Get your gear ready for that big fish

Trout fishing good.  Molly Ean of Providence, an associate at Ocean State Tackle, caught this trout over the weekend at a small pond in Exeter, RI.

Catch big bass with lures.  Noted surf fisherman Steve McKenna, Cranston, said, “Bucktails do not look like anything but resemble everything.” McKenna spoke Monday at a RISAA seminar.

Jamestown cod.  Chris Lundin of Providence caught this 25” cod  this weekend.  “The water was clear but only 44 degrees and Chris caught just the one cod.” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Get your gear ready for that big fish

The last thing you want to do is loose a big fish (any fish for that matter) due to faulty gear or tackle. Experts suggest checking all reels, rods and line before the season starts and to perform regular maintenance throughout the season.  Replace line, repair line guides on rods and perform reel maintenance twice a season if necessary, particularly on those rigs that get a lot of action.

Reel maintenance 

Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off. Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times this is marked on the reel.  If instructions are long gone, ask your local bait shop where to grease.  Do not grease the drag, it is not meant to be greased, if you do, it will not work.

 “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.”  His 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. 

Line

Each year, replace used line.  This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”.    Braid line I spooled on two reels at the end of last the season was still OK, however, I took line off line at the beginning of the reel that was showing wear.  Cross braid line when spooling onto conventional reels to prevent the line from digging into the spool when a big fish is on. Another tip is to re-spool lead line putting the used portion on the reel first, this way you use line that is new as most anglers rarely use more than three to four colors (90’ to 120’) of line.  Replace monofilament line on reels at the start of the season. Monofilament line has memory so it tangles easily and creates bird nest tangles when it is old or has been sitting in the cold.  Also stretch the line, the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory and avoid tangles.  When you change  line spool tight or the line may slip on the spool. To prevent braided line from slipping first spool some monofilament backing to the reel, tie line together, then spool the braided line onto the reel.

Rods

Examine the rods for cracks and stress marks.  Closely examine the eyes for chips or cuts that could cause line to snag, rub or break. Do not place hooks on the eyes or they will eventually create cracks that will cut line as it passes through. Place baits at the base of the reel when traveling to avoid banging and microscopic cracks in the rod blank that could lead to a broken rod.

Tackle

I get tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are fished… in this region that means starting with tautog, then striped bass, fluke, bluefish, sea bass, etc.  Make sure you have enough rigs to fish the species.  Often hooks that come with lures are not quality hooks so I replace them with stronger hooks.

Leaders/Hooks

Use wire leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for striped bass, fluke, sea bass, etc. Blues won’t bite though the wire and other species will find it harder to see the monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders.  During the season make sure leaders have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling.  If they do, replace them.  All hooks should be sharp and rust free.

Free fishing weekend… fish stocking suspended at Carolina Trout Pond  

 “Free fishing weekend (this weekend, May 3^rd and 4^th) is a terrific incentive to get outdoors and try something new, especially after the long, cold winter we’ve endured this year,” said DEM Director Janet Coit.   For the fifth year, DEM fish hatcheries are offering anglers the chance to catch a coveted golden rainbow trout. Ponds receiving the golden trout include Brickyard Pond in Barrington, Peck Pond in Burrillville, Browning Mill Pond in Exeter, and Silver Spring Lake in North Kingstown.  Instead of holding a central event this year, they will be stocking these fish in several ponds across the state so that more Rhode Islanders will have an opportunity to fish for the golden trout.

Lucky anglers who catch a golden trout during the free fishing weekend and throughout the season will be given a free golden trout pin. Take a picture of your catch and send it to Kimberly Sullivan of DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education program at Kimberly.Sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

DEM announced that the stocking of trout will be suspended at the Carolina Trout Pond, Richmond, until dam repairs can be made.  Anglers are being asked to stay off the dam.

Saltwater fishing regulations final

At press time, the Department of Environmental Management’s Marine Fisheries Division, was just about to announce final 2014 fishing regulations approved by director Janet Coit. The final regulations are a reflection of what was approved by the Marine Fisheries Council in April.  Complete regulations for all species can soon be found on www.dem.ri.gov or on the RI Saltwater Anglers website at www.risaa.org.  Highlights on five popular species are noted below.

Striped bass:  Status quo with last year’s regulations, 28” minimum size, a possession limit of two fish/person/day. No closed season.

Summer flounder (or fluke):  Status quo with last year’s regulations, 18” minimum size, a possession limit of eight fish/person/day.  May 1 to December 31 season.

Black sea bass: The minimum size is 13” with a shorter season for the first sub-period due to a needed 7% reduction by the ASMFC.  Season runs from June 29 to August 31 with a three fish/person/day limit.  The second sub-period would run from September 1 to December 31 with a seven fish/person/day limit.

Scup:   10” minimum size with the 30 fish/person/day limit with a May 1 to December 31 season. The bag limit for party and charter boats from September 1 to October 31 will increase to 45 fish and then back down to 30 fish/person/day from November 1 to December 31. The 9” minimum size Special Area Provision for shore anglers that was engaged last year for the first time has been expanded to include all of the 2013 areas… India Point Park, Providence; Conimicut Point, Warwick;  and Stonebridge, Tiverton as well as new areas including Fort Adams, Newport;  Fort Wetherill, Jamestown;  the East and West Walls at the Harbor of Refuge, Pt. Judith/Narragansett; and Rocky Point, Warwick.

Tautog:  The spring season ends May 31 so now is the time to fish for tautog as they are illegal to fish June 1 to July 31 during spawning season. Fish have to be sixteen inches. The catch limit for private recreational anglers from April 15 to May 31 and then August 1 to October 17 is three fish/person/day, which  jumps to six fish/person/day on October 18 to December 15 .  There is a ten fish per boat per day limit in all periods.  The boat limit does not apply to charter and party boats. 

How experts fish for spring striped bass

Striped bass experts speak about spring fishing in the Bay at RISAA’s monthly meeting. From left Capt. Jim White, Capt. Joe Pagano and expert shore angler Steve McKenna.

How experts fish for spring striped bass
It was a great night. Three of the top striped bass anglers in the State spoke about fishing in the upper Bay in the spring. Steve McKenna of Cranston, RI, author, lecturer and noted shore angler; Capt. Jim White of White Ghost Charters; and Captain Joe Pagano of Stuff-It Charters all gave an enlightening panel discussion facilitated by Steve Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) at their March 26 monthly meeting.
Everything striped bass was discussed… baits, locations, preferred time of day to fish and gear. This panel discussion format, the first for RISAA, was a big hit as the experts shared techniques and tips with the record 235 anglers in attendance at the West Valley Inn, West Warwick.
Here are highlights of what they had to say:
When they fish
· All fished in the upper West Passage in the Bay from Conimicut Point to the Hurricane barrier in Providence in the month of May (some start May 1 others by mid May, there was a lot of discussion about what will happen this year with the warm water, maybe if will start earlier? Maybe end earlier?). They usually fish into June (the first or second week), leaving when the bait (Atlantic Menhaden) leave the area.
· Night fishing is Capt. Pagano’ preference, early morning for Capt. White and Steve McKenna. All fishing different times of day and night depending on the time of year and location.
Location and bait
· Captain Pagano’s (who fishes from a boat) preference is to use Atlantic menhaden chunks in the Bay at night, live menhaden in the day, fresh bait (not frozen) is a must, he finds the fish in the coves, channels and around structure, anchors up and he moves the boat in about 20 minutes if he gets no bites.
· Steve McKenna fishes many of the same areas from shore (wherever he can gain access as he is a shore angler). Places like the mouth of Pawtuxet Cove, from shore near Save the Bay, Conimicut Point and along this Western Bay shore (he lives in Cranston and access is good for him there). He exclusively uses artificial bates… surface plugs and swimming plugs (many of them wood) and soft plastic baits of all types. Toward the end of May and June, Steve often fishs the herring runs coming out of the rivers into the Bay.
· Captain Jim White prefers using live menhaden, with light tackle and never anchors up. He is also on the move looking for fish. His second preference is to use a variety of soft plastic baits; he is a firm believer in mixing it up… find out what the striped bass are attached to on any given day and sticking with it if it works. If he is not fishing with a charter customer he is scouting favorite spots in the Bay looking for fish.


Rods, reels, line
· In regard to gear, all prefer the lightest tackle they can get away with… spinning reels are used most often with some bait casting conventional reels for Capt. White when using soft plastics. Capt. Pagano likes a rig a bit heavier when chunking with menhaden. He feels the hook set has to be strong and firm for the hook to pass through the menhaden chunk into the bass. All prefer monofilament line rather than braid as they believe it is more forgiving, particularly around structure. All have lost fish due to break off with braid on the bottom or around structure. Some believe in using fluorocarbon leaders and others believe monofilament leaders work just fine in the Bay as the water is usually not clear and the monofilament is not visible.
Hooks
· Captains White and Pagano prefer treble hooks, particularly with live or chunked menhaden as you have three chances to hook the fish rather than one. Steve McKenna uses treble hook as most of the lures he buys come with and have treble hood. The soft plastics he uses have one hook.

Circle hooks enhance catch and release efforts
Circle hooks have been praised nationally and locally by conservationists in that the hook usually sets in the corner of the fish’s mouth saving the fish from being hooked in the belly thus enhancing its chances of survival if released. I believe in using circle hooks when fishing with baits such as menhaden, ells, etc. and when lures and jigs can be adopted to use circle hooks. I also flatten the barbs on treble hooks to enhance catch and release.
Some anglers believe that conventional hooks and treble hooks do not hook fish in the belly if the hook is set quickly, giving the fish no time to swallow the bait. The use of conventional hooks, treble hooks, wide gap hooks and circle hooks continues to be a debate with anglers of all experience levels. Capt. White said, “It is all about catching the fish, circle hooks do not allow you to set the hook, and this is not natural when fishing and not as effective.”
Circle hooks have been used by commercial fishermen for many years. When long-line fishermen using circle hooks would return to check their hooks the fish would be still alive (hooked in the jaw or mouth and not in the stomach or gut). Circle hooks are highly efficient at catching fish with little or no angler effort as well as keeping the fish alive.
Here’s how circle hooks work…after the hook (and bait) are swallowed by the fish and it starts to run, the hook is pulled out of the stomach and slides toward the point of resistance on the fish’s jaw or lip and embeds itself in the corner of the fish’s mouth.
Circle hooks successfully hook bass in the mouth 95% of the time. The trick is not to jerk the rod to set the hook because you could pull the hook out of the fish’s mouth. Let the fish run, as it does, it will pull the hook out of its stomach and hook itself on the lip. Once this happens the fish is hooked so all you have to do is start fighting the fish and reeling it in. Ask your local bait & tackle shop for circle hooks and/or purchase rigs that have circle hooks. They are becoming more and more available for a variety of species.
DEM stocks ponds for Opening Day, Saturday, April 14
The Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) Division of Fish & Wildlife announced last week that the 2012 trout and general freshwater fishing season will begin at 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 14. More than 20,000 anglers are expected to turn out at dawn on opening day. Approximately 80,000 hatchery-raised brook, brown, and rainbow trout with an average individual weight of one and a half pounds are being stocked by Division staff in more than 100 ponds and streams for opening day.
A complete list of stocked ponds and other information of interest to anglers can be found on DEM’s website, www.dem.ri.gov.
Where’s the bite
Striped bass fishing this week slowed down as the water cooled substantially. It dropped four degrees in the Bay from previous weeks and this perhaps slowed down the migration. Few reports of migrating fish (with lice) being caught at press time.
Cod fishing continues to be mixed. Some good days and some bad days both of the Seven B’s and Francis Fleet vessels