Fishing camp is a hoot

 Richard Reich, lead surfcasting instructor, explains some of the fundamentals of casting to youth fishing camp participants on Rocky Point Beach, Warwick, RI. 

Fishing appeals to our sense of adventure and builds a life time of memories with family and friends.

Fishing camp is a hoot

It is important to teach our youth about fishing.  Fishing appeals to our sense of adventure and teaches us patience. It is one of those activities where science and art converge. It teaches us to be good stewards of the environment and it allows us to build a lifetime of memories and friendships.

June marks the second year of a highly successful fishing camp for youth that will take place Tuesday, June 27 through Thursday, June 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Rocky Point State Park.

The three day camp, sponsored by the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), will host 50 children from seven to fourteen years old.

Steve Medeiros, RISAA president said, “The goal this year is to spin off our highly successful 2016 pilot camp.  Enhancements will include more fishing time on the water.  Yes we will have instruction on basic fishing skills, how to cast, safety and the environment but we plan to focus on fishing.  After all it is a ‘fishing’ camp. On the first day participants will fish from shore, a fluke fishing trip on the Seven B’s Party boat out of Galilee, RI is planned for day two, and participants will fish on RISAA member recreational vessels on the third day in the Greenwich Bay, Warwick Neck and Rocky Point areas.”

Medeiros said, “We find children of all backgrounds and cultures are attracted to fishing and our aim is to give them a proper introduction to the sport. We have about 35 volunteer recreational fisher men, women and captains working on the camp project.”

The pilot fishing camp was such a success last year that it has now been funded by U.S Fish & Wildlife in partnership with the RI DEM and RISAA for the next five years.  The aim this year is to post another success and roll the camp concept out to an additional location in 2018

The same children attend all three days of the camp split into groups by age and fishing experience.  There is no cost for children to participate and lunch is provided, however, parents must complete and sign all participation forms, provide their child with proper attire for an outdoor fishing camp and weather conditions and must provide transportation for children each day to and from Rocky Point State Park.

Topics to be covered over the three day camp include fish identification,  fishing laws, use of spinning and conventional tackle, basic marine biology, how and why to use different baits and lures, casting and fishing from shore as well as boating safety and fishing on a boat.

The fishing camp is sponsored by the RISAA, DEM, U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the City of Warwick.  Brewers Marina in Warwick Cove is donating dock space for 20 vessels that will be used for fishing at camp.

There is limited camp space available, sign up this week by calling the RI Saltwater Anglers Association office at 401.826.2121.

DEM to host Fly Fishing School at Addieville East Farm

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will host a fly fishing school on Saturday, June 17, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Addieville East Farm.  Learn the basics of entomology, fly tying, fly casting, the right equipment to use, knot tying and then fly fishing in a freshly stocked trout pond.   

Minimum age is eleven years old.  Cost of $15.00 will cover your lunch with the fly fishing program free.  All fly fishing equipment will be supplied but feel free to take your own. 

To register contact Kimberly Sullivan, DEM at kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov or 401-539-0037; or Scott Travers, DEM at scott.travers@dem.ri.gov or 401-539-0016.

Where’s the bite

Freshwater fishing slowed his week with cooler weather.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “We are selling a lot of shiners but customers do not seem to be catching bass like they were last week.  It has been cold.  However, anglers are still catching trout at stocked ponds, even at Willet Avenue Pond (Riverside).  I can’t believe the amount of trout they are pulling out of that pond since the second stocking.”

Squid fishing was good this week.  Large numbers of boats are fishing for squid off the southern coastal shores, both commercial and recreational vessels. So the fluke bite has been on squid this week in that area.  Capt. Frank Blount of the Francis Fleet said, “Squid fishing was very good on Thursday Night with hi hooks filling upwards to a half bucket apiece. Unfortunately things did not stay that way  over the holiday weekend as even though the winds were light and variable the water was still churned up from last Friday's blow.“

Summer flounder (fluke) fishing is heating up with fish being caught in the Bay, along our southern coastal shore and out on the south and southeast sides of Block Island.  Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown said, “Customers are doing well in about 70 feet of water off the southeast side of Block Island in the ocean windfarm area and along the southern coastal shore keepers are being caught with a lot of shorts mixed in, a lot of fish are coming up just short at 18.5 inches (this year the minimum size for summer flounder is 19", four fish/person/day).”  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “The fluke bite is pretty good off Warwick Neck and they are catching some keeper black sea bass when fluke fishing.” Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “Good catches were made both on the local beaches and also around Block Island. A decent amount of limit catches were recorded. Best for size was on Saturday with an 8 lb. pool fish and other fish in the six to seven pound range. A few nice sea bass mixing in and plenty of short fluke.”

Striped bass fishing is good in the Bay with most action in the East Passage from Bristol all the way up to the Hurricane Barrier in Providence.  “There are a lot of school bass being caught with some keepers mixed in this week.  Customer Albert Bettencourt with his son and grandchildren caught over 60 small school bass using jigs and small spoons last Thursday night.” said John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait.  Holly Frye of The Tackle Box said, “One customer weighted in striped bass to 13 pounds this week fishing with lures at Conimicut Point from shore.”  “The southwest ledge and north rip at Block Island are yielding small but keeper size striped bass in the 10 and 15 pound range.  Anglers are trolling umbrella rigs with multiple fish hooking up at the same time. School bass with some keepers mixed in are being caught from the beaches as well as Pt. Judith Pond, Ninigret and other ponds along the southern coastal shore.” said Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina.  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle said, “Bass are being caught in multiple locations in the East Passage from Popasquash Point, Bristol to the Providence River Hurricane Barrier area. Anglers are using Atlantic menhaden with success, some are drifting with live pogies and overs are anchoring up and chumming with chunks.  Ohio Ledge and Napatree Point have been good..”  “We weighed in a 41 pound fish caught in the East Passage by Rocky Patriarca off Prudence Island but we also weighed in 27 and 31 pound fish caught in the Conimicut Light area this weekend.” said John Littlefield.

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.