Big fish set pace for fall fishing season

Chris Catucci of Warwick, RI with the five pound freshwater bass he caught in New Hampshire last week.

Steve Smith (left) and his daughter Rayell of Waterbury, CT with two of the twelve fluke (summer flounder) they caught at the Newport Bridge while fishing No Fluke Charters.

The crew of the charter boat Hot Reels lays the massive 534 pound swordfish on top of the “Coffin Box” with the bill and tail hanging out either end. They normally fit two large sized tuna in this fish box.

Captain Louis DeFusco with the 434-pound record swordfish he caught while fishing on his character boat Hot Reels. The fish, which beat the old Rhode Island record by 120 pounds, took three and a half hours to land.

Big fish set pace for fall fishing season

“The first midsized giant bluefin of the season was caught last Saturday weighing 263 pounds.” said Elisa Jackman of Snug Harbor Marina in South Kingstown. The bluefin was caught at the Mud Hole by Frank Busher of Portsmouth, RI aboard the vessel Bushwhacker. It is hoped that this is the first fish of many for the season.
Jackman continued to say, “The record breaking 434 pound broadbill swordfish caught last Thursday by Captain Louis DeFusco of West Warwick, RI fought for three and half hours.” The swordfish was caught at the Hydrographer Canyon aboard his charter boat Hot Reels which is out of Point Judith, RI. It broke the Rhode Island record by 120 pounds which was held by Web Goodwin of Warwick who caught a 314 pound swordfish in 1964.
Here is Captain Lois DeFusco’s account of the final minutes of the fight (visit www.hot-reels.com for the full account.) Captain DeFusco said, “…Christian readied the harpoon and basket and brought it over to Lou. The fish came up to the surface and made a move towards the stern, I cut the wheel hard into the direction of the fish’s spin giving Lou a wide open shot with the harpoon. He took the harpoon in one hand with the rod still in the other and nailed the fish Spartan style while I simultaneously sunk a flying gaff near its tail, it wasofficially lights out.”
NOAA using new methodology to analysis catch estimates
The Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is evaluating new catch estimates calculated using an improved, peer-reviewed methodology developed in consultation with a team of NOAA and external experts. In a press release last week NOAA said the new estimation method - which will produce revised estimates of catch dating back to 2004 - will yield more accurate estimates by eliminating numerous sources of potential bias. NOAA related that potential bias will be eliminated in three ways. First, “By aligning the statistical formulas we use to calculate catch estimates with the way in which we have collected catch data in the field; second, by appropriately weighting data to account for sampler discretion in surveying alternate sites; and third, by dropping alternate mode data chosen at samplers' discretion, which cannot be properly weighted.”
NOAA scientists are carefully evaluating the new preliminary estimates to provide an in-depth analysis of the numbers and gain a better understanding of their implications.

ASMFC accepts Regional Tautog Plan submitted by RI and MA
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Tautog Management Board accepted a Massachusetts and Rhode Island plan that may mean we will not need to take a reduction in tautog for the 2012 season.
Most states will face a 53 percent reduction in fishing mortality rate. Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association (and an ASMFC legislative proxy) said, “The mandatory reporting conducted by the charter industry in Rhode Island last year helped to improve the accuracy of the data that was used in the plan. This data helped lead the Technical Committee to accept the MA/RI plan.”
Bluefish recipe
Brian Woodward an avid Rhode Island angle and active Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association member shared the follow bluefish recipe. Brain said, “I take the fillets and trim off the dark meat. I coat them generously with Emeril’s Bayou Blast Seasoning (no brining). I smoke them for two hours keeping watch not to dry them too much. They are awesome for breakfast with scrambled eggs, or with a glass of wine in the evening.”

Pawtuxet Falls dam removal begins
Removal of the Pawtuxet Falls dam is underway. The contractor, SumCo, is preparing the staging areas. The project received preliminary approval last week from RIDEM regarding water control plans. This will be the largest dam removal project in the state's history. The $600,000 project is a collaboration between state and federal agencies and non-profit organizations like the Pawtuxet River Authority and Watershed Council.
The dam removal is intended to give fish species, such as American shad and river herring, better access to their historical spawning areas. Demolishing the dam is also expected to reduce flood risks by lowering water levels in areas immediately upstream. The initiative is supported by RISAA.
How do you tell the difference between a male and female tautog
A lot of discussion occurred this week on the RISAA blog about how to tell the difference between a male and female tautog. Steve Medeiros, president of RISAA said, “Males get darker as they get older, plus they get a more pronounced forehead and the area under the mouth to the gills becomes white. They are called "white chinners. Females don't have the pronounced forehead or the white chin. Their coloring isn't as dark, but that's not always the case since a lot of fish will have variable coloring often matching their surroundings.”
Where’s the bite
Freshwater fishing has been slow. Chris Catucci of Warwick said, “I fished Waterman's Lake in Gloucester Saturday and only caught three bass all of them in the 13 to 14 inch range on fluke type baits.”
Striped bass. Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina reports a good striped bass bite around Block Island with good sized fish being taken at the north rip and the southeast and southwest sides of the Island. During the day fish taking diamond jigs on wire and at night eels are the bait of choice. Striped bass fishing in the Bay is actually improving. Mike Swain of Coventry said he and fishing partner Darrell Hatten were fluke fishing at Conimicut Point and cauth a 33 inch striped bass while fluke fishing. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle of East Providence said, “Customers continue to catch bass using worms at Sabin Point, I’ll bet 30 to 40 fish were caught in the past three or four days.” Both Mike Swain and John Littlefield said schools of menhaden have appeared in the upper Bay this past week. This is a good sign for fall fishing.
Fluke fishing remains good off Newport, Point Judith and in the lower part of Narragansett Bay around the Newport Bridge. Steve Proctor and associate at John’s Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown said, “Customers are catching fluke in the Bay with an outstanding scup bite in the lower Bay too.” However, fluke fishing along the coastal shores from Watch Hill to Galilee is slow with “A lot of shorts begin caught.” said Al Conti of Sung Harbor Marina. Shorts being caught by shore anglers too. Chris Catucci of Warwick said, “Fluke have been tough to catch at Fort Wetherill and the ones you catch are shorts.”
Scup bite excellent at the bridges and in from shore at Colt State Park in Bristol said John Littlefield.
Tuna fishing at Cox’s Ledge and beyond is still mixed… some days good… other days not so good.

Bluefish deserve more respect, also windmills in the ocean

Jeremy (left) and Paul Stedman (right) of Worcester County, MA with the bluefish they caught after fluke fishing near the Newport Bridge earlier this month.

Bluefish deserve more respect… also windmills in the ocean

I fished in the Newport area this weekend and saw schools of bluefish working in the Bridge area. As I returned to Greenwich Bay, I came upon five separate schools of bluefish between Quonset and Prudence Island, all pushing bait to the surface in feeding frenzies. It made me think about all the fun anglers on my vessel (particularly my wife and I) have had fishing for blues on the surface.

I don’t think bluefish get a fair shake. Anglers often say, “You like to catch bluefish?” with a tone of wonderment in their voice. And as far as eating them, people have a strong opinion, usually “I hate bluefish. They taste too fishy.”
Well it is time we gave bluefish the place they deserve… after all they are a ferocious game fish and when the catch is cared for properly, out of the water to the dinner table, they are very tasty.

We owe it to ourselves and nature to eat what is provided and bluefish are nutritious, plentiful and economically beneficial to catch and eat. I feel the same way about scup that have appeared in large numbers too. We should educate ourselves, family and friends on how to prepare and eat these plentiful fish.

Bluefish are fairly easy to find, but that has not always been the case. Bluefish populations have experienced periods of abundance and scarcity. Massachusetts Marine Fisheries relates “…the number of reproductively mature fish has declined since its most recent peak in 1979, dropping the estimated number of adults coast wide… in recent years, the total harvest by recreational anglers (which is typically at least 90%) has been stable.” In 2009 the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council declared the fishery fully rebuilt and in 2010 Rhode Island increased the possession limit for bluefish to be consistent with Federal regulation from ten fish to fifteen fish/person/day with no minimum size and no closed season. These regulations are in effect for 2011 as well.

Small bluefish arrive in New England Bays and estuaries in May, larger fish arrive later in spring and leave in October as the water cools to sixty degrees. They inhabit deeper waters and move into shallow areas as the summer progresses. Bluefish are cannibalistic. Wikipedia says some “Hypothesize that because of cannibalistic behavior, bluefish tend to swim in schools of similarly sized specimens. Others hypothesize that bluefish school with like-sized individuals, because they swim at the same rate, thus expending the same energy when traveling, and thus having identical food intake requirements.” Bluefish feed in schools aggressively pursuing prey along tidal rips and in shallow areas close to shore where food can be trapped. Bluefish aggressing rip through schools of prey biting and killing many fish that do not get eaten.

The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA at http://www.risaa.org/ ) has a great online resource for fish research. RISAA says, “During feeding frenzies the most productive way to catch bluefish is to cast a surface “popper” plug at the boiled up water. Cast out the plug to the edge of the boiling water and “pop” it back toward you at a moderate speed. You are trying to imitate a wounded or frantic bait fish breaking out of the school.”

Anglers use steel leaders when fishing for bluefish as their teeth can easily cut monofilament line. Anglers must be extremely careful when handling bluefish, particularly when removing hooks as they can bite and cut anglers causing severe damage (and in some cases finger loss).
Bluefish rarely exceed 20 lbs. and 40 inches in length. The larger fish caught during a given year generally run between 10-15 pounds. The Rhode Island record is 26 pounds, 39 inches caught by D. Deziel of Woonsocket, RI in August of 1981 and the North American record bluefish, caught in North Carolina, weighed 31 pounds, 12 ounces.

Watch next week’s No Fluke column for tips on how to care for and cook your bluefish catch from water to dinner table.

Windmills in the ocean

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. joined Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and other national and state leaders last Friday to recognize the pioneering Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (visit Ocean SAMP at http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/oceansamp/ ). This new, innovative ocean management plan is the first of its kind in the nation. It improves state review processes and policies to facilitate the development of offshore projects that could lead to the creation of hundreds of wind energy jobs and balance energy development with transportation, fishing, recreation and environmental stewardship along the state’s coast and adjacent federal waters.

I asked Captain Rich Hittinger, vice president of RISAA, how RISAA felt about the possibility of wind farms in RI. Rich said, “We are not opposed to the platforms as long as they avoid prime fishing spots and they are constructed in a manner that enhance bottom structure and fish habitat and so long as they are not made off limits by some form of "safety zone". Rich said at Friday’s event he chatted with Ed LeBlanc of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the person responsible for wind platform issues in the Northeast, and LeBlanc said there is no interest on the part of the USCG to have any form of safety zones.

Captain Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association, said, “NOAA’s approval of the SAMP is good, it can be used as a tool to apply consistency in Federal waters.” However, Captain Bellavance cautioned, “The decision as to where to site windmills in Federal waters is out of State control, actually out of the hands of NOAA and the Department of Commerce, but rather it is now in the hands of the Department of the Interior”. He hoped wind farm developers would be required to conduct “Extensive environmental impact studies rather than the less extensive environmental assessments.” He said this is now not guaranteed. Concern is not just over 100 or 200 wind turbines but the thousands of wind turbines planned for the northeast.

Commercial fishermen have related that it would be impossible to turn a vessel dragging nets in a wind farm. This may eliminate prime fishing grounds. For example the proposed Deepwater Wind farm places turbines around the rim of Cox’s Ledge where water depth is lower and ideal for turbine placement. However, this location has been a prime fishing ground for commercial (and recreational) fishermen for years. Lobstermen, who set their pots along natural structure, would no longer be able set pots in a string in this area. Additionally, the artificial structure created by wind turbine foundations may attract the lobsters, and leave few for lobstermen to fish for in open fishable water.

East Bay Anglers to hold clam boil

The East Bay Anglers will sponsor a clam boil Sunday, August 14, 2:00 p.m. at the Riverside Sportsman’s Club. 50/50 raffle, door prize and a prize raffle. Must reserve tickets in advance by calling Mike Gillies, 401.228.6310.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass bite remains good off Block Island North Rip and southeast side. Angler Jamie Schiffer said striped bass were on the surface at the North Rip this weekend, “It was crazy. I couldn't believe how long it lasted. Stripers were anywhere from 28 to 45 inches”. Bass are also being caught off coastal shores in Newport and Narragansett. “Customers have said striped bass were swimming among bathers a Scarborough Beach”, said Buzz, an associate at Maridee Bait, Tackle & Canvas on Point Judith Road, Narragansett.

Fluke (summer flounder) fishing remains strong in the lower Bay and around Narragansett, Jamestown and Newport. Alfred Bettencourt of East Providence and friend Brian caught fourteen keeper fluke in just ten drifts while fishing off Newport said John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside. Littlefield said, “Keeper fluke also being caught by customers at Conimicut and Warwick Lights with shorts mixed in.”

Blue crabs have made their presence know in the East and West Bay passages. Still not as strong as last year, but anglers and crabbers hope they will become plentiful soon.
Bluefish schools heavy in the West Passage north of Jamestown to Greenwich Bay. Fish also surfacing under the Newport Bridge mixed in with school striped bass.