Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Playing the Storminess



For the last three days the oceanfront has been battered by a northeaster sending big waves and lots of white water ashore. While many fishermen will not fish in the rough water, it does open up some opportunities for good fishing if you fish in the right locations.


In the past I would have killed the stripers in such weather. Not this year as the number of stripers has fallen off a cliff. However, there are still some to be had along with some decent sized bluefish. The key to fishing in rough water is to find clean water. Usually rocky areas will remain clean when the water is rough. Such spots as the entire east facing shore of Narragansett fish well in a northeast wind. The drawback is that these areas can be dangerous and fishermen should proceed with extreme caution. It is not for novices, especially after dark. The south shore beaches do not fare as well since lots of sand and silt come ashore in the roughness. Other areas that fish well in the northeast wind are the breachways on the outgoing tides. Clean water is flushing out of the ponds and many times large stripers will come into these spots to feed especially at night.


My kids and I have been out and about this week. We are catching some schoolies, some big blues and some keeper bass after dark in the roughness. There are not a lot of fish, but hey, that's they way it has been all season. Nevertheless, it is still worth the effort. Check out the photos of some fish taken in the last two days.