Atlantic bluefin tuna retention limits adjusted

 

Jason Mills of Cranston with the 39” striped bass he caught Tuesday off Poppasquash Point, Bristol.

Learn how to tie Hex Hatch flies and about the mayfly hatch on the Wood River, Hexagenia Limbata.

Atlantic bluefin tuna retention limits adjusted

NOAA Fisheries is adjusting the Atlantic bluefin tuna daily retention limits for recreational fishermen. The adjusted limits took effect June 3, 2025 and extend through December 31, 2025, unless modified by later action.

NOAA Fisheries may need to take other action(s) later in the year, if appropriate, to further adjust the retention limits or close the fishery.

The adjusted limits for private vessels with a HMS angling category permit is one school fish 27” to less than 47”.  For charter boats with a HMS Charter/Headboat permit fishing recreationally two school fish 27” to less than 47” are allowed.  In both cases no large school/small medium fish 47” to less than 73” are allowed and no giants over 73” are allowed at this time.

This January tuna fishing in North Carolina was not allowed to close due to an Administration rule making executive order.  The freeze allowed overfishing which has meant reduced quotas for New York and New England fishermen as the fish migrate north.

For information and updates visit the NMFS Permit Shop.

 

Catch and release best practices for striped bass

Striped bass fishing is good, so good for this time of year that we have to make sure we use catch and release best practices to help ensure the survival of the fish we release.  More striped bass die after capture and release than those legal-size fish we take home to eat.

“Striped bass fishing has been great, right here in Narragansett Bay.  I am usually fishing out in front by this time but there has been no need.  Earlier this week fish were breaking on the surface all around Ohio Ledge (in the East Passage off Warren),” said expert angler Dave Gordon.

Fishing at the Cape Cod Canal has been very good too with anglers catching fish to 41”. East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “On Wednesday “Bill on the Grill” Prodouz landed a 40-inch linesider that fell for a herring Mystic glider and then a 41-inch powerhouse with a Yo-Zuri bone hydro twitch bait.”

On my charter boat Tuesday the fish were on the bottom. Jason Mills of Cranston caught a 39” striped bass on a tube & worm on the channel pad at Poppasquash Point, Bristol when fishing with Richard Hellwig of Providence.  And, Steve Brustein of Warwick caught a 34” fish in the same place earlier in the week.  There were no signs of fish on the surface but they were there in the lower water column and on the bottom.   

The striped bass stock is overfished, with overfishing occurring, so we all need to be ready to safely catch and release these fish giving them the best chance of survival.

Striped bass regulations are one fish/person/day in a slot size of 28” to less than 31”.

Catch and release tips

Gaffs are not allowed and inline circle hooks must be used when fishing with bait for striped bass, tube and worm fishing is an exception.

Bring the fish to the boat quickly, extended fights deplete oxygen and reduce survival.

Avoid putting fish on deck and letting it flop around, keep it in the water as much as possible.

Wet your hands or gloves before handling the fish, dry hands remove the fish’s protective slime layer and leave it open to infection.

Handle fish carefully.  Do not put fingers into gill cavities or eye sockets.

Gently remove the hook to minimize damage.

Use lures with single hook, barbless hooks (I snap them off), or circle hooks.

Return fish to water quickly. Place gently in water in upright horizontal position.  Move it back and forth in the water to force water across its gills.  Once revived it will flip its tail when ready to be released.

 

Introduction to the ‘Hex Hatch’

The RI Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish & Wildlife Aquatic Resource Education program will hold their introduction to the ‘Hex Hatch’ program Thursday, June 12, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the DFW Outdoor Office, 1B Camp E-Hun-Tee Place, Exeter, RI.

Join Ed Lombardo, expert fly guide and instructor, and volunteer experts from United Fly Tyers, Rhody Fly Rodders, and Trout Unlimited to learn about the largest mayfly hatch on the Wood River, Hexagenia Limbata.

The three-hour workshop begins with a presentation about the mayfly and its habits, when it emerges to spawn, what gear to use to mimic the hatch, and how to catch a trout during the hatch.   All fly-tying equipment and materials are provided.

Space is limited and registration is required. Cost is $10 per person. For more information and to register, email kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass/bluefish.  “Striped bass and the bluefish bite has been good in the Godard Park Greenwich Bay area with anglers catching fish using topwater lures and soft plastics,” said Vincent Cataldi of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown.  East End Eddie Doherty said fishing on the Cape Cod Canal was active with Tim “Hollywood” Petracca catching fish up to 35 inches with stick shads.” Tom Olson of Ponaug Marina, Warwick, said, “The striped bass and bluefish bite has been good for anglers they are catching fish trolling with tube & worm, umbrellas rigs or using live bait.”  “Anglers are using flutter spoons (designed to float down into the water column), umbrella rigs and using bait, maceral and Atlantic menhaden, to fish the lower column with success,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, Warwick.  Ed Lombardo fly fishing expert and guide, said, “Fishing slowed on Narrow River, Narragansett Tuesday. I fished and moved many times to the more productive spots up, down, and across the river until 12 noon.  Fished again at 1:00 p.m., now an incoming tide, and caught two small bass and one hickory shad.”

Black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke), squeteague and scup.  Last week I caught small keeper fluke north of the Jamestown Bridge on American Ledge.  Vincent Cataldi of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackel, said, “Anglers are loading up on big fluke around Block Island.  Fishing the coastal shore and in the Bay has been fairly slow for keeper fluke. Anglers are hooking up with scup and keeper black sea bass.  I saw an angler land a keeper black sea bass from a dock in Jamestown.” Tom Olson of Ponaug Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “Warwick Neck and Greenwich Bay are yielding a fair amount of squeteague.”

                                                                                                                                       

Freshwater. “Fishing has exploded with anglers hooking up with largemouth, pike and some monster sized trout,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box.  For ponds restocked with trout visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov and in Rhode Island Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Catching spring bass is a hoot!

Capt. Dave Monti with an East Greenwich Cove spring bass caught in the month of May.

Kevin Fetzer with a 26” spring striped bass caught last year in Wickford Cove.

Personal Best: Mike Deryck of Blackstone, MA caught this 7.1 pound largemouth bass on a White Chatterbait. 

Angler John Migliori with a 22" tautog he caught off Ocean Drive, Newport.

Catching spring bass is a hoot!

It’s April and anglers are catching school striped bass in our rivers, bays and coves.  The typical spring pattern is that resident striped bass are the first to get active and then migrating fish kick in shortly after. 

Manny believe the fish we have caught up to this point are hold-over stripers, meaning resident fish that did not migrate south for the winter. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence said “We have striped bass to 27” in the Barrington, Seekonk and Providence Rivers.”  And, we have received reports of school bass being caught in East Greenwich Cove and Bay.

So how do you catch spring striped bass, and in a week or two when migrating fish arrive, there’ll be an occasion keeper (28” or larger) mixed in.  Fishing for school bass can be lots of fun using light tackle or on a fly rod.

Lighten-up

My personal favorite in the early spring is to use lightweight rods and reels as they provide anglers with the most challenging fight. I have a couple of light Penn rods and reels ready to go along with a couple of  St. Croix Mojo light and medium inshore spinning rods  paired with Shimano Stella 4000 reels.  The Shimano Stella reels are spooled with 20 pound braid and 20 pound fluorocarbon leaders just like the Penn rigs.

When a bass smacks your lure and runs with it there’s nothing more exciting.  With an abundance of small fish around the past couple of years most experts expect that fishing for school bass up to just keeper size (28”) will be hot once again this year.

Neil Hayes, manager of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown, RI said, “I like to use a light action rod seven to eight feet with 20 pound brand, 30 tops.”  Capt. BJ Silvia of Flippin Out Charters said, “I actually have a couple of freshwater rigs on board to target spring bass.”

Where to find the fish

Like most fish, finding spring striped bass is all about the bait.  Much of the bait in the spring is herring, or Atlantic menhaden.  So if you find the bait, the odds of finding the fish are dramatically improved.

An incoming tide is my preference.  Casting around jetties, sandbars, holes, ledges or small pieces of structure has been successful.  The idea is to cast into eddies, and just beyond them, that have been created by the incoming tide whirling around the structure.  Often times we cast in front of the structure, or if a sandbar in the low water on top of it, and then pull the lure away from the structure.  In this way your lure is acting much the same way a bait fish acts when it gets pushed up on the structure.   

Bait fish often get whipped around these areas and the bass are there to feed.  Capt. BJ Silvia said, “One of my favorite spots is around Ohio Ledge in the East Passage.  But to me honest, I look for the birds through my binoculars as the human I can miss the birds easily.”

Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane said, “Early in the season the West Wall of the Harbor of Refuge in South Kingstown is king.  Matunuck Beach is great too as well as the jetties along our South County breachways.

Enhance your catch and release skills

Striped bass are in trouble.  The last stock assessment shows that they are being overfished and overfishing is occurring so the last thing conservation minded anglers want to do is to kill a lot of school bass before they get to spawn.

To decrease the mortality rate of striped bass after you release them use inline hooks on lures.  If your lure has treble hooks consider change them or snapping down (and off) the barbs on each of the hooks.  In this was you will do minimum damage to a feisty fish.  I also try not to muscle in these fish as their lips and mouths are small and weak.  Just take it easy on them. 

Other catch & release tactics include landing the fish quickly to minimize stress; keep fish in the water as much as possible when removing hook; use gloves and wet your hand before handling the fish as dry hands remove the fish’s protective slime layer and leave it open to infection; gently remove the hook to minimize damage; return fish to water quickly and place them gently in the water in upright horizontal position.  Move it back and forth in the water holding its tail to force water across its gills.  Once the fish revives, allow it to swim away.

Favorite lures

Capt. BJ Silvia said, “I like to use Shimano Coltsniper lures as well as soft plastic,  4” top water poppers that rattle and when fishing deeper water we use small metal jigs with inline hooks.”  Dave Henault said, “I like to use small one once poppers, Cocahoe lures and Al Gag’s soft plastic baits.”  In addition to above lures, I have caught 1,000’s of spring bass on Yo Zuri Crystal Minnows (silver).  I like fishing them a various depths and find that ripping them through the water often gets the attention of striped bass. 

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater fishing for trout remains strong a stocked ponds.  Visit www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-fisheries-and-wildlife for a list of stocked ponds and regulations in Massachusetts.  And, for stocked ponds and regulations in Rhode Island visit www.dem.ri.gov . Fishing for largemouth bass has been good too.  East End Eddie Doherty said, “Angler Mike Deryck of Blackstone, MA caught his largest ever largemouth bass this week, a 7.1 pounds fish. He caught the caught the largemouth using a White Chatterbait when fishing Lake Hiawatha in Blackstone, MA.”

Striped bass fishing is starting to come alive with resident hold over fish becoming active for the past couple of weeks in the Pawcatuck, Narrow, Providence, Barrington and Seekonk Rivers as well as in Greenwich Cove and Bay. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “Customers are reporting a good bite from the beaches along the southern coastal shore with fish as large as 27”.  Many are saying the fish are larger than last year and the schools are larger too.”

Tautog bite is starting to build with some keepers being caught at the Stone Bridge, Tiverton and off Newport.  Angler John Migliori said, “I caught an 18” and a 19” tautog off Ocean Drive, Newport Wednesday using green crabs.”  The minimum size for tautog is 16”, three fish/person/day.

Squid/summer flounder (fluke).  Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “We have heard some rumors about squid starting to show up on the offshore grounds. The fluke should be right behind them.”

Favorite ways to catch and release striped bass

 Carlos De Hoyas of Pawtucket landed this 33” bass at Gano Street, Providence using a worm.

 Bass on chunks:  Mike Swain of Coventry has been landing striped bass in the Bay (both East and West Passages) using Atlantic Menhaden chunks or live lining them.

 Capt. Monti with a striped bass landed using a circle hook and chucked Atlantic Menhaden (pogy).

 Monster bluefish 35” and 13 pounds caught by Joseph Daniels of Warwick north of Conimicut Point.

Circle hooks are designed to hook fish on lip and not the gut. Photo by Mike Swain.

Favorite ways to catch and release striped bass

We have a good amount of bait in the water… Atlantic Menhaden (pogies), squid, silversides and worms from worm hatches. This translates into great striped bass fishing. The action is hot but sometimes catching bass can be difficult, you need to mix it up with different baits and fish where the fish are feeding.

Here are ten ways to catch striped bass, and to help sustain and enhance this great fishery of ours, they are followed by catch and release tips.

Ten ways to catch striped bass

10.          Trolling with umbrella rigs.  Many use this technique trolling in deeper parts of Narragansett Bay, off Newport or Block Island with a variety of squid, shad, worm or eel umbrella rigs. 

9.            Casting soft plastics, various bait types and weights to fish different depths.  Make sure the plastic baits are scented if they are not, add some scent. Who wants to eat plastic?

8.            Buck tail jigs with pork rind squid strips.  Many have had success with this method to get under schools of blue fish to the striped bass below.

7.            Live eels.  Used by shore and boat anglers, particularly for larger trophy sized bass.  Hook the eel through the mouth and out one eye.  Going between the eyes usually kills the bait. 

6.            Live menhaden.  Snag the live bait with a weighted treble hook or net them.  Hook the bait through the bridge of the nose, put the fish back in the school of menhaden and let it swim.

5.            Chunking fresh or frozen menhaden.  Anchor (and chum); drift fish or fish the moving bait schools with chunks.  Some anglers use weight slides to get the bait down to where the fish are.

4.            Surface plugs.  Many school bass in the spring are caught using surface plugs of all types. 

3.            Swimming lures.  My favorite is a grey and silver Yo-zuri Crystal Minnow.

2.            Parachute squid jigs.  Often used in ocean water (or where there are squid).  Anglers successfully use this method off Newport, Narragansett and Block Island.

1.            Trolling with tube and worm.  Anglers use lead and wire line or weight there tube to get it down to the bottom where the big bass are.  Lead and wire line is designed to sink in water column. Bubblegum or red colored tubes seem to work best in the Bay and amber colored ones off coastal shores, all tipped with clam worm.  

How to enhance your catch and release efforts

Many anglers are releasing all striped bass they catch to help sustain and enhance the fishery.  According from a NOAA report, 92% of recreational striped bass are being released. Anglers who keep their catch often catch several undersized fish until they catch their limit of two legal sized fish over 28”.   So it is important to plan your catch and release efforts to insure the fish you are not taking have the best chance of surviving. 

One way to enhance survival is to use circle hooks.  Circle hooks have been used by commercial fisherman for years.  When long-line fishermen using circle hooks would return to check their hooks… the fish would still be alive (hooked in the jaw or mouth and not in the stomach). 

Here’s how circle hooks work…after the bait and hook 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 lip, usually 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 bait and hook right 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.  To release striped bass, consider these techniques (many from RI DEM).

1.       Use circle hooks, they successfully hook bass in the mouth (not the gut) 95% of the time.

2.       Land fish quickly to minimize stress.

3.       Avoid putting fish on deck and letting it flop around, keep it in the water as much as possible.

4.       Wet your hand before handling the fish, dry hands remove the fish’s protective slime layer and leave it open to infection

5.       Handle fish carefully.  Do not put fingers into gill cavities or eye sockets.

6.       Gently remove the hook to minimize damage.

7.       Use lures with single hook, barbless hooks (I snap them off), or circle hooks (as noted above).

8.       Return fish to water quickly. Place fish gently in water in upright horizontal position.  Move it back and forth in the water to force water across its gills.  Once revived allow fish to swim away.

Freshwater fly-fishing workshop

The DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife will hold an introduction to freshwater fly-fishing program this month. Hosted by the Division's Aquatic Resource Education (ARE) program, the workshop will be held in Mapleville on Saturday, May 31 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The workshop this year has been reduced to $25.00/person. Held annually at the scenic Addieville East Game Farm, this six-hour workshop teaches the basics of fly fishing. All equipment and materials are provided. Space is limited, to register contact Kimberly Sullivan at 539-0019 or kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing is good.  Small school size striped bass and keepers (over 28”) are being caught from the rivers in Providence to Newport and along the coastal shores.  Carlos De Hoyas of Pawtucket landed several keeper bass to 33” at Gano Street in Providence. Carlos said, “I was using sea worms with an outgoing tide around 7:30 p.m. last week. A lot of pogies in the River… some guys are catching fish at night by live lining under the new Pawtucket bridge at (I-95) Exit 28. Some of them are big.” Mike Swain of Coventry and I fished with circle hooks and fresh Atlantic Menhaden chucks Saturday and landed striped bass to 35” and 16 pounds in the East Passage.  Anglers are also having luck trolling tube & worm and using small umbrella rigs.  However, bass along the southern coastal shore and at Block Island is just starting to pick up.  Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown said, “The big fish are still up the rivers, there are plenty of small school bass around but few big fish at Block Island.”

Summer flounder (fluke) are in so whenever you get tired of fishing for bass, don’t hesitate to give fluke fishing a try.  Minimum size is 18” with a limit of eight fish/angler/day.  Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said Sunday’s, “Full day fluke trip was the best day of the week. Capt. Richie crushed the fish, lots of limits, over 150 keepers. 50 fish over 4 lbs, pool fish just under or at ten pounds.”  Angler Ed Bison reports, “Fished the southern Bay yesterday (Saturday).  Fluke are in caught three nice keepers to 24" landed a total of 8 in a little over an hour on the incoming.”  John Stavrakas of North Kingstown said, “With wind against tide we worked hard for a couple of shorts at Nebraska Shoal and Green Hill. We ran to Block Island and fished south of New Harbor for some consistent action. We put three keepers in the box and caught a couple dozen shorts (mostly 17 inches).  Noted local angler Don Smith said Sunday he and

  Peter Vican “Fished just outside the East Wall (Harbor of Refuge) and my first fluke was 19½”  with two more at 19" each. We had only one short hooked for the trip. Monday we decided to try the same area and we did really well. Kept nine fluke for that day. The smallest keeper was 191/2" and Peter caught a 27" fluke that weighed in at 8.88 lbs. We were fishing in 45' of water, using squid strips and Peruvian Silversides. The water temp was 52.”  Four reports from Montauk confirm they are killing the fluke there with many anglers reaching their limit. “Fluke fishing on the south and southwest sides of Block Island is starting to pick up.  It is better there than along the coast right now.” said Matt Conti.

Bluefish. “Anglers targeting bass at the southwest side of Block Island are catching good sized bluefish.” said Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.  Angler Joseph Daniels of Warwick said, “… hitting the stripers on pogies, but there are some really BIG blues mixed in,  3 blues to 1 striper… caught a one 35 inches, 13 lbs - he growled at me.”  Chris Catucci of Warwick said, “Saturday fishing near Rocky Point I landed one gator blue around 10 pounds, followed by over a dozen schoolies. All of these fish came on a Zara Spook top water bait. The stripers seem to only be feeding when there was an absence of wind and overcast conditions.”

Tautog fishing remains strong but spotty.  Anglers are on them or not (as is always the case with tautog).  The fish being caught are good size, many in the eight pound range. Minimum size is 16”, 3 fish/angler/day with 10 fish boat limit, spring tautog season ends May 31.

Squid fishing remains strong around Newport with anglers seeing clouds of bait when fishing for bass. 

Fresh water fishing remains strong for both trout and largemouth bass.  Many anglers are still catching trout stocked in ponds by DEM including the Golden Trout that played a larger role in DEM’s hatchery program this year.  Visit www.dem.ri.gov for stocked ponds and Golden Trout program information.

Striped bass part III... how to preserve the species

Charley Soares with a large bass he caught using live bait will be guest speaker at a March 22, 6:30 p.m. seminar for the West Bay Anglers. The seminar called “Live baits for trophy bass” will take place at Sherman Elementary School, 120 Kelley Avenue, Warwick, RI.

For the past two weeks I reported what organizations, bureaus, captains, anglers and scientist felt was happing to striped bass. No one knows what is happening to the bass for sure. But here is an analysis of what they had to say and what we might be able to do to preserve the species.

What we do know is that striped bass have declined in Narragansett Bay and along the coastal shore in Rhode Island as related by hundreds of anglers. We also know that from the “Young of the Year” survey in the Chesapeake that small fish are on the decline but not at critical levels. We also know that environment and weather conditions can impact fish (and striped bass). Bob Wood, biologist for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has conducted research that focuses not so much on the fish but on the weather. He believes the weather pattern in the North Atlantic called the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is responsible for the wide swings in striper populations.

We also know that fishing captains and guides, commercial fisherman and lobstermen, particularly those that fish the ocean have spotted thousands of striped bass in large schools in places they normally have not been seen before. Also, all last summer anglers and captains consistently reported a strong bass bite at and around Block Island. We also heard from lobstermen that the striped bass were plentiful and became a nuisance by eating lobsters and bait in pots.

So what is one to think, are striped bass in decline or not? I do believe they are on the decline, along the RI coast and in Narragansett Bay. It may be due to the overly wet weather, cloudy water, warm water and/or the AMO effect related above which effects food supply and bait. Coastal waters, bays and rivers are affected by these factors differently than the open ocean. The decline may be a natural cycle too of a fall, a rise and leveling off of a species.

I spoke with Captain John Brierley who is a commercial striped bass fisherman on Buzzards Bay. John believes we may never know the cause of recent striper decline however he does have a few thoughts about what we can do. John said, “I doubt we will learn in the near future the real cause of the decline. So with the upcoming season we all need to do what we can. Maybe it is as simple as asking the guy who wants a full bag limit ‘when and who is going to eat (those fish)’… Or maybe it is using circle hooks and being more knowledgeable in the release (or) maybe you don't put as much fertilizer on your lawn this year.

Dr. Chris Anderson, chairman of the State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Marine fisheries Striped Bass Advisory Panel believes said, “Many young undersized school striped bass die each year due to poor catch and release tactics”. Dr. Anderson related that thousand of fish are caught in the upper Bay, in rivers and coves in Rhode Island that if released properly would live.

So do your part to preserve striped bass, take only the fish you will eat, taking two fish each outing may not be the thing to do. Additionally, use circle hooks to protect the fish from deadly gut hooks and consider the below catch and release tactics. NOAA also recently published a catch and release pamphlet which can be found at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ .

One way to save bass is to use circle hooks. Here’s how they 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. Let the fish run and 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.

To release undersized or large egg bearing striped bass (and other species) unharmed and/or to practice “catch and release” consider these techniques (most of them are courtesy of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife).

1. Use circle hooks, they successfully hook bass in the mouth (not the gut) 95% of the time without hurting the fish.

2. Land fish quickly to minimize stress.

3. Avoid putting fish on deck and letting it flop around, keep it in the water as much as possible when removing hook.

4. Wet your hand before handling the fish, dry hands remove the fish’s protective slime layer and leave it open to infection

5. Handle fish carefully. Do not use excessive force when grasping the fish. Do not put fingers into gill cavities or eye sockets.

6. Gently remove the hook to minimize damage.

7. Use lures with single hook, barbless hooks (I snap them off), or circle hooks (as noted above)

8. Return fish to water quickly. Place fish gently in water in upright horizontal position. Move it back and forth in the water to force water across its gills. Once the fish revives, allow it to swim away.

Tautog Advisory Panel Recommends New Regulations for 2011

The DEM Marine Fisheries Tautog Advisory Panel met last week and approved their final recommendations to the DEM Director for the 2011 season. Fish must be 16” (same as last year). Three fish/day/person are allowed for the split season from April 15 to May 31 and then from August 1 to October 15; from October 16 to December, 15 the recommendation is six fish/person/day. There is a private boat limit of twelve fish/vessel during all periods.

DEM stocks ponds

The Department of Environmental Management is stocking rainbow trout in ponds for the winter ice-fishing season. This week they will finish stocking a total of 3,000-4,000 rainbow trout in six ponds.

Ponds to include Barber Pond in South Kingstown, Silver Spring Lake in North Kingstown, Olney Pond in Lincoln, Stafford Pond in Tiverton, Round Top Ponds in Burrillville, and Carbuncle Pond in Coventry are being stocked with rainbow trout. The hatchery-raised trout weigh between one and two pounds each. The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Nashua, New Hampshire federal hatchery provided DEM with 150 surplus domestic Atlantic salmon broodstock which will be stocked in Olney Pond, Carbuncle Pond, and Barber Pond.

Block Island Stiped Bass Fishing

September 27, 2010

Tony Henriques of North Kingstown, Rhode Island caught this 40 lb striped bass fishing with eels while with Captain Sheriff Charters off Block Island.

Wind this weekend put a hold on fishing for many anglers and a hold on striper fishing for charter boats too. However, earlier in the week the fishing was great, particularly on Block Island where the fishing has been outstanding all season long. Big striped bass are hitting hard this fall on the Southwest side of the Island. Sea bass, giant scup and now the fall tautog season will be heating up too. Every indication by rod and reel anglers and divers targeting tautog is that the tautog season will be good this year too.

Block Island is a treasure for Rhode Island anglers and those visiting the Island to fish. You can always find fish around the Island. Charter captains and recreational anglers have related great striped bass experiences on Block Island all summer long.

I spoke with Don Smith, an avid angler and active member of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association about Block Island striper fishing. Don said he and his fishing partner Peter Vican have fished Block Island almost every weekend during the season. “We talk regularly to Capt. Matt King of Hula Charters, Block Island….he gives us information about the fishing that comes from his own experience and what he gets from the divers (the divers are a great source of information about the location and size of bass) and other Captains on the Island.”

Angler Smith continued to say, “Between Peter and I we have over 100 years fishing experience and we just kind of know from past experience where to go for the particular weather-tide conditions for any given night. I find that you can fish the Block somewhere in almost any type of wind or tide – you just have to know where to go. You might not be in a spot where the big cows feed but you can always find some bass to fish for. If the bass fishing is bad there’s other species like fluke, bonito, giant scup, trigger fish, etc. to catch. And, the fish follow the bait so there’s always the occasional surprise when you find big fish feeding in an area they usually don’t frequent and you get to catch them all night long with no one else around.”

This year around Block Island the striped bass have switched up their feeding habits compared to other years. Smith related, “It used to be that they (the bass) would hold up on structure at night and you could find them waiting for bait to feed on. This season we have found them to be schooling up and chasing bait at night, not staying on structure. It has made the night fishing much more difficult and not as productive as it has been in previous seasons. The early morning fishing (at daylight) has actually been better than night fishing for the past four or five weeks.”

Fisheries Council meeting
The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) will meet October 4, 2010, 6:00 p.m. at the URI Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI. Agenda items will include reports from the shellfish, the summer flounder, and the scup/black sea bass Advisory Panels. A variety of new business items to be discussed as well. Anglers are encouraged to attend.

Release those big striped bass
Angler Pete Nilsen of Barrington wrote me and asked, “… why are we killing all those large fish? Those big female cows are breeders… it bothers me considering the way the striper stocks are going… why don’t you promote catch and release in your column.” I agree with Peter we should not take the breeders, I advocate for not taking them with anglers fishing on my boat (as other Captains do too). We take a quick photo and then release the fish, after the first photo the fish seldom leaves the water, the hook is removed while it is at the side of the boat and then the fish is released. You can read about catch and release tactics in future columns or on my No Fluke web site (www.noflukefishing.com) and blog were past column appear.


Where’s the bite

Tautog fishing this weekend was good even though the wind made it very difficult to fish. Many reports of anglers reaching their limit. The average seems to be three out to ten fish are keeper size. Reports of fish being taken off Beavertail, Jamestown; Coddington Cover, Middletown; Hope Island, between Jamestown and Prudence Islands; Plum Lighthouse next to the Jamestown Bridge; and a host of other locations. The fish seem to be working their way up the Bay (let’s hope so).

Black sea bass fishing is still good. Fish being caught off Newport (Brenton Reef and Seal Ledge) as well as off Point Judith Light.

Striped bass fishing in the Bay picked up this week. Fish being taken off Barrington Beach on the channel pad in deep water said angler Joe Petuli. Fish also caught, around Half-Way Rock between Jamestown and Portsmouth, and around Hope Island. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside reports that a customer caught a 30 lb. striped bass at Sabin Point, Providence this week using menhaden chunks. John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown said a 35 lb. bass was taken at Sally Rock early in the week and that the striped bass bite continued to be good at Narrow River for both school bass and larger fish. The striped bass fishing around Block Island remains outstanding with reports of fish over 40 lbs. being taken off the Southwest corner of the Island. Fish are being caught using eels, parachute jigs, umbrella rigs and tub & worm. Earl

Blue fishing in the Bay, off coastal beaches and at Block Island is good. Large blue fish continue to move into the bay with large fish being caught round Hope Island, in front of Barrington Beach on the channel pad, off Poppasquash Point, Bristol and other places throughout the Bay. Although blue fish supply was better it still is not outstanding in the Bay.

Scup. The Rhode Island recreational season for scup ended Sunday, September 26, licensed charter boats are allowed to catch scup until October 11.

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. Your fishing photos in JPEG from, stories, comments and questions are welcome… there’s more than one way to catch a fish. Visit Captain Dave’s No Fluke website at www.noflukefishing.com or e-mail him at dmontifish@verizon.net .