Bottom fishing is family fishing fun

Capt. Dave Monti with a Newport Bridge area fluke caught last week.  Fishing there has been better the last week or two.

 Mikele St. Germain, daughters Eva and Francesca, husband Pierre and friend Steve Brustein (back row) enjoyed a family afternoon of scup fishing Friday on Narragansett Bay.

 Jude (nine) and Rowan (six) with their father Jimmy Monti of Warwick fished the Hooter Buoy area off Pt. Judith and landed multiple summer flounder (fluke) to 24”.

 Steve McGonagle holds a monster fluke his son Brenden caught in the Gould Island/Newport area last week.  They also caught a 50 inch bluefin tuna last week when fishing offshore.

Summer flounder (fluke) spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been on the decline for six years.

Bottom fishing is family fishing fun

Now is the time to bottom fish in the mid or lower Narragansett Bay area, along the coastal shore, and around Block Island.  The water is too warm in upper Narragansett Bay.  Most of bait and fish have moved or come into the mid and lower bay.  Areas around Aquidneck Island, the Newport, Jamestown and Mt. Hope Bridges as well as off Narragansett, Jamestown, Newport  and along our coastal shores are generally good to fish this time of year.

You can bottom fish when anchored, on the drift or from shore.  Bottom fishing for black sea bass, scup and summer flounder (fluke) can be fun for the entire family.  This type of fishing is not stressful in any way and is great for all including casual fishermen and children.  The best part is the down time between bites which serves as a great opportunity for family and friends to talk and socialize.

Anglers often anchor or drift on Great Ledge about a third to a mile northeast of the Jamestown Bridge.  Water flow there is good and you are up on a ledge in about 15 to 25 feet of water with 45 to 60 feet of water on one side and lower water on the Jamestown side of the ledge.  This is a “go to” place to catch scup and black sea bass when children are on board.  The best strategy for children and fishing is to hook them up with fish quickly within minutes to keep their interest.

Anywhere there is structure and water movement is good for bottom fishing.  This includes places in the around Block Island and the coast as well as the mid bay area in such places as Providence Point, Prudence Island, Colt State Park, Independence Park, Warwick Light, Ohio Ledge, etc.

Drifting under and around the bridges is outstanding for summer flounder and black sea bass in particular.  Favorite spots near the Newport Bridge include south of Rose Island were the water is 20 to 30 feet near the green harbor can, the water then drops off to 60 to 90 feet.  The rocky bottom on the south side of Rose Island close to shore has yielded may scup and black sea bass in the summer.  The  water  flow around Rose Island and in and out of Newport Harbor is very good.

Fishing for summer flounder just north and south of the Newport Bridge is good too.  Because the water flow is good, depending on the tide and wind I will focus either on the north or south side of the bridge.  Both the east and west sides are good.  The idea is to stay close to the bridge at the start or end of the drift.  Strikes often occur on depth breaks and where the current is strongest near the bridge.

Black sea bass are fun to catch and a great eating fish.  You usually catch them when fishing for summer flounder (fluke) or where there is underwater structure… rocks, wrecks, piers and jetties will attract black sea bass.  The larger males are generally found in deeper water.

Gear, baits and hook set for bottom fish

Usually bottom fishing rigs for scup and black sea bass are simple and have two hooks and a sinker. Fluke rigs generally have some time of plastic squid, spinner plate or other covering around or above the hook.  I often buy off-the-shelf rigs at bait & tackle shops that sell for about three to five dollars. 

The idea is to keep the piece of bail small (often squid) for scup and black sea bass as both species are bait stealers so you want them to bite the hook and bait (not just pull the bait off the hook) and then set the hook quickly.

When targeting summer flounder with a fluke rig, I believe in larger bait arrangements using strips of squid, silver side fish, with some other type of attractant to hold the squid and silverside on like strips of summer flounder belly, bluefish, sea robin or scup strips depending what you are catching that day. 

There is no quick hook set when fishing for summer flounder as they eat their way up the hook so if you set the hook quickly you may miss the hook up. I let the fish eat the bait for a second or two and then gently raise the rod an inch or two.  If I feel the weight of a fish I firmly but gently continue to raise the rod to set the hook and start reeling the fish in.

I generally use light tackle, spinning or conventional reels are fine with light to medium weight rods with 15 to 20 pound test braid.  The idea of most bottom fishing is put on just enough weight to hold bottom.

Summer flounder spawning stock down

This season some recreational anglers felt summer flounder (fluke) fishing was good, others felt it was way off.  The truth is that the summer flounder spawning stock biomass (SSB) is down and has been down for six years.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) announced on August 15^th that they modified specifications for summer flounder reducing catch limits in 2017 for both recreational and commercial fisheries by about 30%. 

The 2016 assessment update indicates that summer flounder has been on a downward trend.  The summer flounder spawning stock biomass has been on a downward trend for the last six years.  Fish managers have taken action with 30 percent reductions proposed for 2017, both recreational harvest limits and commercial quotas. How this will play out with Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts fishing regulations for 2017 remains to be seen, but no doubt more conservative regulations for 2017 are on the way.

Previously implemented specifications for scup, black sea bass and bluefish were reviewed but essentially kept the same pending fishery changes and any new scientific information.

The Commission’s actions are final and apply to Rhode Island state waters but how they are implemented is to be determined. The Council will forward its federal waters recommendations regarding summer flounder specifications to NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval.

The summer flounder recreational harvest limit was 5.42 (millions of pounds) in 2016, it will be 3.77 in 2017 (a 30% reduction) and 4.42 millions of pounds in 2018.  From a commercial quota perspective catch limits are going from 8.12 millions of pounds in 2016 to 5.66 in 2017 to 6.63 in 2018.

This decrease in catch and landings limits responds to the findings of the 2016 stock assessment update, which indicates summer flounder has been experiencing overfishing since 2008. In 2015, fishing mortality exceeded its threshold (the level beyond which overfishing is occurring) by 26%. The 2015 estimate of spawning stock biomass (SSB) is at 58% of the biomass target, and only 16% above the threshold.

The ASMFC said in a press release, “If the summer flounder stock were to fall below the threshold, it would be considered overfished, requiring the development of a rebuilding plan to reduce fishing mortality and rebuild stock biomass. These results appear to be driven largely by below-average recruitment, an underestimation of the fishing mortality level in the last years of the assessment, and declining biomass indices.”

Where’s the bite

Bottom fishing for summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and scup.  Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “Fluke fishing had its ups and downs last week, however, some anglers continue to limit out with one fisherman boating fifteen keeper sized fluke.  All customers caught their share of black sea bass averaging in the four pound range with more and more scup in the two pound range being caught.” Jimmy Monti and his two boys Jude (nine) and Rowan (six) boated fluke to 24” while fishing the Hooter Buoy off Pt. Judith this Saturday.  Angler Steve and son Brenden McGonagle fished the Newport area for summer flounder (fluke) last week. Steve said, “We started by Rose island, made our way over to the Newport Harbor area, across the water to the Conanicut mooring field area and then under the bridge and up to Gould Island point.  The tide was incoming so the drift was uphill.  Brenden's rod doubled over with line pulling fast off the drag and said, ’Darn, I am tight with a bluefish’.  As the fish neared the boat Brenden saw the leader, then some color from the rig and said ‘it’s a...it looks like it’s a...Dad get the gaff QUICKLY, GET THE GAFF!!!  And we gaffed Flukezilla.  It was easily the biggest fluke either of us had ever seen in 15 years of fishing Rhode Island waters.”  I fished the same Newport areas Saturday and did well with fluke and black sea bass with two anglers on board.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “Customers are catching a fair about of fluke off Brenton Reef in 60 to 80 feet of water but it is slow going with one customer catching seventeen fish to get keepers.  Scup fishing is good all the way up the East Passage to Providence.”  Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “Fluke fishing is spotty at the windmills and East Grounds which is an indication the fish are moving out with a better bite east of Pt. Judith, at the mouth of the Bay, and off Newport as an indication of this too.”

Striped bass. Saturday in five foot seas angler Eric Appolonia of North Kingstown said, “We caught three nice keeper fish at the Southwest Ledge trolling a spoon and released two.” Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “The bass bite on Block Island is better at night with eels than during the day.”

Offshore.  Matt Conti of Snug Harbor said, “There are still bluefin tuna at the Dump along with white marlin and occasional Wahoo.  The last trip a customer made they did on see any mahi.  The bluefin bite has also been good at the Butterfish Hole (south of Montauk, NY).”  Offshore fisherman Steve McGonagle said, “(Last Tuesday) my son Brenden spotted a school of BFT cruising just below the surface. It was clear that they were not on bait, which we knew right away gave us a shot at coming tight.  He pulled back the throttles and positioned the boat ahead of the pushing fish.  The first two bluefin pulled the lines out of my hands as I was setting in and we were tight to two 50 inch fish.  Brenden fought one fish and his friend Tyler fought the other as I maneuvered the boat, managed the cockpit and tried to decide if we could gaff or harpoon either fish.  The fights went well but we lost the smaller fish at the boat and darted the larger fish, dragging her through the tuna door.”

Cod fishing is still good on the southeast corner of Cox’s Ledge. We have anglers using salted clams (which we have) as well as jigs and are doing well.” said Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.

Bottom fishing fun for all

Bottom fishing fun for all:  Bottom fish like this fluke (summer flounder), caught on a party boat out of Point Judith, RI this summer, are great fun to catch for anglers of all ages.

Tautog rig reduces bottom fishing tie-ups:  This tautog was caught using a homemade rig designed by Capt. Monti.  An egg sinker on a 3 to 4 inch piece of monofilament with swivels on either end and a single hook below.  The bait hangs freely between bottom structure (rocks), reduced hardware and the egg sinker allowed to slide has cut bottom tie-ups in half.

Kevin (left) and his father Albert Bettencourt (both of East Providence) have been catching striped bass this fall in the Barrington Beach area and in the Warren River drifting eels.

Bottom fishing fun for all

Bottom fishing for fluke (summer flounder), black sea bass, scup and tautog at this time of year can be fun for the entire family.  This type of fishing is not stressful in anyway.  Learning how to set the hook can be learned in minutes and it does not take a lot of skill to catch a fish.  Bottom fishing is great for beginners, particularly children.  And the best part is that the down time between bites serves as a great opportunity for family members and friends to socialize and actually converse.  Conversation is becoming something of a novelty in within our regular day.

I once took my friend Tom and his son fishing.  Days later, Tom said, “The best part of the day was that I actually got a chance to talk with my son about his future plans.”  So quite often fishing isn’t all about the fish.  It is the time we spend together with family and friends that really counts.  That is why I love to take families fishing… daughters, sons, son and daughters-in-law, grandfathers, fathers and mothers all get to spend quality time with each other. The bonding and communication that takes place is remarkable.

You can learn how to bottom fish by consulting bait shop owners or you can go out on a charter or party boat.  Most all of the charter boats that belong to the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association (www.rifishing.com ) are more than willing to take families fishing and teach them how to fish the bottom.

Bottom fishing seminar October 29

Next week you can take advantage of a bottom fishing seminar being offered by the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA).  The seminar will include panel- like presentations from three top local anglers… Larry Norin, Rick Sustello and Tom Wood.  The seminar will be held Monday, October 29, 7:00 p.m. at the West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom Street, West Warwick, RI.  Non-members are requested to make a $10 donation to the RISAA Marine Fisheries College Scholarship Fund.  The West Valley Inn offers two different dinner entre options from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $6.95.

BOEM holds stakeholder workshops on windmills for recreational and commercial fishers

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold a workshop on windmills and their impact on fishing and will seek input for recreational and commercial fishermen on Friday November 16, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the URI Bay Campus, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI in the Coastal Hazard Room in the Coastal Institute Building.

This input meeting and others being held on the east coast will address 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.

Invitations have been been sent to stakeholders, for information contact Elizabeth Castle at ecastle@ene.com .

DEM stocks ponds and rivers with rainbow trout for fall fishing

The Department of Environmental Management's (DEM) Division of Fish and Wildlife has stocked approximately 6,000 rainbow trout in several locations throughout the state this month for the fall freshwater fishing season.

DEM Fish & Wildlife staff finished stocking the hatchery-raised rainbow trout this week in Silver Spring Pond in North Kingstown, Beaver River in Richmond, Wyoming Pond in Richmond and Hopkinton, Wood River in Exeter, Hopkinton and Richmond, Upper Pawtuxet River in Coventry, Blackstone River in Cumberland and Lincoln, Round Top Ponds in Burrillville, and Stafford Pond in Tiverton.  Earlier this month, trout were stocked in Meadowbrook Pond in Richmond, Carbuncle Pond in Coventry, Spring Grove Pond in Gloucester, and Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods.

A 2012 freshwater fishing license and trout conservation stamp is required for anglers 15 years of age and older.  Visit your town/city hall, authorized agents such as bait/tackle shops and Benny's to get a license and stamp.  You can also visit DEM in Providence or purchase on line via www.ri.gov  by clicking on “Hunting, Fishing, Boating Licenses” on the left side of the homepage on the DEM website at www.dem.ri.gov .

Tautog regulation change

As of October 20 (and until December 31) the tautog bag limit has been enhanced for recreational anglers from 3 fish/day to 6 fish/day.  Minimum size is still 16 inches.  In addition, there is a 10 fish boat maximum per day.  The 10 fish per boat maximum does not apply to charter or party boats.

Where’s the bite

Tautog. Craig Castro of Erickson’s Bait & Tackle said, “Customers have been doing good at Washington’s Ledge off shore in the Newport-Jamestown areas weather permitting.”  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait in East Providence said that customers are catching tautog at Conimicut Light with a lot of shorts (15 to 1 ratio).” Tautog to 23” have been landed at India Point Park said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence.  Last week I caught a 23” fish at General Rock and two other keepers with a ratio of 8 shorts for every one keeper with about 10 small black sea bass.  Tautog are also being caught at Point Judith Light in 25 to 45 feet of water said Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown.

Striped bass.  Matt Conti from Snug Harbor said, “It is either lock and load or no bite at all in the Southwest Ledge area of Block Island.”  John Littlefield from Archie’s Bait said “Customers are taking school bass with plugs in the upper Bay at the mouth of the Rivers.” Kevin and Albert Bettencourt caught eleven bass in the 15 to 20 lbs. ranged drifting eels in the Warren River down to the Blount Seafood area said John Littlefield.  Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “Striped bass and bluefish are being caught on pogies and eels in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers and the Cape Cod Canal has been offering up bass as large as 50 lbs.  Customers Francesco DiGiovanni and Cecine Curi have taken bass on…eels… plugs… top water poppers, divers and Sebile Swim baits.”

Fresh water fishing this fall has been slow.  With improved weather and recent pond and river stocking with rainbow trout by DEM things are expected to pick up.

Offshore fishing has been slow due to bad weather last week.

I like the idea of artificial reefs

Photo: Black Sea Bass found on the artificial reef off Newport, Rhode Island

I like the idea of artificial reefs. Items placed under the water that are there because man put them there to attract fish. Studies show that one square yard of reef can hold 3,500 juvenile crabs and up to 135 immature fish. One square foot of structure just three to four feet high can support up to 100,000 tiny creatures like mussels, clams, crabs, worms and shrimp. Artificial reefs attract bottom fish such as cod, fluke and black sea bass. They also host non-bottom dwellers in areas above the reefs.
An article titled “Reef Madness” by Gary Caputi (January 2010 issue of Saltwater Sportsman magazine) relates that the state of New Jersey is the poster child for artificial reef construction. New Jersey boasts 15 manmade reefs that have been constructed over the past 25 years. The list of items and material that dress the reefs is impressive and includes 7.5 million cubic yard of dredge rubble and demolition concrete, 158 sunken vessels, 397 tanks and armored personnel carriers, 269 subway cars, 31 railroad flatcars, 5,500 concrete reef balls and 16,500 other concrete castings.
Caputi relates that although reefs only cover one percent of the fishable area off the New Jersey coast, reefs account for approximately one of every four fish caught by anglers. Studies in New Jersey show reefs not only concentrate fish, but they help expand stocks. There is eight to ten times more marine life on reefs than on open bottom.
This article on reefs peaked my curiosity. Where are the artificial reefs in Rhode Island? A state roughly 37 miles wide and 48 miles long with over 400 miles of coastline has to have some artificial reefs.
We do have artificial reefs in Rhode Island, however, the program is just three years old. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) began construction of two inshore reef sites in March of 2006 and concluded work in August, 2007. The sites are off Newport to the south and both were built with debris from the old Jamestown Bridge. In 2007 one of the reefs was created off Sheep’s Point. The second reef site is located off Gooseberry. Coordinates of both sites can be found on page 13 of DEM’s 2009 Abstract of Marine Fisheries Rules and Regulations. The publication can also be found on DEM’s website at http://www.dem.ri.gov/.
I asked Nicole Lengyel, the DEM marine biologist responsible for DEM’s reef project, if anglers are fishing the artificial reefs. I asked if there is sea life and fish on the reefs. Lengyel said, “Few fisherman are aware of the reefs and few are fishing them”. She said that this year DEM hopes to post a form on their website so anglers can report fish that are caught on the reefs.
Richard Hittinger, chairman of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association reef committee and a member of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council, was and has been instrumental in the artificial reef movement in Rhode Island. Hittinger states that last year he brought a diver out to dive on the reefs to check out the sea life. The diver found fish, documenting his findings with photos of fluke, scup and sea bass on and around the reefs. Hittinger said, “Fish are on the reef but divers and anglers must be aware of the dangerous rebar protruding four and five feet from chucks of concrete on the bottom”.
Hittinger finds it disappointing that the State of Rhode Island still has no artificial reef plan in place. On a couple of occasions the RISAA reef committee wanted to continue to dress the reefs by sinking donated vessels on reef sites to add structure, but with no plan in place DEM was unable to grant them permission to sink vessels.
So, yes Rhode Island has artificial reefs, but is lacking the resources to conduct appropriate tests to measure their success and lacks an overall artificial reef plan to facilitate the dressing of already approved reef sites. Reefs are good for recreational fisherman. They attract fish, not only do they congregate fish, but they actually expand fish stocks. Looking at the lengthy list and volume of items used to dress reef sites in New Jersey, compared to the effort in Rhode Island is disappointing. Rhode Island needs an artificial reef plan from DEM so we can start to enhance our approved reef sites. Artificial reefs could have a huge impact on the recreational fishing industry in Rhode Island, an industry that already has a $300 million annual economic impact on the State.
Family ice fishing training
Last Saturday’s DEM family ice fishing training program was postponed due to poor ice conditions. The program has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 6 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Carolina Trout Hatchery in Carolina. As of this writing a limited number of spaces were still available. Cost is $7 per person or $5 each for families of three or more. Call Kimberly Sullivan at DEM’s Division of Fish & Wildlife at 539-7333 to register or for more information.
Goddard Memorial State Park Ice Safe
As of this writing, DEM has determined that safe ice conditions now exist in designated areas at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick and at Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln. The ice in designated areas at both parks in over eight inches thinks.
Rainbow trout stocked in several ponds
DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife stocked about 3,500 rainbow trout in served locations throughout the state this week and last in anticipation of winter ice-fishing. Locations stocked include Carbuncle Pond in Coventry, Olney Pond in Lincoln State Park, Round Top Pond in Burrillville, Silver Spring Pond in North Kingstown, Barber Pond in South Kingstown, Meadowbrook Pond in Richmond and Wood River in Exeter. A current fishing license and a Trout Conservation Stamp are required. The daily creel and possession limit for trout are two per day.
Lowrance Demo Day
Hands on demonstrations and seminars on fresh and saltwater applications on Lowrance GPS/SONNAR/RADAR/SIDE SCANS this Saturday, February 6, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm at Wood Boat & Motor, 3630 West Shore Road, Warwick, RI. Check out the special pricing on all units, raffles and prices given away all day.
Annual fishing sale and flea market
On Sunday, March 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wood Boat and Motor will hold its annual fishing sale and flea market. The event is open to anyone wanting to sell their used or new tackle or equipment. All proceeds from admissions fees will be donated to The Homestead Group, a program for individuals with special needs.