Say no to boat tax

Tautog bite on:  Angler Greg Vespe of Tiverton, said, “Tautog fishing opened up this weekend in the mid and lower Narragansett Bay.  Caught our limit before our coffee was cold.”

Trout bite still good: “Greg Spicer caught multiple golden, rainbow and brown trout in Northern Rhode Island waterways last week,” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence.

Boating sales and property tax proposed

On Tuesday night, May 5, 2025, the boating and fishing community spoke out against Rhode Island House Bill H-6256 at a House Finance Committee meeting.  The Bill proposes to remove the sales, property and use tax exemption on motorboats.

Bill sponsor Rep. John Lombardi of Providence said, “We have $5-million dollar boats being bought by people from out of state and they pay no sales tax on these yachts.”

However, this is not a luxury tax Rep. Lombardi is proposing,  but rather a tax on all 32,000 boats registered in Rhode Island each year, and according to the National Marine Manufactures Association about three out of four of them are owned by individuals with household incomes of less than $100,000.  So the new sales tax and property tax being proposed by Rep. Lombardi would tax thousands of working families in Rhode Island.

In a letter to the House Finance committee Rick Bellavance, president of the RI Charter & Party Boat Association, a membership of 51 small businesses in Rhode Island, said, “This bill would impact small businesses in the industry by introducing additional costs, with they might need to either absorb or pass on to clients.  The industry supports our tourism-based economy and the effects of H-6256 should be carefully considered as the bill would not support tourism and the charter fishing industry in Rhode Island.”

Scott Travers, executive director of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, with 7,500 affiliated members and 35 affiliated organizations, said, “Recreational fishing has a $419-million dollar economic impact on Rhode Island’s economy annually.  Many of our members own boats or fish with friends that have boats so this bill would harm recreational fishing as well as marine trades in Rhode Island.” See a Scott Travers interview at RI lawmakers consider imposing new tax on boats | WPRI.com.

Highlights of the testimony I gave at the hearing are as follows:

”Over the past 20 years about 75 percent of my charter customers came from out of state, which is tourism.  I am constantly refereeing customers to hotels, restaurants and bait & tackle shops.  Tourism, boating and fishing are a major driver to Rhode Island’s economy.

We have been known as a boating and fishing friendly state in part due to no taxes on boats.  To enact sales and property taxes on boats will change this perception.  We will no longer be the boating and fishing friendly state.

This change in perception, will have a profound  negative impact on the number of boaters, fishers and tourists that come to RI.  The income generated from these taxes will be minimal to the positive impact Rhode Island has enjoyed by being perceived as a boating and fishing friendly state.

So I ask anglers, boaters, members of the House, Senate and Administration please do not support a boat sales and property tax.  Let the State of Rhode Island remain a boating and fishing friendly state that will continue to help drive our economy.”

According to the Rhode Island Maine Trades Association, the state’s marine trades sector collectively accounts for over 13,300 jobs and $2.65 billion in gross sales.

More to come as we follow this bill though the legislative process.  For now the bill has been put on hold for further study like all bills heard Tuesday night.

 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass fishing for holdover striped bass (fish that did not migrate south) continues to be very good with anglers catching keeper striped bass 28” to < 31”.  “Recent sunny days have warmed the water and we're seeing a good mix of sizes, from smaller school bass up to impressive fish over 30 inches. We've also noticed a few worm hatches last week where fish have been present. It looks like these hatches will soon be expanding from the more secluded coves to the open edges of the ponds,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown.  Tom Olson of Ponaug Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “Still not much action in Apponaug Cove area, but some anglers are picking up fish at Conimicut Point, Warwick with isolated reports of fish in Greenwich Bay.”  Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “Fish to 34” are being caught in the Providence River and West Passage with school bass being caught in Greenwich Bay.  Natural baits such as clam, squid and oms are working as well as flutter spoons as there are not many Atlantic menhaden available.”

Tautog.  “We've been getting some positive reports on tautog, with customers having success both from the shore and by boat. There have also been a few reports of cod in deeper waters.” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle.  Dustin Stevens of Rhode Island Kayak Adventures, said, “I like to use half of a green crab with legs off in the spring as the fish seem to like softer baits.”  Angler Greg Vespe of Tiverton, said, “Tog fishing exploded over the weekend with a nice mix of males and females in the mid and upper bay now that the water is 52.8 so they are chewing.  We had our limits before our coffee was cold and then just played around trying new spots.”

Freshwater trout fishing is still a good bet with trout stocking recently occurring in RI and MA waterways.  For complete regulations, a list of stocked ponds, and a copy of the RI Freshwater Fishing Regulations and Guide visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov.

 

Spring tautog season in full swing

 

Angler Richard Reich said, “Caught this 24”, 7.24 pound tautog last Thursday in 20 feet of water off Narragansett.  It was our best of eleven fish on jigs with Asian crabs with two anglers fishing.

Kayak angler Tom Houde with a string of three tautog, his limit, caught in spring two years ago.

Spring tautog season in full swing

The spring tautog season in Massachusetts and Rhode Island opened April 1 with a 16” minimum size, only one fish may be greater than 21.  The season runs through May 31 with a three fish/person/day limit and a ten fish per boat limit (does not apply to charter boats).

In Massachusetts the limit reduces to one fish from June 1 to July 31. In Rhode Island the season closes in during peak spawning and reopens once again with a three fish/person/day limit on August 1 along with Massachusetts. Some of my favorite tautog fishing tips 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.  Today the most popular rig for anglers are jigs of all sizes and colors.

·       Anchor over or near structure, and fish the entire boat or area if on land, even casting a bit as tautog are territorial, a few feet make a difference, also let anchor line in and out to change position unless you have and electric motor.

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

·       I use 30 to 40 pound braid line with a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader of equal value 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 particularly in the spring as the bites are not as frequent.

·       Be prepared to fish different types of rigs and bait presentations depending on conditions and what fish want i.e. conventional rigs, jigs  and various baits (green crabs, Asian crabs, clam bellies).

 

New cod and haddock regulation areas

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has filed final regulations which will go into effect on May 9, 2025 concerning cod and haddock as well as other groundfish. Federal rules apply to all fishing activity in federal waters and Massachusetts accommodates the possession and landing of groundfish lawfully taken in federal waters that do not conform to state rules. For information on the new interim federal emergency rules visit NOAA Fisheries Implements an Emergency Action to Ensure the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Continues Uninterrupted.

New cod management area: Massachusetts has implemented its management areas for codfish consistent with pending changes to the federal stock boundary delineations. All state waters north of Cape Cod and those waters down the backside of Cape Cod and east of Nantucket west of the 70^th meridian are now considered Western Gulf of Maine; all other state waters are now Southern New England. Effectively, this designates that band of waters east of Cape Cod and Nantucket south of 42° 00’ north latitude from Southern New England into the Western Gulf of Maine.

Moratorium on Southern New England Codfish:  DMF has also adopted a moratorium on the harvest and possession of cod by commercial and recreational fishers within the Southern New England cod management areas. While there is little cod catch occurring in these state waters, this action is designed to backstop anticipated federal rules.

Recreational Limits for Gulf of Maine Haddock and Western Gulf of Maine Cod: At this time, the recreational fishing limits for haddock and Western Gulf of Maine cod remain status quo, consistent with federal regulations. For Gulf of Maine haddock the open fishing season is April 1 – February 28 with a 18” minimum size and 15-fish bag limit and for Western Gulf of Maine cod, the open season is September 1 – October 31 with a 1-fish bag limit and 23” minimum size.

 

Massachusetts extends Small Vessel Speed Restriction

During a partial aerial survey on April 29, the Center for Coastal Studies documented 52 right whales in Cape Cod Bay, including three mother/calf pairs, all of which were skim feeding at the surface or just below the surface. This feeding behavior makes them highly susceptible to vessel collision. Acoustic detections of right whales on a near real-time monitoring buoy in Cape Cod Bay also shows a continued strong presence.

As a result of the ongoing presence of right whales, the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) is extending the small vessel speed restriction in Cape Cod Bay through May 15, 2025. Small vessels (less than 65’) are required to travel at speeds no greater than 10 knots in this area. Right whales are highly susceptible to injury and death due to vessel collision. A complementary federal speed restriction in the same area applies to vessels 65’ and greater.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass fishing for holdover striped bass (fish that did not migrate south) continues to be very good with anglers catching keeper striped bass 28” to < 31”.  East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “Rob Fishsticks’ Pesa is on the board with his first striped bass of the season, a holdover caught in the Taunton River that fell for a small green mack Savage Sand Eel and “Hammerin’ Jack” Barton has been doing well in the same area for the past two weeks with Savages & FishLabs.”  Tom Olson of Ponaug Bait & Tackle said, “Still no action in Apponaug Cove and Greenwich Bay area, no birds feeding and not much bait in the water, things should break open soon as the water warms.”

Tautog.  Angler Richard Reich of Narragansett and his fishing partner caught eleven tautog in 20 feet of water off Narragansett last Thursday.  Their largest fish was 24” and 7.24 pounds caught on jigs with Asian crabs. “Shore anglers fishing the jetties have not been doing as well as those anglers fishing the reefs off Watch Hill.  The bait of choice that seems to be working best are white crabs if you can get them,” said Paker Mandes of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly.   Dustin Stevens of Rhode Island Kayak Adventures, said, “It was windy and cold but I can’t complain about a successful opening day for Tautog! Two keepers, two shorts, not too shabby.”  Justin was fishing in 15-31 feet of water and his average time from drop to bite was about ten minutes.  “I like to use half of a green crab with legs off in the spring as the fish seem to like softer baits.” 

 Freshwater trout fishing is still a good bet with trout stocking recently occurring in RI and MA waterways.  For complete regulations, a list of stocked ponds, and a copy of the RI Freshwater Fishing Regulations and Guide visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov.

NOAA cuts bad for fishing and much more

Capt. Brandon Hagopian (right) of B-Hagz Bait and Adventures charters, said, “Squid and monster fluke will soon be here. Last year at the beginning of May we went summer flounder fishing after dropping off a night squid charter and caught seven double digit fluke.”

NOAA cuts bad for fishing and much more

Staff, budget and research reductions outlined for NOAA in a Trump Administration NOAA ‘Passback memo’ on their budget would be devastating.  Devastating for US agriculture, shipping, fishing, weather safety and the security of our nation as critical military missions could not run effectively without good weather reports.

The Whithouse plan outlined in the ‘Passback memo’ to NOAA on its budget from the Office of Management and Budget will gut NOAA and smother climate research. The memo to NOAA eliminates the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research as a line item and slashes NOAA Fisheries budget, for a copy of the memo visit NOAA Passback | DocumentCloud.

Already important weather satellite maintenance is not being done and fishery stock assessments are being curtailed due to budget reductions.

Our economy in Rhode Island relies on NOAA to drive a billion dollar a year fishing and seafood industry. 

Reductions outline by the administration will directly impact fishing by reducing funds spent on stock assessments which drive sustainable fishery management plans for important commercial and recreational species.  A lack of information on how stocks are doing will increase overfishing and add to fishing plan uncertainty which will likely reduce allowable catch limits across the board, particularly for recreational fishing as extraction rates are estimates.

NOAA’s ability to provide fisheries research and analysis to support conservation and sustainable resources will be reduced, ocean exploration (a lot of it conducted by URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography) and specie research will be gone, storm surge warnings in real time will be gone, enhancements and conservation efforts in Narragansett Bay and its estuaries will be gone as well as important partnerships and funding of collaborative efforts as we know them from such organizations as RI Sea Grant will be gone with this new administration’s plan

As a nation and state we need to let our US senators and representatives know how much we do not want these cuts and/or the gutting of NOAA.  Send your congress person an email or call them and let them know they need to take action, you can find the names of US House members at https://www.house.gov/representatives  , contact information for US Senators at  https://www.senate.gov/states/statesmap.htm.  It is important to have friends and relatives in other states do the same, particularly those with controlling party Republican senators and congress persons.

Environmental DNA Research

Environmental DNA—eDNA—is loose genetic material shed by organisms in the environment. This can include mucus, feces, and tissue particles. It can be collected from seawater, extracted, and compared to sequences in reference libraries to identify species or marine communities that were present where the water sample was collected.

NOAA is using a similar approach to reveal predator and prey relationships by analyzing DNA found in the feces or stomach contents of marine animals. This innovative technology is a game-changer.  For information on how NOAA is using DNA to improve ecosystem and habitat research and stock assessments visit Northeast eDNA Research | NOAA Fisheries.

New way to measure striped bass in Massachusetts

Beginning in 2025, the method of measuring a striped bass for compliance with recreational and commercial size limits in Massachusetts has been modified. Fishers must now pinch the tail together when measuring a striped bass to confirm it is of legal harvestable size. All size limits for striped bass are in total length. Total length is to be measured as the greatest straight-line length (not over the curve of the body) in inches from the anterior most tip of the jaw or snout, with the fish’s mouth closed, to the farthest extremity of the tail, with the tail squeezed together.

 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass fishing for holdover striped bass (fish that did not migrate south) continues to be very good with anglers catching keeper striped bass 28” to < 31”.  East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author said, “The water temperature, in the 40s, is still too cold for the first good arrival of striped bass, but anyone following the northern migration knows that the first school is getting closer. In the meantime, check out your fishing gear to be sure that everything is in good shape. There are very few Canal surfcasters wetting a line this early in the season, but plenty of service road walkers are out and about. Actually, there are more guys holding dog leashes right now than surf rods!”  Capt. Brandon Hagopian of B-Hagz Baits and Adventures charters (bhagzbaits@gmail.com), said, “I am catching new striped at the herring runs on big swimbaits and rubber shads in Narragansett Bay.”  Herring run rivers or waterways include Apponaug Cove, Warwick; Narrow River, Narragansett; and the Barrington and Warren Rivers to name a few.

Tautog fishing is getting better every day and should until the season closes for spawning on May 31.  “The tautog bite is just getting better.  I have been catching fish in the mid to upper Narragansett Bay for about a week.  They are in shallows with a sandy bottom around structure to warm up.  They’re hitting Asian crabs and clam bellies best,” said Capt. Brandon Hagopian of B-Hagz Baits and Adventures charters.  “The smaller the bait the better this time of year.  The end of the incoming tide and beginning of outgoing  tide has been the magic tide.”

Freshwater trout fishing is still a good bet with trout stocking recently occurring in RI and MA waterways.  For complete regulations, a list of stocked ponds, and a copy of the RI Freshwater Fishing Regulations and Guide visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov. 

Opening Day of Trout Season Big Success

Gary Vandemoortele with a 14” rainbow trout caught at Spring Gove Pond, Chepachet on a cold and snowing Opening Day Saturday.

Opening Day big success

Rhode Island and Massachusetts have stocked waterways with a variety of trout for the spring trout season.  Theses initiatives provide excellent fishing opportunities for anglers of all ages and skill levels. 

Opening Day of trout season in Rhode Island was this past Saturday, April 12.  The cold, windy and snowy morning deterred a few anglers but those that braved the cold caught trout.

Gary Vandemoortele of Smithfield, who fished Spring Grove Pond, Chepachet, on opening day, said, “The trout were good size this year.  We arrived a bit later in the morning and the anglers fishing next to us had already caught five nice trout.  Shortly after I caught a nice 14” rainbow trout.”

Kenneth ‘Casey’ Fernstrom, Senior Biologist and manager of the four trout hatcheries the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) have in Rhode Island said, “We are stocking with larger fish this year, most are between 14” and 18”, however, the 20 plus inch fish are more abundant, particularly the golden trout we stocked this year.”

Anglers who catch a golden rainbow trout on Opening Day and through May 6 will be eligible to receive a golden trout pin. Simply take a picture and email it to dem.fishri@dem.ri.gov for verification. Submissions must be received no later than Monday, May 5, 2025.

Last week, The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) officially began its annual spring trout stocking program, bringing hundreds of thousands of healthy, hatchery-raised trout to state waterways.  MassWildlife raises brook, brown, rainbow, and tiger trout. The fish are raised at hatcheries in Sandwich, Palmer, Belchertown, Sunderland, and Montague. Over 260 Massachusetts cities and towns are scheduled to receive trout this spring. Anglers are encouraged to visit MassWildlife’s website at mass.gov/trout to find daily stocking updates and locations. 

“The trout stocking program is a key part of MassWildlife’s mission to enhance recreational fishing and connect people to nature,” said Todd Richards, MassWildlife Assistant Director of Fisheries. 

This year’s fish are bigger and better than ever in Massachusetts too.  While the quantity of stocked trout (measured in total pounds) has remained about the same for the last decade, MassWildlife has been steadily producing larger trout by adjusting hatchery growing techniques. Just ten years ago, less than 60% of stocked trout were over 12 inches—now, more than 80% measure over a foot. 

For complete regulations, a list of stocked ponds, and a copy of the RI Freshwater Fishing Regulations and Guide visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov.

Marine Fisheries regulation recommendations approved

The Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFAC) and approved a suite of final regulatory recommendations from the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).  DMF will commence with the final rule-making process and anticipates updated rules will go into effect later this spring.

Final recommendations approved by MFAC that are of interest to recreational anglers include: 

Stiped bass total length will now be measured with the upper and lower fork of the tail squeezed together.  Believe it or not DMF investigated this issue in 2024 and determined that while pinching the tail can add approximately 0.3” to the fish’s total length, fanning the tail can reduce a fish’s total length by 1.4”.

False albacore and Atlantic Bonito will now likely have catch and size limit regulations.  The MAFAC approved the DMF recommendation to adopt a 16” fork length minimum size for both species and a five fish per person possession limit (both species combined).

A series of regulations designed to constrain the growth of shore-based shark fishing were also approved by the MFAC.  The aim is to restrain shore fishing that targets white sharks, thereby preventing significant public safety concerns.  One of the regulations, applying the mechanized and remote controlled devise rule more broadly to rod and reel fisheries also provides an ancillary benefit of limiting the expansion of the gear into other fisheries, such as striped bass.

For complete information on shore-based shark fishing regulations and other regulations approved at the meeting visit summary at https://www.mass.gov/doc/march-2025-mfac-summary/download?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery .

The Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission is a nine-member public body appointed by the Governor. The purpose of the MFAC is to advise DMF on issues related to fisheries management and approve regulations governing fishing activity.  Visit www.mass.gov/marinefisheries.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass fishing in salt ponds, rivers and waterways continues to be very good with anglers catching holdover striped bass to 34”. The exponential increase in the number and size (to 34”) of holdover striped bass (bass that decided to stay in our waters rather than migrate south) is a matter of concern.  Sure, it is great to catch these bass, however, one wonders where these fish are spawning, how productive their spawn will be in the future, and how far north will this holdover anomaly occur in the future.  It points out the need for research to understand this climate impact. On any given day fish are being caught in the Pawcatuck River, Westerly; Narrow River, Narragansett; coastal ponds in South County; and in estuaries on Cape Cod. Last week Ryan Collins of My Fishing Cape Cod - your source for Cape Cod fishing reports & more, said, “What makes these estuaries particularly valuable to holdover stripers is their temperature fluctuation. On this April night, the water temperature was easily 10-15 degrees warmer than the adjacent ocean – creating a comfortable haven for fish transitioning from winter's dormancy to spring's activity.”

Cod Fishing is still open south of Cape Cod as new regulations have still been delayed due to the new Federal rule making executive order, agencies must reduce regulations by ten to introduce every new one.  This executive order needs to exempt fishing (as it did in the last Trump administration) as fisheries open and close regularly based on quotas.

Freshwater trout fishing is a good bet with trout stocking recently occurring in RI and MA waterways.  See above article.

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.” 

Spring tautog tips from the experts

Amanda Riffkin caught and released this 9.5 pound tautog this weekend on Flippin Out Charters, Portsmouth. 

Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “Jason Christopher of Providence caught tautog to 22” this weekend. Out of 30 tautog, 12 of them were keepers, most released.” 

Spring tautog tips from the experts

If you have not tried spring tautog fishing, now is the time to do it as the spring fishing has been great. 

Chris Torre of Red Top Sporting Goods, Buzzards Bay, MA said, “The tautog bite in Buzzards Bay and in the Cape Cod Canal has been great.” John Lavallee of Continental Bait & Tackle, Cranston, RI said, “The tautog fishing has been the best it has been in years.  Fishing is so good customers have to work hard to catch an undersized fish.”

The tautog minimum size is 16” with a three fish/person/day limit and a 10 fish per boat maximum.  The catch limit in Massachusetts drops from three fish to one fish on May 31 for the months of June and July during the spawning season.  In Rhode Island the season close for June and July during the spawning season.

Here are some spring tautog fishing tips:

1.       Easy to bite and keep it still in spring.  Dave Hess of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charleston said, “I have found tautog jigs effective, particularly when there is little water movement.  Smaller baits seem to work best in spring. I cut the legs and often pull off most of the shell of a green crab cut in half.  And, I believe in keeping the bait still on the bottom.”

2.       Warm and shallower water in spring. Dave Henault, Ocean State Tackle,  Providence, said, “Tautog are in a pre-spawn state so they are looking for warmer water, that means you will tend to find them in shallower water in the spring and not necessarily over structure, they can be found on a sandy bottom next to or near structure too.”

3.       Feel the bite… tap, tap and then get ready for a tug of war.  Tautog is a quick hook set.  Feel a bite and get ready to set the hook.  Angler Rich Hittinger, vice president of the RI Saltwater Anglers, said, “If you get two bites with no hook-up your bait is gone. Reel in and re-bait.”

4.       Boat placement is important and chum.  Find structure with electronics, 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.  Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle in Warwick suggests 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.  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait said, “To attract tautog to where you are fishing many anglers find chumming effective.  Grass shrimp is a popular chum for tautog in the spring, other anglers grind up quahogs and we sell a lot of whole clams for chum.  Clams are easy to cut up when frozen and they are fairly cheap.”

Where’s the bite?

Tautog. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “Jason Christopher of Providence caught tautog to 22” this weekend using jigs.  He and his party caught about 30 tautog, 12 of them were keepers.  And when fishing on Flippin Out Charters, Amada Riffkin of Lincoln caught a 9.5 pound tautog that she released.”  Charter Captains, like BJ Silvia of Flippin Out Charters, are often releasing large female tautog that have great egg producing and spawning potential. 

Dave Hess of Breachway Bait & Tackle said, “The tautog bite is very good from boat and shore.  The fish are in 20 to 25 feet of water with green crabs and worms being the bait of choice.”  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle Warwick said, “The tautog bite is good, customers are catching them at Ohio Ledge, Conimicut Light and Plum Island light in North Kingstown.  Green crabs and worms are working for anglers.” 

John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “The tautog bites has been good at the Day Marker off Rumstick Point, Barrington.  One customer caught sixteen keepers and released them all, the largest was 8.5 pounds off the Bridge in Barrington in the rain last Sunday.”

Striped bass fishing continues to improve along the coastal shore, in estuaries and in the Bay.  Dave Hess of Breachway Bait & Tackle said, “Fishing has been great from the beaches, breachways and jetties with anglers catching school bass with 30” keepers mixed in.  The worm hatch in salt ponds has started with anglers catching bass on flies and lures that mimic cinder worms.” Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle said, “It will not be long before we have the large fish here.  Right now anglers are catching school bass, averaging about 20” in Greenwich Bay at Buttonwoods, Sally Rock and off Oakland Beach.  Soft baits such as Storm Shads are working well and many are having good luck with the Rebel Jumpin Minnow and lures like it.”

John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait said, “One customer caught a 35” and 31” striped bass from the rocks off Narragansett.  The fish were loaded with lice.  Keepers have also been caught in the Bay and up the Barrington River.  Anglers in river are floating worms, clam tongue and whole squid to catch keepers there.” Chris Torre of Red Top said, “Customers are catching school bass with some 28 to 30 inch fish mixed in on the Canal.”

Fluke fishing is still slow as the water is cold. A warm day or two and things will explode as bait is around.

Freshwater fishing.  Chris Torre of Red Top Sporting Goods, Buzzards Bay said, “We are behind on the largemouth bass season by a couple of weeks.  With this warmer weather the bass will start bedding, I fished New York last we and the pre-spawn had started there.  The trout bite from the Cape to Fall River has been great.  We weighed in a seven plus pond rainbow last week.” Dave Hess of Breachway Bait & Tackle said, “The trout bite in stocked ponds continues to be very strong and now that the water is warming the largemouth bass bite has been good too.”  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait and Tackle said, “Customers continue to catch trout at stocked ponds like Barber and Silver Spring Lake in North Kingstown.  The largemouth bite has been good for customers at Gorton’s Pond, Warwick.”  John Lavallee of Continental Bait & Tackle said, “Hats off to DEM.  The trout bite has been so good in ponds stocked by DEM that even causal anglers are catching 2.5 pound trout.  The trout bite at Curran Reservoir and the Pawtuxet River is good in Cranston.”

Trout fishing is great family fun... Mate school placement 75%

2018 Opening Day and year-round fishers, Yolanda Rios and Bill Whalen of Warwick with their sons Jowell and Brendon are a fishing family.

Opening day 2018 at Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown: William Harpin of Warwick; Chris Girard, Joe Enright, Bill Enright (with fish), Autumn Mitchell, and Jonathan Harpin all of Cranston.

Mate School:  Hillary Kenyon of Groton, CT attends mate school run by Capt. Charlie Donilon of Snappa Charters. 

Trout fishing is great family fun

Opening day for trout season in Rhode Island is Saturday, April 13 at sunrise (around 6:09 a.m.).  However, the ritual of ‘Opening Day’ will start well before this time and continue throughout the weekend.  Often it starts before sunrise with fresh coffee on the banks of a pond or lake, a camping trip the night before, an early morning breakfast at home or at a local diner.

If you should have the desire to participate in the ritual, it does not take a lot of effort or money to get started. April is an ideal time for families to try their hand at fishing as Rhode Island and Massachusetts waterways are stocked well with trout and it is fairly easy for beginners to catch fish.  And, fishing can take place from the safety of shore while all enjoy the outdoors.

How to get started

It does not have to cost a lot to gear-up to fish opening day.  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “If you have a rod and reel already all you need is $4 worth of bait and you are off fishing.”  Ferrara sells treble hook rigs and sinkers for about $1.50.  If a rod and reel in needed you can get a brand name rod (Daiwa), reel and line for about $29.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “We have fresh water spinning rigs that start at $15 for rod, reel and line.  We hope to get some push button conventional reels later this week.”  John Lavelle of Continental Bait & Tackle, Cranston, said, “Opening day rigs with rod, reel and line range from $16 to $39.”

States stock ponds with hatchery raised trout that have been eating manufactured food so the bait of choice on Opening Day and early April is a prepared or formulated bait like PowerBait by Berkeley.  As the trout acclimate to the wild (two to three weeks) they begin to start foraging naturally so meal worms, other natural baits and lures work best then.  PowerBait can be purchased at bait & tackle shops as well as sporting goods stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shops and Wal-Mart. 

Ponds being stocked

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) Division of Fish & Wildlife stocks about 100 ponds, lakes and waterways with hatchery raised brown, rainbow and brook trout with an average individual weight of one and a half pounds. Visit http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/fish-wildlife/freshwater-fisheries/troutwaters.php for a complete list of trout stocked ponds in RI.  There are ponds for children fourteen years old and younger, for fly fishing only, and some ponds are for children only just the first two days of trout season.

For information on fishing laws and regulations in Massachusetts refer to the 2019 Massachusetts Guide online at www.mass.gov/masswildlife or pick up a copy at sporting license vendor locations across the State (a similar guide is available in Rhode Island).

The trout season runs year-round in some Massachusetts waterways, however, most ponds, lakes,  smaller rivers and brooks have seasons that generally start April 1. In March and April Massachusetts will stock close to 500,000 brook, brown, rainbow and tiger trout.  Visit www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-fisheries-and-wildlife for a list of stocked ponds and regulations.

Where to get a fresh water license

 A 2019 fishing license is required for anglers 15 years of age and older wishing to catch fish in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

A Trout Conservation Stamp is also required in Rhode Island for anyone wishing to keep or possess a trout or to fish in a catch-and-release or 'fly-fishing only' area.  Fishing licenses for residents in RI are $18 and the Trout Conservation Stamp is $5.50.  They can be obtained at any city or town clerk's office, authorized agent such as bait and tackle shops, can be purchased online or obtained at DEM’s Boat Registration and Licensing Office located at 235 Promenade Street in Providence.

Licenses are $33 for a combination hunting and fishing license, $35 for non-residents, and $16 for a tourist three-consecutive-day license. 

In Massachusetts a freshwater residential fishing license is $27.50 and a non-resident license is $37.50.  You can purchase an in state or out of state three day license.  For complete Massachusetts license information and to apply for one online visit https://www.mass.gov/how-to/buy-your-freshwater-fishing-license .

Mate school placement is 75%

Capt. Charlie Donilon of Snappa Charters, Pt. Judith, RI is an industry icon.  He was the first in the region to use a shark diving cage in the early 70’s, he has come in contact with hundreds of sharks (and released them all), and he had the first all female crew in a male dominated industry. 

And, this month he’ll be holding his third Mate School that will train students on how to serve as a mate on a charter or party boat.  The school makes no promises but the last class had a 75% placement rate. 

The school will be held Saturday, April 20 and 27 with six hour classroom/workshop sessions.  The program culminates with an on the water practicum aboard the charter fishing vessel Snappa the week of May 11.

Capt. Donilon said, “Students receive the basics at mate school with additional training occurring when they get their first job. The school is for female and males of all ages, anyone that wants to learn how to mate on a vessel or wants to sharpen their seamanship skills.”

Mate School teaches students how to prepare the vessel to fish, gear preparation and care, how to customer instruct on how to fish and how to treat customers.  Mate School’s aim is to introduce students to what it is like to be a mate and what is expected of them.

The cost of the school is $225. For information and to register for Mate School contact Capt. Donilon at 401.487.9044 or snappacharters@cox.net . 

Where’s the bite

Freshwater.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “We have a customer that caught eleven fish last week both largemouth bass and pike at Bad Luck Pond in Rehoboth, MA.”   John Lavelle of Continental Bait & Tackle, Cranston said, “Some larger fish have been caught in March.  As soon as the ice melts the largemouth bass are hungry and when the water warms they start to feed.  Our customers are doing well with shiners. Once opening day arrives local customers will be fishing at the kids only Seidel’s Pond and Meshanticut Brook but I like to point customers to southern Rhode Island lakes and ponds where things are not as crowded.  I can’t tell you all the maps I have drawn for customers.”

Cod fishing was off last week but as conditions improve the hope is that the fishing will improve too.  John Littlefield of Archie’s said, “One of my good customers put his boat in early last week and went to Cox Ledge.  They caught more haddock than cod but had a good day.”

Tautog season opened April 1 in RI and MA.  The minimum size is 16”. The limit until May 31 in both states is three fish/person/day. Check regulations as they change after May 31.

Assessments, quotas and 2016 fishing regulations

Monster tautog: Mike Kwok of Palisades Park, NJ with the 14.8 pound tautog he caught last week when fishing the Frances Fleet.

Workshop and hearing: Commercial fishermen learn about regulation options for summer flounder, bluefish, scup and black sea bass Monday night at a DEM workshop and public hearing

Assessments, quotas and 2016 fishing regulations

How fish stock assessments and quotas are used to regulate recreational and commercial fishing is often mind boggling.  The science and data that is used in assessments to determine desired stock biomass (the fish in the water) is complex, current and historical fishing activity is robust, and quotas that aim to achieve rebuilt and sustainable fish stocks are all taken into consideration to make regulations.

Combine this with the variety of fishermen user groups vying for the same limited resource and you have a very complex equation.

 

Recently two meetings occurred that can give us some insight into what commercial and recreational regulations might be for 2016. 

The first is the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) annual meeting held in early November.  The ASMFC regulates migratory species along the east coast including many of the species targeted by recreational and commercial fishermen in Rhode Island.

The second meeting was held Monday, November 16 at the URI Bay Campus.  It was a Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Marine Fisheries Division’s workshop and public hearing on proposed regulation options for the commercial fishing of summer flounder (fluke), bluefish, scup and black sea bass. Similar meetings will be held to gather input from recreational fishermen in a couple of months.

Here are meeting highlights and what impact they could have on 2016 fishing.

A recent tautog assessment has shown that we may be overfishing the species; however, the assessment will not be reviewed until the August 2016 ASMFC tautog board meeting so more conservative regulations will not be put in place by the ASMFC for 2016.  The tautog board tasked its Plan Development Team with the development of a draft Amendment focusing on two regional management options along with a status quo option that would treat Virginia to Massachusetts as one coastal coast wide region. The other two options being considered group Massachusetts and Rhode Island together. 

A black sea bass stock assessment is underway; however it will not be completed until the end of 2016 for potential use in 2017 the earliest. However, in 2015 the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee developed a way to set quota for data poor stocks, our quota for 2016 has increased slightly. The 2016 commercial quotas were increased by 20% (by 59,317 pounds).  This is good news as the commercial fishery experienced multiple closures in 2015. DEM proposed a status quo option based on a daily possession limit and a second weekly aggregate model with a variety of sub-periods.  A third option proposed by Town Dock of Narragansett aimed to avoid season closures by putting a 25 pound/vessel/day limit into play, and if closure had to occur the fishery would close just one day a week, Friday, so that fish could be caught Saturday and be available on Sunday the busiest market day. 

The Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) has been set at 2.88 million pounds for 2016 in RI.  This is good news for recreational fisherman as this year the RHL was set at 2.33 million pounds so we should see some liberalization of BSB regulations.

A scup benchmark study was done in 2015.  The scup stock is not overfished and overfishing in not occurring relative to biological reference points. However, a 4% reduction in commercial quota is recommended.  The Marine Fisheries Division recommends a status quota regulation for commercial fishing in 2016 with three sub-periods and a 9” commercial minimum size just as we had last year.   No new proposals were brought fourth at the workshop. Recreational fishing regulations for scup will likely be status quo or a bit more conservation as well.

A bluefish stock estimate was done in 2015.  Bluefish are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring relative to the biological reference points, however, the estimated biomass is below the biomass target.  A 10% reduction in commercial quota has been established for 2016 which is a decrease of 35,682 pounds.  Commercial recommendations made at DEM’s meeting include a status quo option which features two sub-periods splitting the year in half with 50% allocated in each six month period as well as a second option with an aggregate possession limit of 3,500 pounds/vessel/week.  A third option was presented at the public workshop and hearing that included an 18” minimum size and split the year into three periods with 500 pounds/vessel/week in the shoulder periods, 1/1 to 4/30 and 11/16 to 12/31, and a 4,000 pounds/vessel/week primary season running from 5/1 to 11/15.

Summer flounder (fluke) is not overfished, however, overfishing is occurring.  No 2015 commercial fishery closures.  The commercial quota for 2015 was 1,719,629 and in 2016 it is 1,274,091 a decrease of 445,538 pounds which is a 30% decrease.   At the meeting a new option was proposed by Town Dock of Narragansett which aims to leave the season open (like the black sea bass recommendation). Other options included a status quo option and one that reduced season starting possession limits to meet the 30% decrease. 

More conservative regulations are likely for recreational fishermen, as in the past reduced bag limits, shorter seasons and perhaps a higher minimum size will be explored. 

Striped bass regulations for are likely to be the similar in 2016 as the ASMFC striped bass board asked their Technical Committee to conduct a stock assessment update in 2016 utilizing catch and index data through 2015.  In a meeting report the board said, “It is anticipated that no additional management will occur until completion of the 2016 assessment update, which is anticipated for next fall. “

Regulation options with public input are also vetted by the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) that makes fishing regulation recommendations to DEM director Janet Coit. The director then makes final regulation decisions. 

Stock status, meeting presentations, options proposed and full annotated regulations on above commercial regulations can be found at www.dem.ri.gov; the public comment period on the above commercial options is open and will end at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 26.

Where’s the bite

Tautog fishing continues to be robust with many anglers able to reach their limit all along the coastal shore.  Rock piles and structured bottom off Narragansett, Scarborough Beach,  Pt. Judith and all along the southern coastal shore have been good with rock piles from Newport to the Sakonnet River bearing fruit too.  Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly said, “The tautog season has been great with customers catching fish in the 10 to 15 pound range fairly regularly. We haven’t started to fish the deeper water and our outer reefs yet.” Mike Kwok of Palisades Park, NJ landed a 14.8 pound tautog while fishing the Frances Fleet.  Capt. Frank Blount said, “Fishing remained strong with many angler limits recorded and many others who came close.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “Anglers were doing well from shore at the Wharf Tavern, the Warren Bridge and Colt State Park, however this weekend the bite was off.”  Capt. Charlie Donilon of Snappa Charters fished this weekend with good results, “Due to the strong winds we experienced Saturday, we fished one mile east of Narragansett town beach.  Results couldn’t have been better.  Both groups just missed filling the quota of six fish/per angler by only a few fish.  Largest fish were between six and seven pounds. Earlier in the week we fished three miles south of Newport with very good results.  The largest fish caught in the deeper water was around ten pounds.”  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle Warwick said, “Tautog fishing is still very strong.” Early last week Capt. Rene Letourneau of On the Rocks Charters said, “Still plenty of tautog in the Bay. Fishing this week with great weather, the tog bite has been consistent along Jamestown. We had a solid bite in Newport also.”

Cod fishing has been good.  Capt. Frank Blount said, “A few bigger cod found their way aboard the Gail Frances on Sunday with a half dozen fish in the teens with two of them close to 20 pounds A decent amount of customers had two to four cod apiece to take home. Still all in all signs are encouraging and cod fish are being found on just about every rock pile sampled.”  Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle said, “I had four customers catch cod from 22” to 31”, some in the Bay while tautog fishing at General Rock, North Kingstown and two off Newport.”

Striped bass. “Customers fishing from shore at Fire District Beach have caught fish to 37” mixed in with school bass” said Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters.

“Squid fishing is still very good off Newport and off Jamestown with Ft. Wetherill experience a particularly good bite.” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence.

“Fresh water fishing has been good with a strong largemouth bass bite particularly at Lincoln Woods and Stump Pond.” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle