Bluefish do get some respect

Winners of the Lions Club Visually Impaired Persons (VIP) Fishing Tournament were (left to right) Janice Musco (first place), Lincoln, RI; Norman Boyce, Bristol, RI (second place); and Gerardo Cerino (third place), Providence, RI.

Peter Sousa of Warwick, RI with a fluke he caught on No Fluke Charters off Point Judith this weekend in 55 feet of water using a conventional squid rig tipped with squid, fluke belly and a freshwater minnow.

Captain Rich Hittinger out of Point Judith, RI with a black sea bass he caught this past Sunday off of Point Judith Light in Narragansett, RI.

Bluefish do get some respect
The bluefish column last week got quite a few responses. There are bluefish fans out there. Select comments appear below, bluefish recipes to follow next week (please share your favorite recipes). One request from Chris Del Sesto of Cranston was actually a question… “Where do they serve bluefish?” So if you know what restaurants in RI or MA serve bluefish, let me know and I will pass the information along.

“We read your column today -- excellent. I used to order bluefish at Legal Seafood in Warwick, but they took it off the menu. Do you know of any RI or Mass. restaurants that serve bluefish?”
Chris Del Sesto and Donna Lee, Cranston, RI.

“Dear Dave. Glad to see you’re giving bluefish their due. I am eighty three and have been fishing for them since I was a kid in Jamestown. I agree with you completely concerning both their fighting ability and their culinary desirability. My fishing buddy these days is my 14 year old grandson and he would rather catch blues than anything else he has tangled with so far in his young life including plenty of Penobscot River smallmouth. I have two excellent books on bluefish; I am sure you are familiar with John Hersey's "Blues", I also have "The Bluefish Cookbook' by Greta Jacobs and Jane Alexander which my wife picked years ago when we were on a visit to either Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard. I don't know if either are still in print.
Tom Lyons, Portsmouth. RI

P.S. My favorite lures are; for surface fish, the Heddon Super Spook Jr, I remove the treble hooks and replace them with a single circle hook. Although I prefer all white I am not sure color makes a whole lot of difference. For sub-surface fish I prefer the 1/2 oz Acme Need- L-Eel. Unfortunately these are no longer made but I was able to stockpile several before they disappeared.”

Fish for striped bass during bluefish feeding frenzies

Don Smith, RI striped bass fishing expert, shared a tip for catching big striped bass during bluefish feeding frenzies on the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) blog. Don said, “Eels work anywhere providing you get them into the strike zone, and of course past the bluefish. Over the years of fishing with eels we (Don means he and Peter Vican, his fishing partner who holds the RI striped bass record at 77.4 pounds) have found that the big, lazy stripers will travel up the water column about 15' to get them anytime. They will rarely go further than that. That is why in my seminars I have always referred to keeping the eel in the strike zone… Very often in back of a school of marauding bluefish will be a school of striped bass picking up the pieces left by the blues. They are usually about 200 yards. downstream of the bluefish. So my advice is when you run into a school of bluefish move down current and see if there are stripers following them.”

4th Annual VIP Fishing Tournament for the blind and visually impaired

The Rhode Island Lions Sight Foundation’ 4th Annual VIP Fishing Tournament for the blind and visually impaired was held Sunday, June 26, 2011 aboard “The Lady Frances” party fishing boat in Galilee, RI where the participants were competing for several trophies.
The fishing tournament was followed by a buffet lunch at George’s of Galilee Restaurant in Galilee where the participants enjoyed lunch and the winners’ trophies were distributed.
First Place was taken by Janice Musco of Lincoln with a total of 76" of fish, thanks to a very unusual catch of a 30' Bluefish.

Second Place was taken by Norman Boyce of Bristol with a total of 75" of fish all Fluke.

Third Place was taken by Gerardo Cerino of Providence with a total of 68.5" of fish all Skate.
The Rhode Island Lions Sight Foundation would like to send the top three winners of the tournament to compete in the National VIP Tournament on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in October, as they have the last three years, if the funds can be raised to allow it. If you would like to make a donation to help fund this event or would like information on the RILSF VIP Fishing Tournament please visit our websites at www.lions4sight.org and www.ncvipfishing.org .

Where’s the bite
Striped bass fishing continues to be good at Block Island at the North Rip and on the Southwest Ledge. Fish being taken on tube and worm, umbrella rigs, eels and jigs. This past Sunday activity in both places was good early in the morning but by 10:00 a.m. activity slowed dramatically. Some striped bass activity in Narragansett Bay this week. Joe Petuli reports on the RISAA blog he took, “Five bass to 36" on the east channel edge off Barrington beach last week (fish were taken during the) last hour of the incoming tide. (fish were caught using) Rubber shad frames off downriggers. Only one fish was short.” The Francis Fleet reports an excellent striped bass bite on its night trips.
Fluke (summer flounder) fishing remains strong. Captain Rich Hittinger reports a reduced fluke bite off Point Judith, however there are still fish there Rich reports. Peter Sousa of Warwick caught keeper fluke Sunday while fishing off Point Judith in 55 feet of water using a conventional squid rig tipped with squid, fluke belly and a freshwater minor while aboard No Fluke Charters. Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, reports landing several fluke at the mouth of the Sakonnet River Sunday. The largest fish taken on his boat was ten pounds. The Seven B’s reports a good fluke bite last week with sea bass mixed in. The largest fish for the week was 8.5 pounds. Some customers reached their seven fish fluke limit.
Black sea bass bite is good. Anglers catching keepers mixed in with shorts while fluke fishing. Captain Rich Hittinger said he caught some nice keepers off Point Judith this past Sunday.
Bluefish bite off shore around Block Island has been good, often creating problems for striped bass anglers. Anglers continue to find bluefish in the West passage of the Bay between Hope Island and Greenwich Bay.

Frutti de Mare… or My Favorite Quahog Pasta Dish

I love to shellfish and cook what I catch… shellfish for steamers (soft shelled clams), scallops and Rhode Island’s beloved quahog. What’s not to like. You get to be outdoors, participate in a hunt, spend time in the water and experience that wonderful feeling of bringing home the bacon (or the quahogs) to feed family and friends. Here’s my favorite way to catch quahogs then cook a gourmet pasta dinner. If you can’t dig the quahogs you can buy them at the docks or at a fish market that has fresh shellfish.

The word quahog comes for the Narragansett Indian name “poquauhock”. Indians used quahog shells to make beads that were used as money (called wampum). A quahog can get quite old, each line on its shell is a growth ring. You can count the rings to determine the quahog’s age. Researchers estimate that the largest quahogs (about four inches in length) can be 40 years old (see the Quahog Fact Sheet by Eleanor Ely at http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/ ).

Where to get them

You can dig for quahogs in many coastal Rhode Island towns. Parts of the Bay have seasonal or permanent closures, check the RI Department of Environmental Management Web site at http://www.dem.ri.gov/ and/or call them for current closure information. I like to fish spots I know are clean in Warwick , North Kingstown and on Salt Pond in Narragansett.

How to dig them
For years, I dug for quahogs with my feet, this is the way may father taught me. Sort of like doing the twist with your feet underwater and moving backwards until you feel a quahog. Once you do, you reach down and pull it up with your hand. Today I use a quahog or clam rake which is available at bait and tackle shops and hardware stores. In early spring the water is about fifty degrees so I use waders and rubber gloves with great success (I use this same gear to scallop in the fall and winter). They protect my feet and enable me to quickly catch what I need for dinner, minimizing the time I am in the cold water.

How to clean and prepare the catch
You can clean quahogs in the salt water by tossing them underwater in a mesh nylon bag. When I get home I spray them with water to get the remaining mud off and discard any with opened or cracked shells. I then soak them for an hour or so, drain and refrigerate them. Quahogs of all sizes open easier when their muscles are cold and relaxed. So I try to refrigerate them at least a couple of hours before opening them. I have kept them in the refrigerator for three to four days. The RI Sea Grant Web site quahog fact sheet referenced above relates quahogs “can keep up to a week in the refrigerator if they are unopened and laid on their sides”.

Frutti de Mare Quahog Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:
½ cup virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced (or 4 teaspoons chopped garlic from jar)
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley (plus four to five good pinches)
½ cup dry white wine
½ lemon juice
red pepper
3 dozen (scrubbed) littleneck quahogs (1 ½ to 2 inches)
meat of 6 to 8 quahogs cut-up and cleaned (optional)
1 pound linguini pasta

Scrub littleneck quahog shells thoroughly and put them aside.
Cook linguine while making recipe.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in heavy pasta pan over medium heat, cook garlic in oil until golden brown (about one minute). Add and stir in 1/3 cup chopped parsley and all the little necks, let simmer for two minutes. Add wine and let simmer for one minute. Add lemon and the meat of six to eight large quahogs cut up and cleaned (extra quahog meat is optional; if I catch them I put them in). Add red pepper to taste. Cook for eight to ten minutes or until all quahogs are open. Discard quahogs that are not open. Lower heat and put in one pound of cooked linguini and toss the entire mixture. Remove from heat and put into large pasta bowl. The final touch… garnish with four pinches of fresh parsley. (This recipe is a variation of one I first saw in the May, 2002 issue of Bon Appétit magazine by Lori Demori.)

Where’s the Bite
Fresh water fishing locally for largemouth bass is still good said Craig Mancini of Continental Bait & Tackle of Cranston, however, customers not happy about trout fishing.
Striped bass are biting everywhere and on a lot of different baits. The water being three degrees warmer has made a big difference. Ken Ferrara at Ray’s Bait &Tackle in Warwick said customers are taking school striped bass some with clams on the bottom. Fish caught at Pine Hill Ledge, Chepiwanoxet and Warwick Light. Sunday afternoon I caught five fish (including a keeper) off Buttonwoods using a large surface plug that mimics a wounded herring or menhaden. Dave Henault of Ocean State related Nils Christiansen of Ultimate Kayak Fishing took three keepers on sandworms off the shores of Prudence Island. Angler Mike Shepard of Newport reports the striped bass have arrived on the beaches and along Ocean Drive, no tiny ones, all good size and in good shape for this time of year. He caught them on small jigs, plugs and swimming shads.

Tautog bite was good this week too. Dave Henault said a customer caught a 23” tautog in the Taunton River and that Captain Bill Silvia found keepers for his customers on his first Tautog trip on Mt. Hope Bay. Ken at Ray’s Bait & Tackle related that four and five pound fish were not uncommon this week. Customers taking fish at Conimicut Light, Spindle Rock, Ohio Ledge and Rumstick Point.

Squid is in according to Craig Mancini from Continental. Squid jigs moving off the shelves. Ocean State Tackle employees report they nailed the squid at Goat Island this past week.