Charter fishing with in-state residents allowed

 Good tautog bite:  Capt. Monti with a tautog caught at Plum Island Light, North Kingstown this week.  The bite has been good there and all over the Narragansett and Buzzards Bay.

Salmon and trout bite hot:  Tom Mihalko (right) of Warwick and fishing friend Harry Culler of Coventry with some of the trout and salmon (to 25”) they caught on the Wood River last week.

Charter fishing with in-state residents allowed

In Rhode Island charter boats can fish with in-state resident passengers as long as social distancing and all other orders are followed. However, out of state anglers are not allowed to fish here unless quarantined for 14 days.

In a joint letter to Governor Gina Raimondo, the American Saltwater Guides Association and the RI Party & Charter Boat Association asked the Governor to consider allowing out of state anglers to fish on charter boats as soon as it is safe.

Capt. Rick Bellavance, president of the RIPCBA said, “About 80 percent of our customers are out of state residents so allowing them to fish here is vitally important to our industry.”  In the same letter Peter Jenkins, owner of the Saltwater Edge, Middletown and chairman of the board of the American Saltwater Guides Association said, “We propose a number of preventative actions that our industry members are prepared to take.”  Actions included assessing the health of passages, wearing approved face covering and gloves and a cleaning protocol.

Time for tautog fishing

The spring tautog bite is on in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  Minimum size is 16” with a three fish/person/day limit (and a ten fish boat limit).  The limit in Massachusetts drops to one fish on June 1, however, in Rhode Island it closes two months in June and July during the spawning season.

Here are five tips on how to catch them.

Find structure to find tautog.  Tautog can be fished from shore or boat and in both cases they like structure (rocks, wrecks, bridge piers, dock pilings, mussel beds, ledges holes and humps along the coast).  So, no structure, no tautog.

Fish where the fish are.  This is particularly true with tautog because they are a territorial species, you have to find the tautog.  They are not going to find you.  So if you get no bites move to another spot.  When you find them, you find them and the bite is on. 

Boat placement is important.  Find structure, estimate wind/drift direction and anchor up current from where you want to fish and drift back to the spot as the anchor is setting.  Cover as much area as you can fishing all around the boat.  If still no bites let some anchor line out to change your position, if still no bites it is time to move the vessel.

Tautog baits. Green crabs or Asian crabs are the baits of choice in the fall.  However soft baits like calm worm and clams are often used in spring as some angler believe the tautog like soft baits this time of year. When using green crabs make it easy for the tautog to bite and take the bait.  I like to break off most of the legs and claws leaving one per side on the end, cut the crab in half and hook it through one leg socket and out another. 

Tautog rigs should have as little hardware as possible to avoid bottom tie-ups. I make single hook rigs with about seven or eight feet of monofilament line and attach it to the main braid line directly with a dropper for a pre-snelled ‘Lazar Sharp’ brand hook (you need sharp hooks to get through tough tautog lips).  I also use a special egg singer rig to avoid tie-ups, jigs and snafu rigs depending on conditions and bottom type. 

Where’s the bite?

Tautog.  Angler Jeff Sullivan of Bristol County spoke with me at Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren.  Sullivan said, “The tautog bite is real strong everywhere.  Anglers are catching them out in front and in the Bay, off jetties from shore and over rock piles on a boat.”  Tom Coots of Red Top Sporting Goods, Buzzards Bay said, “The west end of the Canal is yielding tautog, but the bite really turned on in Buzzards Bay this week with anglers catching keepers on the east side at the old entrance to the Canal, Cleveland Ledge and on rock piles in throughout the Bay

Striped bass fishing is outstanding.  Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “Soft plastics like Al Gag’s Whip-It-Eel are doing well in white, pink and confetti. Other fish are being taken in the Seekonk River with clam sea worms.  We also have a good squid bite going on.”  Hayes of Quaker Lane said, “Striped bass fishing continues to improve with some larger keeper fish in the 29” to 30” range being caught too.”  Tom Coots of Red Top Sporting Goods said, “We now have school bass in the Cape Cod Canal and some keepers be caught in Buttermilk Bay and in the rivers.”

Freshwater fishing remains hot with a great trout and largemouth bass bite.  Anglers Tom Mihalko of Warwick and Harry Culler, Coventry caught twenty fish last week, both Salmon and trout on the Wood River with one salmon weighing 4 pounds and measuring 25”.  Tom said, “A really amazing, unforgettable time. When we launched at 6:00 a.m. there was ice on the ramp and the grass, fog on the water…, after the fog lifted and sun hit the water the fish bite exploded.”  Jeff Sullivan said, “Bass are prespawn so they are in low water at the banks as the water starts to warm.  The males appear first followed shortly after by the females.  Swim baits, spinning bait and jigs are working well. The Brickyard Pond locally yielding some nice bass too.” 

Get ready for a tug of war

 Vicktor Tang of New York had a big day tautog fishing last fall aboard Flippin Out Charters with Capt. B.J. Silvia.  He hooked this 11.5 pound tautog when fishing in Narragansett Bay.

Jack Leyden of North Kingstown (shown in photo) and Steve Sears of Seekonk boated multiple cod and black sea bass when fishing Cox’s Ledge last week.  The cod and black sea bass bite has been great there.

Get ready for a tug of war

Tautog fishing is much like a tug of war.  Once you hook one the battle is on to keep it from going into structure.  Many times anglers hook up on the bottom when fishing for tautog.  My experience is half the time the bottom hook up is caused by a fish that takes the angler’s bait into the rocks before they even know it. 

Tautog (or Blackfish) is a great eating fish with a white delicate meat.  That’s why anglers love to catch them.  The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) regulates recreational tautog fishing.  The catch limit in RI until October 14 is three fish/person/day, then it jumps to six fish/person/day on October 15 through December 15.  In addition there is a ten fish boat maximum per day limit (which does not apply to party and charter boats).

So, get ready, here are five tips to help you have a great fall tautog fishing season. 

1.    Find structure to find tautog.  Tautog can be fished from shore or boat and in both cases they like structure (rocks, wrecks, bridge piers, dock pilings, mussel beds, holes and humps along the coast and in the Bay).  So no structure, no tautog.

2.  Fish where the fish are.  This is particularly true with tautog because they are a territorial species, you have to find the tautog, they are not going to find you.  So if you get no bites move to another spot.  When you find them, you find them and the bite is on. 

3.  Boat placement is important.  Find structure, estimate wind/drift direction and anchor up current from where you want to fish and drift back to the spot as the anchor is setting.  Once in position fish all sides of the boat casting a bit to cover as much area as you can.  If still no bites let some anchor line out (a couple of times) to change your position, if still no bites it is time to move the vessel.

4.   Feel the bite… tap, tap and then get ready for a tug of war.  I believe with the first tap the tautog is positioning the bait for consumption.  So get ready to set the hook anticipating the second tap before the fish takes your bait into structure.  Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and pressure on so the fish in not able to run for cover.

5.  Where to fish for Tautog.  From shore look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport and off breakwater rock walls along the southern coastal shore.  From a boat I have had good luck at Plum Point light house next to the Jamestown Bridge, the rock jetty at Coddington Cove in Portsmouth, off Hope Island, General Rock in North Kingstown, around Brenton Reef and Seal Ledge off Newport, off Narragansett at rock clusters or the bolder field off Scarborough, Whale Rock, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage and any other place there is structure, debris, rock clusters, wrecks, etc.  It’s good to find your own spots as popular ones often get overfished.

Plan in place for harmful algae

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will hold an informational meeting to review Rhode Island’s new monitoring and contingency response plan for harmful algae blooms (HAB). The meeting will take place Tuesday, September 12, 5:00 p.m. in the Hazard Room, URI Coastal Institute Building on South Ferry Road, Narragansett.

Last year, Rhode Island experienced its first HAB caused by the presence of toxic phytoplankton in local waters; the event triggered an emergency closure of the state’s shellfishing areas. A subsequent bloom earlier this year resulted in a second emergency closure of some waters.

As part of the workshop, officials will review routine monitoring efforts for phytoplankton in the state’s waters as well as new emergency protocols in the case a HAB is detected.

Along with its partners, DEM successfully managed the earlier HAB events, ensuring all local shellfish products on the market remained safe. During the emergency closures, partners worked swiftly to collect and test over 190 water and shellfish samples for harmful algae and domoic acid, a toxin responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans.

Waters were reopened when all samples tested below levels of concern. In the wake of these events, DEM worked with its partners to update the state’s Harmful Algae Bloom and Shellfish Biotoxin Monitoring and Contingency Plan, which will be reviewed during next month’s workshop.

The plan in its entirety can be viewed at www.dem.ri.gov/shellfish . -

Where’s the bite

Striped bass and bluefish.  “The striped bass bite is excellent for boats but has slowed a bit from shore.  It’s spotty. Last night (Sunday) shore fishermen did well with bass from the breachway using plugs and eels.” said Mike Cardinal of Misquamicut Bait & Tackle, Westerly.  Spoke with Capt. Randy Bagwell of Rebel Charters when at Lucky Bait in Warren.  Capt. Bagwell said, “Block Island has been hit or miss for bass.  We were out there last week and did not hook up but were going to give it another try today (Monday) but cancelled the trip due to high seas.  There seemed to be bluefish out there but did not see anyone hooking up with striped bass.  Some nice bass have been caught off Newport with Capt. BJ Silvia of Flippin Out Charters landing some nice fish off Newport this week.”  The bluefish bite from the Sakonnet River to Pt. Judith has been very good this past week with bluefish often surfacing in schools trapping bait on the surface in a feeding frenzy.

Summer flounder (fluke) and black sea bass. “The fluke bite has slowed along the southern coastal shore.” said Mike Cardinal of Misquamicut Bait & Tackle.  Capt. Randy Bagwell said, “We had no trouble hitting our limit of black sea bass at Block Island (sea bass went to seven fish/angler/day on September 1).   They were all filled with sand ells and small lobsters. The fluke fishing was not good at the Island the day we were there.” Black sea bass fishing was also good at Cox’s Ledge.  Anglers Jack Leyden of North Kingstown and Steve Sears of Seekonk had no trouble hooking up with black sea bass as they fished for cod at the Ledge.  Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “The full day fluke/sea bass trips were outstanding Monday and Saturday this past week. Both trips saw lots of angler limits of both fluke and sea bass and both trips saw a lot of quality fluke over 5 pounds and on Saturday two fish in the 10 pound range fought it out for bragging rights. Saturday's run was also punctuated by an extreme amount of sand eels causing the sea bass to be stacked up 20-30 feet thick.”

Scup fishing is good. Mike Cardinal of Misquamicut Bait & tackle said, “Anglers are doing well with porgies from the Quonnie Breachway. I fished for scup twice last week with 4, 7 and 9 year old children on board and they all did well with scup to 15” in lower Narragansett Bay along the western side of Jamestown.

Cod fishing at Cox’s Ledge was good last week anglers finding the cod are boating fish to twenty pounds and are having not trouble reaching their seven fish limit of black sea bass.

Tautog fishing tips from the experts

 John Migliori caught his first trout of the season Monday at Melville Pond, Portsmouth on his first cast and then went on to limit out using a spinner bait. Trout fishing is still very good and less crowded.

 Slow retrieve worked: At 2:00 p.m. on opening day Tim Jacobs of Richmond had little trouble reeling in rainbow trout using a trout spinner bait with a slow retrieve.

 Jason Howell of Narragansett hooked up with school striped bass at Narrow River.

Steve Brustein of Portland, Maine with a spring tautog he caught last year in Narragansett Bay.

Tautog fishing tips from the experts

The spring tautog season opened April 15 and runs through May 31 with a three fish/person/day limit and a ten fish per boat limit (does not apply to charter boats). Tautog fishing is fun and there’s a certain knack to it as it takes a lot of concentration and a quick hook set. 

Here are some of my favorite tautog fishing tips I’ve learned from the experts. 

·       Keep rig simple to reduce tie ups, I prefer an egg sinker rig with one hook extended below the sinker on a swivel, or a one hook conventional rig with a dropper loop and sinker

·       Anchor over or near structure, and fish the entire boat or area, even casting a bit as tautog are territorial, a few feet make a difference, also let anchor line in and out to change position

·       Be prepared to chum as needed, I use a mixture of cut-up sea clams and crushed crabs

·       I use 40 to 50 pound braid line to enhance a direct connection to the fish and the line does not stretch when the fish tries to run back into structure, my fishing rod is a medium action rod

·       Your rig should be on the bottom, be patient, pay attention and be prepared to set hook quickly

·       Be prepared to fish different types of rigs and bait presentations depending on conditions and what fish want i.e. jigs with bait, green crabs as bait, Asian crabs, conventional rigs, etc.

Fishermen sought to serve as independent representatives

Deepwater Wind, developer of the Block Island Wind Farm, is looking for at least two Rhode Island fishermen to serve as independent representatives of the local fishing fleet in connection with the development of the South Fork Wind Farm at Cox’s Ledge. 

The independent fishing representatives from both the commercial and recreational sectors will help disseminate information to the fishing community and help facilitate communication between fishermen and Deepwater Wind. They will also serve as the primary point of contact for any area fishermen with questions or concerns about the offshore wind farm or transmission cable. This is a great opportunity for those active in commercial or recreational fishing as these representatives will serve as an important link between Deepwater Wind and the fishing community.

Interested fishermen with home ports at Point Judith or elsewhere in Rhode Island should visit www.dwwind.com/fishing-reps  for more information.

With this late notice in the Providence Journal I called Aileen Kenney, vice president of permitting & environmental for Deep Water Wind.  Ms. Kenney said, “We ask that applicants forward cover letters and resumes as close to the April 21 deadline as possible via mail or email.”   

Fishing for a Cause Tournament

The 7^th annual Schwartz Center/Meeting Street Fishing for a Cause Tournament to raise money for students with special needs is now registering fishing participants and dinner guests for their June 23^rd and 24^th fundraiser. 

Charter captains are offering their vessels and personal skills as fishing guides to take participants fishing in the recreational tournament

Fishing for a Cause has raised more than $800,000 in its history. “The incredible success of this tournament is due to the increase of corporate groups over the past seven years,” said John M. Kelly, President of Meeting Street.

More than 100 fishermen and women are expected to participate in the two-day catch and release tournament. Upon the culmination of the tournament participants and guests will gather for a catered seaside dinner in New Bedford emceed by comedian Lenny Clarke

For more information about this year’s event or to donate your vessel and services visit http://www.meetingstreet.org/FFAC or contact Beatriz Oliveira at The Schwartz Center 508-742-6425.

Squid fishing and tube & worm seminar

Learn the basics of squid fishing on a party boat from expert angler Tom Wood and then learn the technique of fishing with tube and worm from fishing author and guide Charley Soares on April 24, 7:00 p.m. at the West Warwick Elks Lodge, 60 Clyde Street, West Warwick.  “The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association meeting will focus on when to fish deep vs near the top for squid as well as the best squid lures and gear to use.” said Tom Wood. Charles Soares said, “The uniqueness of the tube and worm is that it catches numerous species along with stripers from five to fifty ponds.”  Non-members welcome with a $10 donation to the RISAA Scholarship Fund, members attend free.  Visit www.risaa.org for details.

Where’s the bite

Freshwater fishing continues to be very strong.  “A customer caught a 3.5 pound largemouth bass at Brickyard Pond in Barrington this week.” said John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside.  “Anglers are doing very well with largemouth bass, we sold a lot of shiners this weekend.” said Craig Mancini of Continental Bait & Tackle, Cranston.  Mancini said, “Trout fishing has been better than it has been in a long time.  Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait & Tackle, Westerly said, “Trout fishing at Carolina Trout Pond and Meadowbrook Pond (both in Richmond) has been great but the rivers have been a bit too high for anglers.”  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle said, “Opening Day’s weather discouraged some anglers from fishing so Willet Avenue Pond, Riverside is still holding a lot of fish with anglers limiting out there."  “Trout fishing is very good at Melville in Portsmouth.  PowerBait is the bait of choice with spoons working good at Lincoln Woods for one customer.” said Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren.  Gil Bell of Charlestown caught a four pound, 25” chain pickerel at Watchaug Pond, Charlestown last week using a Sutton Frisby Spoon.

Tautog fishing season opened up Saturday, April 15.  Some anglers target them this weekend with poor results as it was quite windy this weekend.  Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait & Tackle said, “We did not have many customers target tautog, things should get going later this week.”  Many Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “Customers targeted tautog at Stone Bridge, Wharf Tavern and other places but did not get a bite.”  Fishing further up the Bay was not good either, John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle said, “A customer fished the Nayatt Point area for tautog but the wind picked up and he came back, he had a cold of good bites but no fish.  Others targeted Wharf Tavern, Jamestown and Newport but we haven’t back from them yet."

Striped bass fishing has not been very active.   “Things have not started to percolate yet in the salt ponds.  Once the worm hatches start the striped bass will start to come around in mass.  We have had a few reports of schoolies being caught but I am not sure they are new bass or just hold-overs from last year.” said Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait & tackle.  Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown said, “Angers are catching fish at the West Wall but it is still spotty.  Fish are still being taken in the Narrow River, Narragansett but these fish are likely striped bass hold-overs from last year.”  Dave Henault said, “Capt. Billy Silvia (while quahogging) saw about 20 striped bass move though Ohio Ledge on Tuesday. So the bass are in the Bay.  Striped bass fishing at the West Wall of the Harbor of Refuge in South Kingstown has been spotty.  Tuesday was a good day there by Wednesday morning with a change of wind was not good. Angler Jay Uhlman caught a nice size school bass at the Goat Island Causeway in Newport Tuesday night when squid fishing.  He caught seven squid that night.”

Cod fishing is still slow but picking up.  The hope is that the volume of bait seen on the fishing grounds will continue to attract fish.   Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina said, “Cod fishing is hit or miss.  One customer fished the south side of Cox’s Ledge with two friends and came back with 30 nice fish, yet other have come back with one or two fish.  You just have to be in the right place at the right time.” 

Giant tautog caught this week

Huge tautog:  Scott Kiefer of Exeter, RI with the sixteen (16) pound tautog (two above photos) he caught off Hope Island in Narragansett Bay.

Trophy bass:  Robby Araujo of Attleboro, MA with a trophy sized 51 pound striped bass he caught this week drifting eels on the southwest side of Block Island with Capt. Tracy Terrien and his father.

Squeteague still biting.  Carole Prisco (above) of Warwick (with daughter Amanda and husband Charlie) caught four squeteague; the largest was 26” (below) using large pieces of squid between Hope and Gould Islands.

First striped bass.  Benjamin Amadio of Coventry, RI catches his first striped bass while fishing with Joe Pagano of Stuff-it Charters.

Giant tautog caught this week

It was a chilly fall morning requiring jackets.  The sun rose Sunday and things started to warm up at Hope Island off the northern tip of Jamestown in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay.  Anglers Scott Kiefer of Exeter, RI and his fishing partner Angelo Manni anchored and sent their chum pot down. 

“We started to land fish right away.  The tide was ripping.  Conditions were right.” said Scott Kiefer. Then Scott got a huge hit on the green crab he was using for bait. “This fish didn’t go down heading for structure like most tautog.  It ran, very much like a striped bass.  It went behind the boat. Under the boat and when I finally brought it up Angelo looked it in the eye and it ran again.” said Kiefer.  It took Scott with Angelo’s help on the net about six minutes to land the tautog.

The fish was sixteen (16) pounds, and about 30” long.  This is a huge tautog. A ten pound fish is considered a prize and a fish of a lifetime for many.  The Rhode Island record for tautog is 21 pounds, 4 ounces, established in 1954.  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick weighed the fish in and said, “I have never seen a tautog this big up close… they caught some nice six and seven pound fish too but I couldn’t take my eyes off this big one.”

Tautog tips from the experts

Feel the bite… tap, tap and then get ready for a tug of war.  Captain George Cioe said, “I believe with the first tap the tautog is positioning the bait for consumption.”  Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and pressure on so the fish is not able to run for cover. Captain Rich Hittinger, RISAA vice president and a long time angler out of Point Judith said, “If you get two bites with no hook-up your bait is gone. Reel in and re-bait.”

Where to fish for tautog.  From shore, look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport, the rocky shore line off Point Judith and off jetties along the southern coastal shore.  Docks, piers, bridges are good structure too.  From a boat, I have had good luck at Conimicut Light, Plum Point light house next to the Jamestown Bridge, the jetty at Coddington Cove in Portsmouth, off Hope Island, around Brenton Reef and Seal Ledge in Newport, Whale Rock, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage, General Rock in North Kingstown and any other places there is structure, debris, rock clusters, wrecks, etc.  Another key factor is water movement, so a couple of hours before or after high or low tide is good. 

Chumming for tautog will enhance your catch dramatically.  Kevin Bettencourt from the East Bay Anglers said, “Chumming is a critical part of tautog fishing. If you want to land numerous tautog you must establish an effective chum line. This can be accomplished with grass shrimp or crushed Asian/green crabs. Don't be afraid to feed them! If you don't, they won't stick around long!”  Captain Robb Roach of Kettlebottom Outfitters from Jamestown said chumming is very important… “I chum with crushed mussels or crushed periwinkles.”

 Where’s the bite

Striped bass.  Capt. Charlie Donilon of Snappa Charters said, “Striped bass fishing the past few days has been the best ever at Block Island.   We caught 80 bass in one trip this week.”Dave Sweet and Craig Picard fished off Pt. Judith Sunday. Dave said, “Using a small silver spoon, my first fish was a 16 lb. bluefish on light tackle, what a workout!  We each managed a couple of nice stripers, from about 23" to largest at about 36"… looks like the fall run is on.” Capt. Al Anderson of the charter boat Prowler reports similar results with striped bass and blues off the center wall and in front of Scarborough Beach.  Both boats tagged and released their bass.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, East Providence said, “It has been hit or miss at Block Island for my customers, no bites at night and then the next day the bass bite was on.” Capt. Tracy Terrien said, “Drifted eels for six bass 35- 51 pounds on the southwest side. Broke off on three and when bringing the fish up there was numerous monsters swimming with them…”  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “School bass with keepers mixed in are being caught with storm shad baits early morning and at sunset in Apponaug Cove.”  Angler Ron Nalbandian said, “Birds all over the place (in front of Charlestown Breachway). (Landed) 14 Stripers 20”- 34” all on metal and 6” shads.”

Tautog.  The big news this week is the sixteen pound tautog caught by angler Scott Kiefer of Exeter, RI.  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, weighed the fish in and said, “They fished Hope Island for about an hour and half and the action was great with big fish and then things slowed down with a lot of shorts being caught.”  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait said, “The tautog bite is good at Conimicut Light, Rocky Point, and the bridges in Barrington and Warren but with a ratio of about one keeper (16” or larger) to eight smaller undersized fish.  Saturday I fished Seal Ledge off Newport and managed three keepers with six shorts and a lot of small black sea bass. Other boats were fishing south of Brenton Reef and others off Castle Hill Light. 

 

Cod fishing continues to improve with fish to twenty pounds being taken on the Frances Fleet this week. Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said, “We are seeing tremendous amounts of herring, squid and even some sand eels on the ground so there should be more fish showing in the weeks to come.”

Offshore.  Angler Eric Weybrant said, “(Friday) The drift was North to South (at the Mudhole) and we were 1/2 mile or so South of the deep spot when we had our first taker which turned about to be a 177 lb Mako.”

 

DEM to hold fly fishing programs

The DEM Fish & Wildlife Division’s Aquatic Resource Education program will hold three fly fishing workshops.  The programs are produced in conjunction with instructors from Trout Unlimited, Rhody Fly-Tyers, United Fly-Tyers, and with many more organizations and volunteers.  Families with children over 10 years of age are encouraged to attend.  Programs range for beginner to advanced angler. 

“Introduction to Saltwater Fly-Fishing”, Saturday, October 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Kettle Pond Visitors Center in Charlestown.  Fly-fishing instructors will teach participants fly-tying, casting techniques, and knot-tying. All materials and equipment are included with the $35 per-person registration fee. Participants should pack a lunch and bring a pair of waders.

“Fly-Fishing Express,” a fly-fishing safari around Aquidneck Island on the Old Colony Train Saturday, October 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The train will stop at several remote public access fishing areas around the island. Fly-fishing instructors will offer advice on the best flies and fly- fishing tactics. The program is designed for advanced beginner, intermediate and advanced fly-fishing anglers, and is perfect for those who have already participated in the “Introduction to Saltwater Fly-Fishing” workshop and would like to hone their fly-fishing skills while fishing.  Pack a lunch and your chest waders.  All other equipment, including flies, is provided with the $35 per-person registration fee.

“Fall Fly-Tying 2013”, held on six Thursdays beginning November 7 to December 19, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the North Kingstown Community Center. Professional fly-tyers will teach beginning and intermediate fly-tying techniques for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. All material and equipment is included. Cost of the program is $5 for each class or $25 for all six sessions. Pre-registration is recommended, although walk-ins are accepted.

For additional information and for registration materials, contact Kimberly Sullivan in DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education program at 539-0037 or via e-mail at kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

NOAA releases new summer flounder and striped bass assessments

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, released its 57th Stock Assessment Review Committee report on summer flounder (Paralichthys dentata) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis).  The good news is that both stocks were found to be in good condition. Neither is experiencing overfishing or is overfished.  Summaries of the two stock assessments findings can be found at nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/crd/crd1314/.

 An important aspect of any assessment is the determination of current stock status. The status of the stock relates to both the rate of removal of fish from the population – the exploitation rate – and the current stock size. The exploitation rate is the proportion of the stock alive at the beginning of the year that is caught during the year. When that proportion exceeds the amount specified in an overfishing definition, overfishing is occurring. So a stock can be either experiencing overfishing or overfished or both.

 

 

Tug of war season on with tautog

 

First tautog: Josh McElwee of Boston, MA caught this 19 ½” tautog, his first ever, using a single hook rig with egg sinker on top.  He used green crabs and was at General Rock, North Kingstown.

 

Big striped bass:  Russ Weymouth of Charlton, MA caught this 48 lbs., 49” striped bass while drifting eels in the morning on the southwest side of Block Island.  The fall run/migration of striped bass has started.

Tournament winners:

  on the beach in front of the Ocean Mist in South Kingstown, RI are winners of the Pabst Blue Ribbon Tournament that attended the awards ceremony Saturday.

Sharking experience:  Ken Montigny (Fairhaven, MA), John Starakas (Wakefield, RI) and Jeff Montigny (Fall River, MA) landed this 500 pound mako shark when fishing at the Mudhole (15 miles east of Block Island) last past Friday.



Tug of war season on with tautog

 

The fall tug of war season with tautog is on.  Tautog (or blackfish) is a great eating fish with a white dense meat.  Their bulldog like fight (similar to grouper) is very exciting and much like a tug of war between you and the tautog.  Once a tautog is hooked it will try to bulldog its way back down into rock or structure.  So when the fish bites, it becomes the angler’s job not to let it bury itself in the structure. 

 

From shore or boat

Tautog can be fished from shore or boat.  The common thread is structure.  From shore it is a matter of trial and error to find a sweet spot or hole that holds big fish.  You want to be near, next to or over structure. 

 From a boat locate the structure you want to fish (on sonar if you have it).   Estimate wind and current and then anchor up current so that as the anchor line pays out the vessel is over structure or slightly before it.  Tie off the anchor line and fish.  Tautog is very territorial so it is important to fish all sides of the boat, even cast a bit covering as much area as you can from different positions in the boat.  If still no bites pay out a little more anchor line to reposition the boat, repeat the process until you are totally off the structure and if still no bites it is time to move to another spot.

Rigs and Bait

Tautog rigs should be kept simple.  My favorite rig is homemade. I use one tautog hook connected to a swivel with a two or three once egg sinker on top sliding on a small three to four inch piece of monofilament line.  Another swivel above the egg sinker connects the monofilament and the braid line (30 lbs.) coming from the rod/reel. Since I have started using this rig bottom hook ups have been cut in half. Braid line does not stretch, so this is my preference, whereas monofilament line may stretch allowing the tautog to reach structure.

 I use green crabs and Asian crabs (when available).  When using green crabs, break off claws and legs and cut the crab in half.  Hook the crab though one leg socket and out another.  This exposes most of the crab and makes it easy for the tautog to put its mouth on the bait.

Standard premade tautog rigs usually have two hooks and a loop below to tie on a bank sinker.  I usually cut the upper hook off. Captain John Rainone of L’il Toot Charters said, “One hook saves rigs and fish… waiting for another fish to jump on makes no sense… I tie rigs with a lighter sinker line so it breaks and hook/fish is retrieved.” The idea is to have less on the rig to get tied up in structure.

 Pabst Blue Ribbon tournament winners

The 2012 second annual Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) striped bass and fluke tournament concluded this past Sunday, September 22 with an awards ceremony at the Ocean Mist in South Kingstown, RI.  The tournament is one of the largest bass and fluke tournaments in the Northeast. 

This year the $10,000 first place striped bass boat division prize went to Jeff Thibodeau of Wallingford, CT with a 60 lbs. 11 oz. fish.  Robert Ferraro of Narragansett, RI took second place ($5,000) with a 58 lbs. 8 oz. striper; and third place ($3,000) went to Joseph Bartnicki of Hackettstown, NJ for a 54 lbs 9 oz. fish.

Shore division striped bass fist place winner was Michael Coppola of New York, NY; John Hanecak of Rock Hill, CT second place; and Thomas McGuire of Narragansett, RI was third place shore division winner with a 34 lbs. 7 oz. striper.

The first place summer flounder (fluke) prize ($5,000) went to Samuel Dibner of Woodbury, CT for an 11 lbs. fluke; second place ($3,000) went to Joseph Giuliano, Niantic, CT; and third place fluke price ($2,000) went to Matt McDermott of Plainview, NY.

 Junior winners include Andrew McGarry, Block Island, RI (bass winner) and Fin Howat, Southport, CT (fluke winner).

The PBR tournament ran from June 1^st to September 15^th and took place in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Visit www.pbrfishing.com for photos.

Where’s the bite

Tautog. John Wunner of John’s Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown said, “Tautog fishing is just starting to pick up with anglers now catching keepers.” Angler Dave Fewster said, “I tried for an hour last Sunday and got a bunch of shorts, one keeper tog…it will get better every day with lower temps and shorter days.” I fished with Joshua McElwee Saturday and he caught his first tautog (and keeper sized fish over 16”) at General Rock, North Kingstown, RI.  Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait & Tackle, Westerly said, “Anglers are catching tautog at Watch Hill reef and Ragged Ledge.  Most are using green crabs.”

 

Striped bass.  Russ Weymouth fished the southwest side of Block Island Thursday and said, “Drifting slightly north from the Peanut, (we) caught the biggest fish on my boat One Iota… a  49" striped bass at 48 pounds (using eels).  We continued to repeat the drift and caught as many keeper stripers as we had eels…” John Wunner of John’s Bait said, “I had three customers leave Allen’s Harbor, North Kingstown at 6:00 p.m. Friday night for Block Island and returned at 1:00 a.m. Saturday.  They left with 40 eels and could have caught as many bass, all were in 30 to 40 pound range.”  Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait, Westerly, said, “Fishing improved Tuesday night with anglers catching keeper bass mixed in with a lot of school size bass fishing from shore at Misquamicut and Charlestown beaches.” No reports of a strong bass or blue fish bite starting yet in Narragansett Bay.

 

Shore fishing picked up but is still slow as anglers are having difficulty hooking up with fish consistently.  Dave Pickering, noted local shore angler authority and author said, “Today (Saturday) I went down and checked out places that had been producing earlier in the week.  I found no bait, no birds diving, no fish and no fishermen. I fished a lot of white water and rocky drop-offs today but could not even find a schoolie or a bluefish…”  Visit Dave’s striper blog at www.ristripedbass.blogspot.com.

 

Offshore. John Starakas of Wakefield, RI, said, “(I) took two friends, Jeff Montigny of Fall River, and Ken Montigny of Fairhaven, MA on their first shark fishing trip Friday.  Fished the Mudhole (about 15 miles east of Block Island) all day, no luck trolling for tuna, after chumming for sharks for almost four hours… (we) landed a large mako,  8’ 10” fork length which makes it approximately 500 lbs.”  Jeff was on the rod and fought the fish, Ken wired the fish and John ran the boat and harpooned the shark.

Fresh water fishing.  Dave Pickering fished for carp at night this weekend in the Blackstone River. Dave said, “I noticed a fish grubbing at night right in front of me in about a foot of water.  From experience I know that carp will come in very close to feed under cover of darkness.  So, I put out a flip cast of about 10-15 feet with both outfits.  That did it as the alarm went off about 10 minutes later.  A good fight ensued in total darkness and soon I flipped on my headlight to see a big mirror carp at my feet. Yes, they do hit at night.”  Visit www.ricarpfishing.blogspot.com.

 

 

Fall fishing is great

Family tautog fishing:  Greg Vespe of Tiverton, RI took his family tautog fishing with Capt. BJ Silvia after hurricane Sandy. (From left to right) Shawn Hayes Costello (Tiverton, RI), Ric Vespe (Little Marsh, Pa), Greg Vespe, and Colleen Hayes Costello (Tiverton, RI). 

Tautog fishing is great: Chris Benn, mate on the Seven B’s party boat out of Point Judith, fillets my tautog catch Sunday.  Some customers limited out, many anglers took home two to four fish and the largest fish that day was about nine pounds.

Big bass migrating: Angler Kurt Rivard of Warren, RI landed this 35 pound striped bass last week drifting and eel in 30 feet of water near the Mount Hope Bridge.

Fall fishing is great

So you think it is all over. You think fishing is done for the season… hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter must have shut it down. Well… you are wrong… fresh and saltwater fishing is great.  Anglers are catching bass and trout in ponds and rivers stocked by the Department of Environmental Management (visit www.dem.ri.gov for locations) and saltwater fishing is outstanding.  

Captain Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boast Association said, “This is the best time of year to fish.”  Anglers are catching tautog, cod, scup and striped bass.  Black sea bass can still be caught recreationally in state waters (if you do not have a federal license).  Since Sandy came though many anglers are limiting out with tautog (six fish per angler) and they are catching migrating striped bass too.

Angler Kurt Rivard of Warren, RI landed a 35 pound striped bass last week drifting and eel in 30 feet of water near the Mount Hope Bridge. “The fish pulled 200 yards of line out before it got tired and turned” said Kurt’s fishing partner Corey Smith.

Five days after the hurricane, angler Greg Vespe fished for tautog. “I took my family out with Capt. BJ Silvia… we really clobbered them  (tautog) on the near shore and mid shore humps off of Newport…lots of five and six pounders, five seven pounders and a nine pounder was tops for the day. Picked up at least 40 legal sized tog.” said Vespe.

For anglers who may have put their boats away for the winter (and many did prior to the hurricane) there are a host of charter and party boats still fishing.  Visit the RI Charter & Party Boat Association web site at www.rifishing.com for a list of boats, fishing times, rates and boat web sites for details.  The smaller boats take two to six anglers and the larger party boats can take over a hundred anglers fishing.

The Snappa from Point Judith is a custom 46’ fishing vessel.  Captain Charlie Donilon, who has been fishing for tautog since Sandy,  said, “We (have been) fishing south of Newport in the deeper water between 50 and 100 ft. The largest fish weighed (about) 14 lbs. Approximately 1/3 of the fish are throwbacks.”  The Snappa has a heated cabin and will provide all bait and tackle. Your cost for an 8 1/2 hr. day of fishing is $130. A private group of six passengers can charter the boat for as little as $700. Additional passengers add $100/person. Visit www.snappacharters.com or call Capt. Donilon at 401-782-4040.

The Seven B’s is 80 feet and is licensed to take up to 120 people fishing.  They are tautog fishing now until December 15 at which time they generally switch to cod fishing. My brother-in-law and I fished with Captain Russ Benn this weekend, at first, the fishing was spotty but Captain Benn was determined to find fish and when he did all rods were bent.  The crew was fantastic. Some anglers limited out and others caught two to four keepers.  I did not speak to any unhappy customers.  We fished out in front a mile or two off shore from Newport to the Sakonnet River.  Seven B’s is now fishing Wednesday through Sunday, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Adults $85 and children $45.  Visit them at www.sevenbs.com or call 401.789.9250.

The Francis Fleet vessels are owned by Captain Frank Blount.  He and his family have been running the business since 1978. They are running both tautog and cod fishing trips now.  Visit them at www.francesfleet.com  or call them at 800.662.2824.

Windmill mitigation workshop for recreational and commercial fishers
The second wind mitigation workshop for recreational and commercial fishers will be held November 16, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the URI Bay Campus, South Ferry Road,  Narragansett, RI. For more informationcall 978-465-0492.  RSVP to Elizabeth Castle at ecastle@ene.com .

Fly Tyers to hold annual Christmas Banquet

The United Fly Tyers of RI (UFTRI) will hold their annual Christmas banquet December 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus hall on Sandy Lane in Warwick, RI.  The event will feature a meal, a guest speaker and raffle.  UFTRI is an educational organization, dedicated to teaching fresh and salt water fly tying. Yearly membership dues are $30 (September of current year through May of next year). Tying vises and materials are available for use by guests (anyone attending for the first time), as well as any paid member. Visit  www.uftri.org  for details and information.

Rhody Fly Rodders to meet November 20th

The Rhody Fly Rodders will hold their monthly meeting Tuesday, November 20, 6:30 p.m. at the Riverside Sportsmen Association, East Providence, RI.  The presenter will be Alan Caolo. He will 
be presenting a slide program, “Sight-Fishing for Striped Bass”, a comprehensive overview on an exciting style of fishing for taking stripers in the clear shallows, including strategy, stealth, presentation and flies. The presentation will include information for everyone from beginners to seasoned anglers.  Monthly Bucket Raffles with some great items will be held and as usual, the coffee pot is always on, along with a few tasty snacks.  For information call Peter Nilsen, board member, at 401.245.7172 or e-mail him at pdfish@fullchannel.net .  Directions: From Providence take Rt.195 to Exit 7. Bear right on the ramp & follow Rt. 114 South (Wampanoag Trail) for two miles. Look for WPRO Studios on left, and then take first U-turn back to Rt.114 North. Continue North and look for the Riverside Sportsmen’s Club sign on right side.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing has been good.  Reports of school bass all along the southern shore.  Angler David Sweet reports, “Made our way up to Narragansett Beach and fished just north of the Coast Guard House in about 5-10 ft. of water for 15 + schoolies. Tagged 15… “. Large striped bass being taken in the lower
Bay and along southern Coastal shores.  Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Outfitters, North Kingstown, RI  weighed in a 58.45 pound bass that Nick Gibbs caught while fishing at night off the Narragansett shore last week.  Nick was using a black bomber lure.  

Tautog fishing remains strong in the lower Bay and off coastal shores with a slower bite mid Bay and North.   I fished on the Seven B’s Sunday…  some anglers caught two to four fish, some limited out  and the top fish was about nine pounds.  Anglers experiencing a strong bite at Kettlebottom off Jamestown,  Newport in the Brenton Reef area, off Point Judith Light and off Narragansett on rock clusters.

Cod fishing is starting to pick up.  This past Sunday Captain Letourneau of On The Rocks Charters reported limiting out on Cod.  Captain Letourneau said, “Started out front in Newport with a 24" cod and never looked back…” The Francis Fleet repots an improved cod bite compared to this past week with the top fish Sunday weighing in at about 10 pounds.