Adapting

 

The egg float and a three inch NLBN
paddle tail was the hot ticket tonight.
This is a great combo when fussy 
stripers are on small peanut bunker.

I hit good numbers of fish again tonight in the northeast blow and rough water.  But, tonight's action came with a different twist. I started off casting the egg float and the bucktail jig.  It brought little success.  So, I reached into my bag of tricks and pulled out an egg float with a three inch NLBN paddle tail.  I had great success on this last year when fussy stripers were on peanut bunker.  That little paddle tail is a dead ringer for small peanuts. Well, first cast brought a hit and a striper.  And, that was my ticket for the rest of the evening.  I landed good numbers of hefty schoolies along with one slot fish.  They were all caught in the white water just like last evening.

Fishing for stripers can be hot right now IF you can find the bait and IF you can find fishable water. With the ocean calming down in the next couple of days it should open up more safe places to fish along the oceanfront.

Killing It in the Nor'easter

 

The wooden egg float with a bucktail jig was the
hot combo this evening in the rough water.

I had a big day today in the howling wind, rain and high surf.  While the monster waves were breaking as far out as I could see, the stripers were, at times, right near my feet.  They were going nuts in the white water in close, blasting away at big schools of peanut bunker that were being driven right onto the shallows.  I even saw some peanuts wash up onto the sand where I was fishing. The birds were also going nuts picking the bait up from above while the stripers blasted them from below.  It was truly and all out blitz in the midst of this nor'easter.

Upon arriving at my location, I snapped on my wooden egg float along with my half ounce bucktail, a great combo top use when the stripers are on peanuts.  First cast into the melee I had a hefty schoolie.  And that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening.  It was a fish or a hit on just about every cast for over an hour before the bait and fish moved on.  All the fish today were hefty schoolies in the 22 to 26 inch range.

I would advise to proceed with caution if you get out and fish in the coming days.  It is VERY rough and dangerous with a big surge of water coming in. I was standing on dry shore today casting.  Most rocky drop offs are way to dangerous to fish right now.

Lights Out Fishing for Slots/ Over Slots

 I had two of the best back to back days that I've had in a long time. It was a bonanza of big stripers with nearly all the dozens of fish that I landed being slots and even overslots.  There's been a shortage of these larger fish all fall, but not in the last two days.  I saw blitz after blitz of stripers smashing through massive schools of small bay anchovies that were one to two inches long.  At times the water was brown with them in massive schools the size of a school gym.

Given the size of the bait, the stripers were incredible fussy and most of the fishermen throwing big plugs caught nothing, even when tossing into a mass of breaking fish. It was a finesse game.  Two things were working for me.  The first day, the float and fly ruled.  I was using a pink Deceiver. On the second day, they did not go for my float and fly trick so I snapped on a white Albie Snax.  That did it and got me lots of hits and fish. I used a slow retrieve with twitches of the rod tip along with a stop every so often.  As I've stated many times, a lot of hits come on the stop.

An interesting weekend is lining up before we get battered with another big storm. Tomorrow's weather seems to be ok but then all goes downhill for Sunday with rain, wind and BIG seas coming our way. Monday is forecasted to be very stormy with high NE winds along with massive waves hitting the shore.  If you are going to get your fishing in the Columbus Day weekend, tomorrow looks like the better of the two days.

Stripers on Small Bait Driving Fishermen Nuts

 We are in this pattern of a lot of small bait along the oceanfront.  I'm talking one to two inch bay anchovies.  Albies, stripers and blues are feeding on them.  When they are on the small stuff, they can get mighty picky, and that's what's going on right now.  

The larger bait, peanut bunker, is generally holed up in the backwaters and in the Bay.  It just doesn't seem to want to come out.  When it does, the fish will get far more aggressive.  The other larger bait that we often see at this time of year is mullet. I've seen very little of this bait so far this year. The stripers get super aggressive when on this bait and will hit a variety of mid size plugs.

When bay anchovies are around, I've had my best luck catching stripers on a wooden egg float and a fly, something I have written a lot about.  The fly I have been using is a pink Deceiver. That fly is running about three feet off the float with a Varivas fluoro 35 lb. test leader. Judging by what I see being caught around me, my float and fly is your best bet right now to catch stripers and even albies (when you see them feeding on top) when these fish are keyed on small bait.

Take a look at this video clip of stripers foraging under schools of bay anchovies.  It is typical of what's been going on in the past couple of weeks:

Big Waves Pound the Coast

 Here we go again with another round of hurricane waves just pounding the south shore coastline. I did fish yesterday in it, and I must say it was quite dangerous and unfishable in some places. I finally found a place that was fishable and safe and ended up doing quite well fishing a float and jig in the white water. I landed a good number of slot fish. So, the fish are still around, but use extreme caution if you get out in the coming days.

Rare "Hat Trick" Today

 

This albie was landed on a float and
pink Deceiver fly.

I had a rare hat trick today in some hot fishing from shore. The "hat trick" in saltwater fishing happens if you can catch an albie, a striper and a blue all in one day.  It happened today as I had multiple fish that contributed to the hat trick. I've only been able to do this once before a long time ago from shore. By the way, some fishermen call this a "slam"; others refer to it as a trifecta.  Whatever you want to call it, it's a rare event, especially for shore fishermen.

Today was on of those dreary, rainy and rough days that most fish love to feed in. And, they were feeding! There were stripers in and out all day, but they were fussy. My best producer for the finicky stripers was my float and fly although I did land one on a white Albie Snax. I landed several with a couple of them being slots.  The albies were also in and out, and I saw a good number of them breaking.  I got two to hit a silver Clarkspoon, a hot lure for me this year, and the other albie I landed was caught on a float and fly.  That fished grabbed the fly no more than 20 feet in front of me! The bluefish was landed on a Colt Sniper metal lure.  All the fish today were feeding on small bay anchovies which made catching them difficult.

Overall, this has been a good week for fishing along the oceanfront for multiple species.  Let's hope it continues!

This striper took an Albie Snax.

This bluefish that I landed today completes the hat trick!

Float and Fly Gets it Done

 

A wooden egg float with a pink
Deceiver fly was the hot set up
yesterday for stripers and albies.

I hit a pile of fussy stripers yesterday in front of me that were feeding on small bay anchovies.  Most fishermen who were tossing large plugs could not even get a sniff. So, I snapped on one of my old "finesse fishing" favorites in this situation, the float and fly.  The set up here was a wooden egg float with three feet of 30 lb. test Varivas fluoro trailing off with a homemade pink Deceiver tied at the end of the fluoro.  That pink Deceiver had the profile and movement of the bay anchovies and the pink hackles used on the tail acted as an attractor. In the past this fly was my most effective in this situation.

First cast in tight, had a hit.  Second cast in tight, hooked and landed a slot striper.  On the fifth cast, I decided to toss it way out.  Couple of cranks of the reel and BANG-  hooked, fought and landed a good sized albie when nothing was showing. 

The beauty of this set up is that it is very effective for stripers AND albies. While metal and epoxy jigs will lure the albies to hit, I never found them to be very effective for stripers.

My pink Deceiver fly is in the mouth of a slot striper

.

A few casts later I landed this albie on the float and fly.

Biggest Striper of the Fall comes from the KAYAK!

 I got the biggest fish in a while from the kayak today. The overslot "biggie" hit an unweighted Finesse Fish twitched on top in shallow water. I was using light tackle.  

I found a pile of stripers today.  While most of them were small, I did manage to catch several slots/ overslots. With all the fishing focus on albies these days, this is a reminder that there is still good striper fishing to be had, even though few are fishing for them.

Back in the Kayak

 

It was a productive day yesterday
in the kayak in Gansett Bay.

I decided to forgo the madness along the oceanfront yesterday and heading to a quiet spot in the Bay in my kayak. In the last month the Bay has offered steady fishing for stripers because of the vast amounts of bait (mostly peanut bunker) that has settled in there.

Yesterday was a typical outing.  After peddling around a lot, I eventually found good numbers of stripers busting on small bait. They jumped all over my weightless Finesse Fish as they often do.  These were all aggressive and hefty schoolies that had been well fed. I ended up catching good numbers.

The many nooks and crannies of the Bay offers a good alternative to the oceanfront and tends to hold lots of stripers if you can find them. In the right weather, a kayak is a perfect craft to take a stealthy approach which works the best in places like this.

ALBIES, BONITO and STRIPERS in Abundance

Bonito have also been in
the mix.

 

Albies hit the RI oceanfront
in big numbers this week. Here's
a large one I landed from shore.

It all broke open this week.  I just knew with the massive amounts of bait along the oceanfront that the fishing would explode.  And, it did.

The stripers and the bonito were already around with a few Spanish mackerel in the mix, and a few days ago big numbers of albies also hit the oceanfront.  Everything is feasting on the big schools of bay anchovies. While boaters have a big advantage on chasing down schools of albies, the shore guys are also scoring along deep water dropoffs at times. Mornings have been the most productive. There are tons of fishermen out their searching for the hardtails. I landed a couple this week on 1 1/2 oz. Clarkspoons, a hot metal lure.  Others are scoring well on white, amber or pink Albie Snax when the wind is at their back or when the fish are right in close. Boaters in particular are doing well with the Snax.

Lost in all this pelagic action is the fact that striper fishing has been super good in the last week with big numbers of bass around in the daylight in certain spots, especially in rough water.  In the last 4 days, I've landed close to 60 stripers from shore mostly using a float and jig and mostly fishing in white, rough water. I've seen very few fisherman even trying for stripers since most striper fishermen are directing their attention to the hot pelagic fishing.

There have also been good numbers of stripers around,
particularly in the evening. Most of them have 
been hefty schoolies but there are also slots
and overslots in the mix.

Massive Amounts of Bait Hits the Shore; Best Back to Back Outings this Year!

 A massive amount of bait hit the oceanfront in the last two days. The bait was bay anchovies of 2 to 3 inches, and big time numbers of stripers were on them.  It was fall blitz-like action that I haven't seen in a long time. Thousands of birds were diving from above as stripers were blasting from below.  It was two days of wild fishing for me which delivered big numbers of stripers from schoolies and slots up to an overslot of 40 inches. Most of the fish, however, were schoolies.

There were loads of fish, but I have to say they were fussy and lots of guys who were tossing large plugs were getting nothing.  When on small bait, stripers can be super fussy, and often you have to take a finesse approach to catch them.  Two artificials were very effective for me.  One the first day, I used an unweighted white Albie Snax which did the trick. On day 2, I had a stiff wind in my face so I went with a float and jig with a curly tail attached to the jig.

Hopefully, this is the start of consistent fall striper fishing.

Take a look at the bird/bait action below:

Post Labor Day Uptick

I found very good numbers of schoolies along 
the oceanfront today in some rough water.

 I know it is only one day after Labor Day, but already the fishing along the oceanfront has taken a big uptick for the better.  Today seemed to have good fishing no matter where you went with very few crowds. I love this time of year.

We had a big east wind today at the oceanfront and that kicked up the waves in certain locations.  Since the spring, every time I fished a rough surf, I've had good fishing.  Today was no exception.  I fished multiple spots and came away with real good numbers of stripers fishing in the white water pockets.  They were all schoolies in the 20 to 24 inch range.  All were caught on a float and jig.

In addition to the fish I caught, I saw birds working here, and there but no fish breaking. Still, a good sign. I'm guessing they were after micro bait that seems to be on the increase.  I also heard about some bonito, Spanish Mackerel and even some albies that were caught in various places along the oceanfront today.  Seems everything was active and on the prowl today.

This seems to be the start to fall fishing along the oceanfront.  With Labor day in the rearview mirror, it's time for the fishing to move into fall mode.

Labor Day Weekend Outlook- Looking Good!

Striper fishing has been super for me from the
kayak. There are lots of hefty schoolies along 
with some good size slots and overs.

 If you are a saltwater fisherman you realize that Labor Day is usually the turning point when fishing goes from bad to better. Well, it's happened earlier this year.  I'm guessing the cooler weather has had a big effect in jumpstarting the improved fishing.mThe last week has been the BEST week of fishing for me all year. My striper numbers and sizes have improved dramatically, blues are in abundance in some locations, and the albies I posted about (last post) give me hope that they might be here soon.

I have been out in my kayak as well as fishing from shore in the last 7 days. For me, the key to success has been fishing in the Bay. Some places in the Bay are loaded with bait right now (mainly peanut bunker),  and that has brought in a lot of predators.  On the other hand, the oceanfront has improved but is still off compared to other years. A lack of bait and the recent extreme waves have caused the marginal fishing for stripers and blues along the beachfront, although sharpies fishing at night are finding some success. All of this might improve in the coming days and weeks. Contrary to recent reports you might be reading, there are NOT a lot of bonito around.  I know guys who fish for them every day in all parts of the oceanfront from shore and boat, and they have been catching very little. It's all part of the albie and bonito hype that comes along at this time of year.

From the yak, the plastic Finesse Fish
fished weightless has been a hot lure.

From the kayak, it's been mostly stripers for me.  I'm using my usual Finesse Fish (5.75 inches) in a white color.  I fish this weightless on a BKK Titan Rider hook (size 5/0).  It's a finesse game that requires finesse tactics.  I am using 30 lb. test Varivas Braid (super fine and casts beautifully) along with a Varivas fluoro leader. Just twitch the plastic on top or just below the surface and reel slowly.  You want the Finesse Fish to dart back and forth like a reel fish.  The other morning I fished a shallow water shoreline with no fish showing and came away with 12 stripers.  Many of those were slots and maybe some over slots.

Blues are on the rampage in a number of shore locations in the Bay almost daily, but they are fussy.  I've been doing best using DOA paddle tails and Cocahoes on  half ounce jigheads. I'm going through lots of paddle tails.  I hate using plastics for bluefish, but they are rarely taking the hard plugs.  Most of these bluefish are 3 to 5 lbs. I've seen several mini blitzes of them in the past week.

So, fishing is really looking up as we go into this Labor Day weekend. Hope you get out and catch some of the action.  Fall fishing has started. early this year.

The Birthday ALBIE and Other Surprises!

 

Matt with a big albie on his 39th birthday!

Today was my son Matt's 39th birthday. He took a vacation day from work, and wanted to know if I wanted to join him and my 4 year old grandson Troy on a fishing expedition to Vineyard Sound in his boat. I was all in! We went there in the hopes of landing a "birthday bonito" as we heard there were some hitting there. I had also bought Troy his own saltwater fishing rod, and he was hoping to catch his first saltwater fish on it.

Just a short ride from the boat ramp we found birds working and fish breaking.  At first Matt thought they were bonito, but I knew the breaks were too big to be bones.  They were albies, and there were good numbers of them.  But, as is the case most often in Vineyard Sound, they were super fussy as they were feeding on small bay anchovies. We threw everything we had in our bag of tricks and had no takers.  Finally, Matt tied on a small pink epoxy jig and threw it into a bunch of fish on the surface. Bang, one hit it, and it was off the the races. This was a big battle, and we knew it was a decent size one.  When we got it to the boat, WOW, it was a big one in the 8 to 10 lb. range. But, that would do it for the albies as the wind picked up and the fish were gone.

Troy and Grandpa with a black sea
bass that Troy caught all by himself on
his new fishing outfit!

But, the bottom fish were there in abundance. I helped Troy with his new outfit.  We were vertical jigging our albie lures and catching black sea bass and scup.  There was a lot of them, and Troy ended up catching and landing one all by himself on his new rod that Grandpa gave him. I think the black sea bass was as much a thrill for him as Matt's albie was for him! As a bonus we also got a couple of scup.

So, super successful day and always great to get out and spend time with my kids and grandkids, especially "fishing time".

The scup were also hitting our
epoxy jigs.

Most Blues I've Seen in a Long Time

 

Small bluefish in the 3 to 5 lb. range were on
the rampage this evening in the Bay.

I hit a big pile of bluefish in the Bay this evening. In was fall action with schools of blues tearing through schools of peanut bunker. This has been going on for a while, but the intensity was cranked up tonight.

I ended up landing 10 of them.  They were 3 to 5 lbs. Hard to believe but they were fussy.  They would not take a hard plug.  The hot lure tonight was a small D.O.A white paddle tail on a half ounce jighead.  Yes, I went through a lot of paddle tails.  My friend and charter boat captain, Jerry Sparks, gave me some of these D.O.A's to try out. No question, they are effective. Dare I say just as effective as the NLBN paddle tails and a whole lot cheaper.  They also come in bags of 12. Those D.O.A paddle tails are a soft plastic, a pure white color and they have great movement in the water. I'm looking forward to trying them on stripers and chub mackerel in the fall along the oceanfront.

The hot lure tonight for me were these D.O.A 
paddle tails mounted on a half ounce jighead.

So, like it or not, it's shaping up to be a big time bluefish fall run. We'll see if the action shifts to the oceanfront in September or whenever the bait decides to move out.

"Ace in the Hole" Delivers

 I

I've landed good numbers of bluefish this week
in the Bay where the water has been fishable.

n the last few days it has been way too rough and dangerous for me to fish the oceanfront.  But, I haven't missed a day as I turned to my ace in the hole when the oceanfront is unfishable. The waters from the mid Bay to the upper Bay have been calm, clean and fishable in  all this roughness. I've been fishing up a storm in this area where it has been LOADED with huge schools of peanut bunker.  That has attracted good numbers of small bluefish and occasional stripers.  At times this week, I have seen numbers of bluefish just blasting through the peanut bunker as if they were on an October binge. I've been getting my fish on bucktail jigs, paddle tails and Rebel Jumpin Minnows. 

Between the bait and the cooling water temperatures, it has caused the fish to become much more active. A hint of fall is in the air and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Wind, Rough Water Light it Up AGAIN

 

They were around yesterday in the rough water.

It's been a familiar theme for me since the early summer. Rough and stormy weather have delivered the good fishing. Calm waters and it has been poor. 

I got out yesterday along the oceanfront. It was super windy and rough.  There was a lot of white water in any location where the wind was coming at you.  I saw no bait and birds, and there were no fish breaking.  Yet the stripers were in many of the white water pockets that I fished.  And, I caught good numbers of them in multiple spots.

My hot lure of choice was an egg float and a half ounce bucktail jig spiced with a curly tail.  This is a killer in this type of water yet few use it.  I saw a few other people fishing using big poppers and big Kastmasters.  They caught nothing.

The hot ticket in the rough water was
an egg float with a half ounce
bucktail jig trailing off.

All of yesterday's fish were schoolies in the 20 to 25 inch range.  I haven't seen many fish in this size range this year and was surprised there was not a slot in the mix.

With real rough water coming, I'm guessing there will be good windows of opportunity to catch in the coming days.  Proceed with caution though since there is a fine line between good fishing water and too dangerous to fish conditions.

They're Back! Blues Arrive in Increasing Numbers

 

There are decent numbers of bluefish
around in Narragansett Bay.  They are
chasing down huge schools of 
peanut bunker.

In the last week I caught more bluefish from shore than I've caught the whole rest of the year.  They've arrived in Narragansett Bay chasing down huge schools of peanut bunker.  These are generally small, averaging 3 to 5 lbs., but I have seen some big breaks from larger blues.

With so much bait around, they can be difficult to catch.  You'll see a big school of bait raining on the surface and you might see a blue or two spray them up.  I have not seen big numbers of blitzing fish yet, but it's coming.

These blues can also be fussy.  They love my expensive NLBN paddle tails, dead ringers for peanut bunker. Instead of going through one paddle tail after another, I have been opting to go with small, half ounce bucktail jigs with a plastic grub tail.  It's not as effective as the paddle tails but still works, and it's durable.  They have turned their noses up on poppers so far, but I'm guessing that will change too.

All my focus has been on fishing the Bay in the last week or so where the action has been good for blues and an occasional schoolie.  The oceanfront is still a dead zone except for that occasional big striper caught late at night on eels.

Back in Business

 

Back in business with a couple of hefty schoolies
from the Yak this evening.

I've been catching in the last few days.  I found the Mother Lode of peanut bunker and there have been bluefish and stripers on them. It's not crazy, but it looks like the start of some better fishing. It's about time! 

Yesterday I fished from shore and landed three bluefish.  These were small ones of 4 to 5 lbs, but very feisty.  Today I went out in the kayak and landed a couple of decent sized schoolies. Both outings saw huge schools of peanut bunker hugging the shoreline with occasional predators spraying them up.  

I'm guessing my first fall blitz is coming soon if we can get some cooler weather

Glad Someone is Catching!

 

Hailey Pickering, age 6, hoists a good
size sunfish.

I took the grandkids fishing in freshwater yesterday. We fished a very productive and easy to access pond called Jabob's Pond in Norwell, MA, which was right near their house.  They had a blast catching bluegills and sunfish using mealworms which I bought at Petco since I could not dig any earthworms in this dryness. After catching dozens of fish, I had to practically pry them away from the spot when it was time to head home.

If you have younger kids or grandkids who want to get into fishing, the easiest route is to target bluegills and sunfish in an easy to fish location.  It will keep their attention and the action can be non-stop! 

Troy Pickering, age 4, just landed a
good size bluegill!

By the way, my grandkids use light, regular spinning outfits. Far more trouble free than a push button reel. And, both kids who are 4 and 6 years old, can cast on their own.

As the Magazine Article says, " Summer Storms Light up the Surf"

 

My latest magazine article is titled, 
"Summer Storms Light up the Surf".
I was living this story in the last
two days!

My latest article in The Fisherman magazine just came out in the August edition.  It's titled "Summer Storms Light up the Surf".  I've been living this article in the past two days. In the article I write about how summer storminess dramatically improves the surf fishing for stripers. There can be nothing around for days, even weeks, and a cool summer northeaster comes along and bingo, the fishing improves.

That's just what happened in the last few days for me.  I was out both yesterday and today fishing some rough water in the northeast winds.  In spots where I hadn't caught anything in weeks, the fish appeared in the turbulent white water. I landed good numbers of schoolies up to near slot size using a combination or artificials. Bucktail jigs (alone and off the egg float) and albie snax were the hot lures. Nearly all the fish were taken in pockets of white water close to shore. Note that nothing was showing, no bait, no fish breaking, but they were there.  So, there are some fish around if you make an effort to find them.  Few fishermen were out trying as I could count the other fishermen I encountered in two days on one hand.

By the way, I really put that Varivas braided line I've been writing about to the test. I pulled some of my fish out of rugged, rocky, weed strewn areas with no problem. It also casted super well into the wind. I was also using the Varivas Fluorocarbon for my leaders and line trailing off my float.  It proved to be very tough stuff in the rocks.

I landed all schoolies fishing the white water pockets.

My blue Varivas braided line performed
super in the rocks and weed.  I was also using
Varivas fluoro for my leaders.

Numbers in Steep Decline

I've seen a major decline in the numbers of 
stripers in the last five years. This year is 
particularly bad.

The facts don't lie.  I looked back at my logs over the last five years to see what my numbers were each year up to this point from 2021 to 2025.  I was shocked, but not surprised, at what I found.

We are currently about halfway through the striper season for 2025.  It has been fair to poor for me, and it has gotten poorer as the summer has worn on. I have to go back to the moratorium days to find years with similar poor fishing.  I know other fishermen, particularly boaters, have been finding some fish.  Even some shore fishermen I know have hit it lucky once in a while especially for larger fish.  But, there is no question that the numbers overall are DOWN for most striper fishermen.

Here are my striper totals for the last five years up to the end of July:

2021- 703 stripers

2022- 350 stripers

2023- 272 stripers

2024- 222 stripers

2025- 183 stripers

Note that each year I fished about the same number of outings mostly from shore but sometimes from a kayak.  These are the totals up to the end of July.  The sizes have varied with a larger percentage of bigger fish in the last couple of years and more schoolies back around 4 or 5 years ago. No surprise here since research tells us the schoolie population is way down due to poor spawning years.

The naysayers will give you a lot of excuses about why they think I'm full of you know what.  You've heard many of them I'm sure. Global warming, warm water, the population is shifting north, the fish are mostly offshore, the bait has moved, and some people just don't know how to catch them!

One positive note here.  Better fishing could be coming. The pattern for me in the last five years has been much better fishing the second half of the year.  We have seen decent fall fishing.  I'm hoping that will happen.

In the meantime, I will keep plugging away and hope fishing improves.

Varivas Braided Line

 

My friend and charter boat captain, Jerry Sparks, got me hooked up with the Varivas line company.  This Japanese line company was looking for a surf fisherman that could be a field tester for them for their premium braided lines and fluorocarbon.  He recommended me, and I'm now using Varivas braided line.

I'll bet most of you haven't heard of this line. I don't know if it's sold locally but they are hoping to expand their market. The staff at Varivas sent be a bunch of samples to try out along with some info about this line. One specific important detail is that the line breaks at the lb. test listed on the package. She suggested I up my line strength from what I currently use (for the most part, Power Pro 30 lb. test).  Generally US made lines break above their lb. test. So, I spooled up with Varivas' 37 lb. test. I spooled my Daiwa BG with the Varivas 8 line in a blue color. I've used it now for several outings. 

Here's my initial reaction. "Wow!" This line is super smooth to the feel, limp and seems to be thinner than my Power Pro 30 lb. test. I also think it's a better casting line as I seem to get better distance.  I used light lures and heavy lures, casted into the wind and with the wind at my back, and I did not get a single wind knot, not even close.

I guess the true test of any line is how well it holds up when it counts. I'm hoping to land a few big stripers in the coming weeks in some real rugged spots. How well will this braided line hold up when a big fish pulls drag out and runs along the rocks and weeds?  We'll see, but for now, all is great with the line.

Here is what an Ai generated review had to say about the line:

Varivas braided line is generally well-regarded for its thinness, smoothness, and strength, making it a good choice for various fishing applications. It is often praised for its casting performance and ability to handle tough situations, like pulling lures out of snags. While it can be more expensive than some other braids, its quality and performance often justify the price for many anglers.  

In the Doldrums- POOR from Shore

 Striper fishing from shore has bottomed out in the last week.  I don't care whether you fish on stormy days or in the dead of night, it is just plain poor. Yes, we are in the dog days of summer, and July is not a very good month for shore fishermen here in RI.  Read the reports and you'll see it's not good in the Bay, it's not good along the oceanfront, and it's not even good in the Cape Cod Canal, a place that has saved me in past Julys.

There's lots of blame to go around for the poor fishing.  The water's too warm. That excessive warm spell we had last week really shot up the water temperatures sending a lot of fish packing.  There's very little bait close to shore.  That's true also.  Looks like we will just have to wait for the peanut bunker to arrive (mid August if we are lucky) to perk up the fishing.  And, the numbers of stripers are way down, a problem that was predicted to happen this year, and we are seeing it play out. 

All late spring and early summer, I had been having some good fishing in nasty weather.  Well, last week I had the stormy and rough conditions. I thought for sure I would score some big numbers and big fish in the white water, wind and rain.  Nope, two days of hard fishing in multiple spots and not even a hit. That REALLY tells you they are just not around.

I know many shore fishermen who have given up until September. I still plan to go, but only a couple of times a week just to keep it honest. I am now turning most of my attention to freshwater where I have been fishing for carp and having good success.  In the last three days, I landed 12 fish up into the high twenties (pounds), near record size for RI.  Several of those fish were over 20 lbs. So, that's a fishery that has been good, even in the heat of summer.

Rough, White Water Turns on the Striper Fishing

The shore fishing was very good
yesterday in some roughed up 
water. This slot fish has a bucktail jig 
in its mouth.  The jig was fished
off a wooden egg float.

 I got out yesterday from shore and had a banner day. Conditions were a perfect 10 if you were a surf guy.  It was overcast, the surf was roughed up from a front that passed through the day before and the water was white and moving. And, while the fishing had been mediocre for the last week, it lit up in the right conditions yesterday.

My lure of choice was an egg float with a half ounce bucktail attached.  I threaded on a three inch , white, Bass Pro triple ripple grub tail onto the jig.  That is so important when dealing with fussy fish and gives your jig that extra appeal.

Nearly all the fish I caught were in the white water in front of me.  I landed very good numbers of hefty schoolies and a couple of slots. So, while we think there are no fish around, they do seem to come around in the right conditions whether its July or October.

Shore Fishing Cools off after the Heat Wave

I got out a couple of days ago
and fished some great water,
but all I found was this lone 
schoolie that I caught on a 
bucktail jig. The fishing has 
cooled off.

 Before that sweltering heat wave we had this week, the shore fishing had been very good.  After the hot weather, not so good. I got out a couple of days ago and the fishing landscape seemed a whole lot different. I saw no birds working, no visible bait and I had to work my tail off to get one fish. The water was great, but there was just not much in it.

The water was also noticeably warmer after the heat wave.  I'm guessing the record heat warmed up the water at least 5 degrees along the oceanfront.  Was that enough to send the sandeels and the stripers packing for deeper and cooler water? Maybe.

Friends of mine went out in the early morning today to search for bonito and stripers along the oceanfront. There was a lot of effort, a lot of guys fishing and only a few small bonito were caught. No stripers.  The bonito were also more plentiful prior to the heat wave. Bait has a big influence on the bonito numbers and it wasn't there today.

So, for now, it seems that we are heading into a summer lull.  That sandeel invasion is usually a June/early summer thing, and I'm guessing most big schools have left the area.  The next bait wave to draw the stripers to shore would be schools bay anchovies and peanut bunker.  Those baits usually show up in late summer. So, it could be a wait until the shore fishing lights up again.

Sun Protection

 

Decked out and ready
for a day of fishing 
in the sun.

I'm very cautious when out fishing in the sun. I take a lot of precautions since I am really prone to skin cancer.  In the last ten years, I have had two basal cell carcinomas removed along with one squamous cell carcinoma. One of these was quite problematic and I had to have extensive reconstruction done.  So, I try to avoid these issues as much as I can, although I also realize much of this damage was started decades ago. 

So, when fishing or anytime out in the sun, here's some ideas to protect you from harm:

1. Sunscreen and Lip Balm- I use Banana Boat Ultra SPF65, about the most protection you can find. I put it on any exposed skin. For my lips I use Banana Boat 45 lip balm.

2. Sun shirts, Sun hats, Neck Gaiters and Gloves- I tend to always wear a UPF50 long sleeve sun shirt.  I also have some with hoods that I wear. Columbia makes a wide assortment of these. While these shirts are long sleeves, they are still quite cool and comfortable. For hats, I always wear a Glacier Glove Sun Hat that provides a lot of shade for my face and the back of my neck. For gloves, I wear Kast King sun gloves to protect my hands. They have open fingers and you can cast quite well with them. I have an assortment of neck gaiters that I also wear. A lot of times I pull the gaiter up over my face to cover my lips and cheeks.

Sun Gloves from Kast King and Banana Boat Ultra
65 Sunscreen ready to go.

3. Sunglasses- Lately I have been wearing the Rival Shield sunglasses made by Shady Rays.  These give my face and eyes maximum coverage. Mine are polarized blue mirror, and they have UV protection.  They are also very moderately priced at about 50 bucks on sale. Many fishermen have asked me about these and where I got them.

As fishermen who fish from shore, boat or kayak in the daytime, we are very prone to sunburns and other problems. Never hurts to be proactive, and you do get used to doing much of what I do above every time out.

Decked out and ready for a day of fishing in the sun
in my kayak.

Biggest Day of the Year; Sandeel Invasion Fuels Great Fishing

 

Here's a slot fish coming ashore with
my Albie Snax in its mouth.

The striper fishing has taken a dramatic turn for the better for me in June. The sandeel arrival has brought big numbers of stripers to the oceanfront.  The whole month has been productive, but the climax was a couple of days ago when I hit one of the biggest blitzes I have ever seen in June.

It was one of those cloudy, drizzly days with an east wind and a charged up surf with lots of white water. I headed down the oceanfront in late morning, and my plan was to hit a number of spots knowing that the stripers and the sandeels were moving around.  My plan was to hopefully find them. I struck out in the first two locations.  As soon as I got a glimpse of the water in my third location, Holy Smokes!  Stripers were breaking EVERYWHERE in front of me with not another fisherman in sight. Big jumps, small jumps, multiple jumps, out far, in close, bait spraying out of the water. 

It took one cast of my Albie Snax and teaser to hook up with a slot fish.  Next cast I had two good  fish on and one busted off my Albie Snax (why I don't like using a teaser). So, I switched strategies and cut the teaser off and just went with the Snax. The fish continued to feed and hit as the tide dropped, though they were fussier and fussier as the afternoon moved on. Later, I switched to a float and Red Gill, the best producer for these fussy fish that were going crazy in the white water.

This was a very effective lure combo
as the fish turned fussy later in the day.
It's my wooden egg float with a Red
Gill teaser attached off 3 feet of 
Varivas fluoro. Throw it in the white
water and reel it in slowly. Deadly 
when fussy stripers are on sandeels.

That day I fished just about a whole tide from high to low. The action continued till right before dark when everything settled down and died. 

Score for the day- 44 stripers landed, dozens more on.  Most fish were in the 24 to 26 inch range, but I had at least a dozen fish that were slots and over. One of the best June days I ever had. 

Fussy Stripers On Sandeels

 

Here's a striper that grabbed my
Red Gill Teaser, a dead ringer
when stripers are feeding on sandeels.

The sandeel invasion is here.  In the last week, big schools of them have arrived along the oceanfront with big numbers of stripers on them. In the last couple of evenings I found big numbers of hefty schoolies and small slots feeding on them.

Make no mistake about it.  Stripers can be darn fussy when they are slurping up thin sandeels the size of a toothpick. I've been experimenting with a number of finesse approaches, and I had what they wanted last evening.  I was using a leader set up with a Red Gill Teaser. These teasers are dead ringers for sandeels and they can be rigged as a teaser or fished off a float. There are many different ways to attach the teaser, but I've always had the best success knotting it to the swivel at the top of my leader. It should dangle about 6 inches off the swivel.  At the clip end last night I attached an Albie Snax, a hot lure all spring for me. Note that this set-up is not going to give you a booming cast, but it was no problem last evening as the fish were right in close in the white water.

Think small profile when sandeels are around.  Plugs such as SP Minnows, Needlefish, thin profiled jigs and skinny plastic can also produce. Where the fish are feeding and surf conditions will dictate the size of the plug you want to use to get to them.

The hot set up for me last evening
was a leader set up with a white
Albie Snax and a Red Gill Teaser.

Two Way Strategy Working

 

I've been out in the kayak about a quarter
of the days this spring.  I'm fishing the Bay
from the yak on  calm days.

I've really taken a two way approach to striper fishing this spring.  In rough and windy weather I have been fishing from the shore both at the oceanfront and in the Bay.  When it has been calm, I've opted for the kayak, staying in the Bay.  It has worked with very few blanks and some decent fish.  The numbers have not been there, but I've landed a decent number larger fish-  slots and even over slots.

The hot lures for me so far has been as follows.  In the kayak, it has been an unweighted 5.75 inch Finesse Fish that has been the hot ticket. An Albie Snax is a close second.  I've caught no fish on hard plugs from the yak this spring.  From shore I've mixed it up.  The Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil has been hot especially in rough water.  But, at times I've also gone with unweighted plastics such as the Finesse Fish, Slug-gos and Albie Snax. Wind conditions and how far I want to cast have dictated my choice. 

Shore fishing has also been good for larger fish.
About three quarter of the time I have fished the Bay
or along the oceanfront

I've spent about three quarters of my fishing days from shore this spring and about a quarter of the time in the kayak. That strategy has led to some consistent fishing with few blanks.

Biggest in YEARS!

 

I landed a monster striper from the kayak today, maybe my biggest in years.  It came as a complete surprise.  I was fishing a shallow area close to shore using a light outfit hoping to get a schoolie or a slot.  The rod was a St. Croix Avid inshore rod that measured 7 ft., 3 inches that had Daiwa BG 4000 reel with 30 lb. test braid.  I was fishing an unweighted 5.75 inch Finesse Fish that was attached to a 30 lb. fluoro leader (set up described in earlier post). The fish hit in about three feet of water and took off like a freight train for deeper water.  It was a thrilling fight with multiple runs right along the bottom while dragging the yak along.

Finally I got the beast alongside the yak. Now, I had to get the Boga grip on it.  Its lips were so large that the Boga barely opened wide enough to get it on!

Holy smokes.  I'm guessing this monster was in the 45+ inch range, maybe even 50 and weighed in the mid 40 lb. range.  It is one of the biggest stripers I have ever landed from the yak, and it's the biggest I've gotten in years.

By the way, caught at dead noontime.  So much for fishing at night for big fish!

Uptick in Activity

 

The fishing has seen an uptick in the 
last week.  Kayakers and boater have had
the advantage. I landed this one a few
days ago from the yak.

The recent very high and low tides delivered improved action for stripers here in RI. The improvement came in both the Bay and along the oceanfront. There have been better numbers of stripers, some big ones and occasional big blues in the mix.

No question that boaters have seen the biggest uptick.  The fish are scattered and the more moving around you can do the better.  The same goes for kayakers although the wind has been bad for the most part in the last week. I've had steady success in the kayak when I could get out.

The shore guys are also catching but it's a grind. It's also become a nighttime game for the most part. But slug it out and you could catch a monster fish.  I've heard of catches in the high 40 inch range this week. I've also seen some monster blues caught that weigh in the low to mid teens.

Photo of the Day- "Scoring from the Kayak"

 

I've seen a big uptick in fishing from my kayak during
this Memorial Day Weekend. This decent size striper
hit a weightless Finesse Fish twitched on top.
Weightless plastics fished on top have been hot.