a bit this week with anglers working harder for the keeper fish. Craig Castro of Erickson Brothers Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “Customers fishing in the RISAA fluke tournament experienced a very slow bite catching one and two fish this weekend.”  I fished this week off Newport and caught three fluke in the 21” range in a two hour period.  Thursday, Larry Ruddy caught a nice 24” fluke under the Newport Bridge when fishing on Bob Brodeau’s boat Popcorn2.  Angler Dave Sweet fished at Austin Hollow Saturday and caught three keepers in the afternoon with a slow bite most of the day. Anglers fishing the mouth of the Sakonnet River also experience a slower fluke bite this week.  Angler Steve McGonagle said there was a “Slow pick of nice sized fluke along with big BSB and even a couple of fat tautog on the outgoing, at the mouth of the Sakonnet River in 70-75 feet of water. Point Judith head boats were there along with 30 or so other boats. Not nonstop action but you could work for a nice pick of fish.”  Angler Rick Sustello who fished at the three mile limit off Point Judith Saturday said, “We had non-stop action with fluke and BSB for over two hours before it slowed down. We had over a dozen keeper size fluke, but kept only 6 fluke… we also caught about the same number of BSB with the largest at 4...”

Scup fishing remains good all over Narragansett Bay with fish as large 18” being caught.  Hot spots include Colt State Park, Ohio Ledge, the Rocky Point area and wharfs in Warren and Barrington.  

Block Island striped bass experts

Angler Rick Sustello with two of the sixteen fluke he and fishing partner Lary Norin took in front of the Sakonnet River this past Saturday. The duo also caught black sea bass to 20”.
Peter Vican of East Greenwich with his Rhode Island State record 77.4 pound striped bass. Peter caught the bass using eels as bait while fishing with Don Smith off Block Island.
Block Island striped bass experts who recently spoke at a RI Saltwater Anglers seminar are from left to right Donald Smith, Michael Lanni and Peter Vican.

Block Island striped bass experts

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet, listen to and ask questions to, arguably, three of the best Block Island striped bass anglers in Rhode Island. I attended the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association monthly seminar held at the West Valley Inn, West Warwick, RI.

Block Island striped bass fishermen Michael Lanni, Donald Smith and Peter Vican (RI striped bass record holder at 77.4 pounds) presented their thoughts and experiences about fishing for striped bass around Block Island. One of Michael’s largest bass was 64 pounds and Don Smith caught a 52.40 pound bass just a couple of weeks ago. So all fishermen are quite accomplished and target fish in the fifty pound range when fishing. Here is what they had to say about fishing for striped bass around Block Island.

· All three anglers now fish exclusively at night at their favorite Block Island spots… all drift eels in relatively deep water, 55’ compared to much lower Narragansett Bay waters and coastal shore fishing. Peter said, “We target fat lazy bottom feeders, around structure... ledge, contours, humps, etc... big bass feed at night around structure.” Mike said, “Big fish hug the bottom in fast current… so you have to get your bait in the bottom 5% of the water column.”

· Where specifically do they fish? Structure on the Southwest Ledge, southeast side, close to shore, the fishbowl on the south side, and one of Peter’s record fish was caught on the west side of the Island, south of New Harbor close to shore.

· Baits. They almost exclusively use eels; however, they use hickory shad when available and sometimes Atlantic Menhaden. Mike sometimes would troll off Newport, Jamestown and Narragansett with a menhaden hooked thought the lips in a figure eight pattern over favorite structure.

· Setting the hook. Mike likes to free spool and to take the pressure off the fish he drops the line when he gets a bite and counts 1,000, 2,000 and then engages the spool and sets the hook. Peter and Don usually do not have to set the hook as they generally use circle hooks.

· Line/leader. Mike likes to use 30 lb monofilament line while Don and Peter use braid line and fluorocarbon leaders or wire leaders (at night) as the fish cannot see a black wire leader at night.

· Closing advice from all three anglers was “Do not be intimidated by night fishing”, go with someone, plan your trip and fish on a moon lit evening and ask help from other anglers if needed. Don Smith continued, “Pete and I are out there a lot. Look for the boat that is brightly lit, that will be us… do not hesitate to stop if we can help.”

Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council meeting

The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9. Agenda items will include advisory panel reports from the IAC, summer flounder and herring ad hoc committees as well as a brief overview of the Oyster Substrate Enhancement project in Ninigret Pond, a continued discussion on Atlantic Herring as well as pm the fluke exemption certificate program. The meeting will take place at the URI Narragansett Bay Campus, Coreless Auditorium, South Ferry Road, and Narragansett. Anglers and interested parties are urged to attend and voice their opinions on the issues.

31^st Annual Snug Harbor Marina Shark Tournament this Saturday and Sunday

Snug Harbor Marina will hold its 31^st Annual Shark Tournament this Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8. At press time over half of the allowed 75 boats had registered. A Captain’s meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 6, 6:00 p.m. at Snug Harbor Marina. Visit their website at www.snugharbormarina.com for a tournament application. Tournament funds will be donated to the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and the Recreational Fishing Alliance.

Where’s the bite

At press time fishing was very good in the Bay and ocean.

Striped bass being caught on chunks and live menhaden north of Conimicut light. Last week, Merrill True reported on the RISAA blog, “Left Bold Point at eight am. We had Menhaden on the surface near the hurricane barrier in the hundreds. Snagged some for bait and started chunking. The Stripers and Blues had them bunched up in a tight ball. There weren’t many stripers or blues after them but I got lucky and had a 32 inch bass take my chunk bait.” Angler Mike Swain of Coventry said, “We continue to catch bass in the Bay using menhaden chunks fishing outgoing tides at night in and around Prudence and Patience Islands.” Fishing on Block Island for bass is good day and night with fewer bluefish mixed in. Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina in South Kingstown said, “Anglers are taking nice striped bass at the North Rip with diamond jigs with eels being the dominate bait on the Southwest Ledge.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle said anglers Kevin and Albert Bettencourt landed six nice keeper bass to 23 pounds this past Sunday off Providence Point and Bear Point, Prudence Island using menhaden chunks.

Fluke (summer flounder) fishing is good when wind and tide are in line for anglers to establish a good drift. Angler Ron Nalbandian said, “Three of us started around 9:30 a.m. off the pink house in 73 feet of water. Squid with mummy chums on rubber glow squids, power drifting with 4-5 oz. of weight. 6 keepers up to 22”. The 22” coughed up a whole squid half its size when brought on board.” Anglers Rick Sustello and Lary Norin had a great fluke trip Saturday in front of the Sakonnet River that yielded them sixteen nice keepers and black sea bass to 20”. Their largest fluke was 25 inches. Rick said, “Lary Norin and I left our Point Judith marina at about 7:30 a.m. … Within 15 minutes we started to hit some fish… We then went through an hour of continuous action taking many fluke and BSB until the drift slowed…We were fishing in 60 to 75' most all of the day. Deeper water yielded the bigger fish.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle said customers are catching fluke under the Newport Bridge in water about 100 feet deep.

Scup fishing is good in mid and lower Bay with fish as large as 20 inches. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, East Providence, said fish to 18” are being taken a Colt State Park with so many anglers fishing it is hard to get a fishing spot to fish on the dock.

Offshore fishing for sharks continues to be good with bluefin tuna fishing not as good as it was last week, said Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.

Menhaden board votes to reduce catch limits

Menhaden purse seine skiffs of the FV TIDELAND in the Chesapeake Bay near Reedville, Virginia. Vessels like these are owned by Omega Protein, a fish reduction company, that many say is a monopoly as they are responsible for harvesting 80% of all menhaden on the east coast.

Menhaden Board votes to reduce catch limits
Last week the menhaden won. They won because the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Menhaden Board voted to reduce the amount of menhaden that can be caught. The ASMFC regulates commercial and recreational fishing on a coast wide basis. This action is expected to put an end to overfishing and allow the species to reach sustainable levels.
Menhaden are used by recreational anglers as bait for striped bass and are harvested commercially for use as bait in lobster pots, sold to bait shops, etc. However, 80% of all Atlantic coast menhaden are harvested by one reduction industry company, Omega Protein of Reedville, Virginia. Last year Omega harvested 404 million pounds of menhaden for use in pet food, live stock feed, fertilizer and fish oil pills.
Over that past month the ASMFC held several public comment hearings up and down the Atlantic coast on menhaden asking for comment on several menhaden regulation options including one for status quo (no change) to as much as a 45% reduction.
The menhaden committee first voted on a new threshold. Steve Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (Rhode Island’s largest recreational fishing association with over 6,500 members) said, “(RISAA advocated) to change the threshold to 15% of Maximum Spawning Potential (MSP). This means if the mature population of menhaden falls below 15% it will be considered overfished.” Over 91,000 individuals and organizations commented in favor of a 15% threshold and only 35 said “Status Quo”.
The second issue was the establishment of a new management target. Medeiros said this means, “How much of the mature fish must be left in the water… the result was a unanimous vote to approve a 30% target which was exactly what we hoped for.”
The next steps for the ASMFC Menhaden Board will be is to recommend ways to achieve the new goals. Regulations similar to the ones in force here in Rhode Island for State menhaden regulations are some of tools ASMFC fish managers will be considering. Regulations relating to boat size and gear, allowed, aerial stock assessments by plane and helicopter, etc.
The vote was a great win for recreational anglers, conservationists and and most of all the menhaden.

New wind turbine for Fishermen’s Memorial State Park
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management cut the ribbon on a new, 100 kW wind turbine at Fishermen’s Memorial State Park and Campground in Narragansett this past Monday. The 117-foot, Northwind 100 kW wind turbine will supply about half of the electrical needs for this popular state park and campground each year. The wind turbine and accompanying online “green energy dashboard,” will show the amount of clean energy being produced at Fishermen’s Memorial and will be available to campers and the general public beginning next spring.
DEM’s Marine Fisheries Division holds public hearing
The Marine Fisheries Division of DEM held a public hearing on Wednesday, November 9 at the University of Rhode Bay Campus in Narragansett. DEM took public comment on a variety of items including commercial summer flounder, scup and black sea bass quota management options. Public comments were also taken on a cod fillet law. Public comment seemed to be in support of the third option presented which was to allow filleting of cod at sea with the retention of cod carcasses so law enforcement can make sure recreational anglers are adhering to minimum size requirements. All species management options will go before the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council for consideration.
Where’s the bite
Tautog fishing was fair this week as anglers had difficulty getting out and fishing with high winds and seas. The Seven B’s, a party boat out of Galilee, RI reported good fishing early in the week with several customers limiting out with a nine pound tautog taken Monday. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “Customers are fishing at the Coddington Cove, Middletown jetty outside and inside the jetty when Coast Guard vessels are not docked there.” Sunday there were fifteen boats fishing the jetty early in the day with most boats leaving as winds picked up to 25 to 30 miles per hour. A quick current and high winds make fishing difficult. Francis Fleet party boat captains out of Pt. Judith, Narragansett reported a fair day of tautog fishing this past Sunday with the largest fish weighing in at seven pounds.
Cod fishing is picking up as the water cools and black sea bass fishing is good. Francis Fleet cod anglers landed all their cod in the first hour of the day Sunday and then the bite was off. The largest cod was fifteen pounds, however, anglers caught at least six black sea bass each.
Striped bass are migrating and on the move, so either you’re on them or not. Shore angler Dave Pickering and his sons landed up to two-hundred school bass this week along southern coastal beaches using Cocahoe Minnow and a variety of swim baits. Isolated reports of anglers landing bass in the Narragansett Bay and the bass site on Block Island has softened said Captain Rick Bellavance.

Wild Rhody offers fresh fish

Jay Conway (right) and daughter Jennifer Conway (left) with the seven pound fluke she caught on the south side of the Newport Bridge while fishing in 75 feet of water. She was using a conventional squid rig tipped with fresh squid, fluke belly and a freshwater minnow.

Ian O’Hara (left, 14 years old) and brother Carlin (right, eleven years old) both from Cranston each caught a 150 pound Mako shark while fishing off Block Island last month.

Wild Rhody offers fresh fish

Who knew? Who knew that someday even the fish you eat would have an ID number… a bar code? Well the fish you buy at a specialty market or eat at a fine dining establishment just may have an ID number if it is part of the fresh fish “Trace and Trust” initiative. This number will tell you when, where and on what boat that fish was caught. There is even a Facebook link you access with your smart phone from your restaurant dining table that tells you a little bit about the fish, how it was caught and the captain and crew that caught the fish.
Rhode Island fresh fish is now available at select restaurants and markets, often times just hours after it was caught. Chris Brown, Steve Arnold and Bob Westcott (all Rhode Island commercial fishermen) started a business called Wild Rhody that delivers fish fresh to restaurants and markets directly from their boats. The fishermen have garnered quite a bit of publicity lately with feature articles in the New York Times, the Providence Journal and a host of others. They also received Rhode Island Monthly magazine’s “Best Local Food Initiative” award for 2011. Their purpose as related on their web site is “… to ensure their customers know exactly who caught their seafood, as well as when, where, and how it got caught. The customers love and trust the seafood - and the stories about the fishermen who provide it to them.”
Wild Rhody communicates with chefs at fine dining establishments (often while they are out fishing) to find out what they have in mind to cook for dinner and then they catch and supply that fish to the restaurant. Conversely, Wild Rhody partners take the initiative and call restaurants letting them know what they are catching so chefs can plan accordingly. What’s the end result? Fishermen get more for their catch as it is sold direct, restaurants get more for their entre too (as the fish is guaranteed fresh), chefs get to cook and serve fish fresher than ever before and most important the customer gets a fresh local fish (guaranteed by its identify code) expertly prepared by their favorite restaurant. Everyone wins.
As an avid recreational fisherman, I find a lot of comfort knowing that I can now get fresh fish when dining out through Trace and Trust. Find out what restaurants and specially markets are working with Rhody Fresh by visiting their web site at www.traceandtrust.com .
RISAA meeting August 29… striped bass fishing with jigs and maritime law
Jigging for striped bass and more will be Capt. Jack Sprengel’s topic Monday, August 29, 7:00 p.m. at the monthly RISAA meeting, West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom Street, West Warwick, RI. John Fulweiler, Esq. will also speak on maritime law for recreational boaters. RISAA members free, $10 donation for non-members. Optional dinner from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at reasonably prices served by the West Valley Inn.
Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council meets with new members
The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) met last week with five new members and I am honored to say that I am one of them. The Council consists of eight members, three for the commercial fishing community, three from the recreational fishing and two from the scientific community. Council members were appointed by Governor Lincoln Chaffee and confirmed by the State Senate last month. The purpose of the Council is to advise Janet Coit, director of the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), on regulation as it relates to both commercial and recreational fishing in Rhode Island.
The Council is chaired by Robert Ballou, acting director of DEM’s Marine Fisheries Division. The three council members who have served before are Richard Hittinger (RISAA vice president, who was elected vice chair at the meeting), Richard Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association, and Dr. Christopher Anderson form the University of Rhode Island. New council members are Kenneth Booth, president of the Commercial Rod and Reel Fisherman’s Association; Will Mackintosh, III, commercial fisherman; J. Christopher Powell from Roger Williams University; Jeff Gant, president of the Rhode Island Shell Fisherman’s Association; and David Monti, charter boat captain and fishing columnist.
Last week’s meeting primarily served as an orientation meeting for new members and an organizational meeting for the Council. Meeting schedules, agendas and meeting minutes are all a matter of public record and can be found on the DEM Marine Fisheries’ web site at www.dem.ri.gov .
Summer flounder limits likely to increase again next summer
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which regulates summer flounder, recommended increasing the 2012 harvest by 1.6 million pounds to 35.55 million pounds, at a meeting last week. The proposed harvest for 2012 is a 125 percent increase over the lowest year, the 2008 quota of 15.77 million pounds. The recommendation, still has to be approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service and then Rhode Island will establish its recreational and commercial regulations based on the approved quota.
Where’s the bite
Striped bass fishing remains strong at the North Rip and southwest side of Block Island. Fishing in front of Newport, along coastal shores and in Narragansett Bay for striped bass has been very slow. Richard Beretta reports a slow bite off Newport when fishing with his family Sunday, “We had one bit using eels and that was it.” However, a good amount of bait has been reported off Jamestown, Newport and in the Bay (even the upper Bay) so this is a good sign for the fall bass run. Will have to wait and see.
Fluke fishing was mixed this past week. John Owens on the RISAA blog reports catching twenty shorts and five keepers under the Newport Bridge last Saturday. Jennifer Conway of North Kingstown caught a 25 inch fluke at seven pounds (her first fluke trip) Sunday while fishing with her father Jay Conway on No Fluke Charters. Fluke fishing at the mouth of the Sakonnet River, Elbow Ledge and off Point Judith has been slow this week with mixed results… a lot of shorts. However, fluke fishing activity has picked up a bit along southern coastal shores from Watch Hill to Point Judith. Captain Rich Hittinger reported a good fluke bite with sea bass mixed in off Charlestown last week. Captain Hittinger said, “This is an improvement from what it has been there.” Reports of squid moving back into the area.
Bluefish bite off Block Island is good with fish on the surface this past Sunday at the Southwest Ledge. Blues were on the surface a Sakonnet Point Sunday as well. Not many bluefish reports in Narragansett Bay. Jim Malachowski of Cranston (with his nephew on board) said, “We had a difficult time finding bluefish Sunday in the West Passage in the Hope Island, Jamestown and Quonset Point area”. However, just as with striped bass, the reports of a lot of bait in the Bay and along coastal shores is a good sign for fall blue fishing too. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said his customers were catching bluefish around Halfway Rock and Gould Island trolling with striped bass mixed in.