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.

Upping the Finesse Game

 

Here's a serious fish landed last evening from
the Yak using a my finesse approach.

I was back in the kayak last evening, and I decided to make some changes to my fishing approach. I made some changes that hopefully would add more effectiveness to my finesse game.  I have been dealing with fussy fish lately that woud follow and whirl but not really take my plastic offering.  I was hoping to change that.

I was using the same lure- a 5.75 inch Lunker City Finesse Fish mounted onto a BKK Titan Rider Hook. I decided to change out the leader.  I now went with a fluorocarbon leader to replace the regular mono leader.  I was using VARIVAS leader material in 30 lb. test.  One of my charter boat buddies gave me some and told me to try it out. This stuff was super thin and soft unlike other stiff fluoros I tried in the past.  I also cut down on the hardware on my leader.  I went with a smaller cross-lock snap that replaced the larger line clip.  I also went with a smaller swivel at the line end.

It all worked out well as I hooked my first 5 out of 6 hits, all decent size schoolies and slots.  And, these were solid hits- no fooling around. Can't be sure if it was the fish in an active mood or what I was using?  But, I intend to find out in the coming days as I up my finesse game.

My leader material was this 30 lb. test
Varivas Fluoro Carbon.

My hot lure was a weightless 5.75 inch
Lunker City Finesse Fish mounted 
on a BKK Titan Rider hook, size 5/0.

Mediocre Fishing Continues; Numbers Way Down

 

I landed this decent one a couple of nights ago
in a backwater location.  Overall, there are a lot
less stripers around this year, but there are some
quality fish.

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, the key word to describe the striper fishing here in RI is MEDIOCRE. Spring fishing should be peaking right now, but it isn't. It's easy to blame the weather or blame the lack of bait, but the bottom line overall has been that the numbers are way down this year. No surprise there!

I'm still catching but getting way less than in past years.  In places where I would catch a half a dozen fish a few years ago, I am lucky to get one fish. This applies to the many places I have fished in the Bay as well as along the oceanfront from shore.  The same results have happened in my kayak fishing. A lot less this year than in other years.

If there is any good news here, it's that there are some decent size stripers around. Roughly half of the stripers that I have landed this spring have been slots. But, once again, the numbers are not there.

The hottest lure for me in the last week or so has been an Albie Snax in a white color and rigged with a BKK Titan Rider Hook (size 5/0). The fish  have been fussy, and the Snax has worked better than anything else in my bad of tricks. Easy to fish- twitches of the rod tip and reel in slowly with an occasional stop.

It seems that boaters are scoring much better right now than the shore guys. Their advantage is that they can cover a lot more water looking for fish.  Those fishing the Bay and backwaters are also doing better than those fishing out front.

Good luck if you get out this holiday weekend.

Back in the Kayak

Back in the kayak and catching!

 I took the kayak out in 'Gansett Bay several times in the last week. I was mostly fishing skinny backwaters and taking a finesse approach when doing it. While I did better than I have been doing from shore, it was still mediocre fishing compared to past years.  I put 7 fish in the yak, but none were slots or overs.

All my fish were taken on a weightless 5 3/4 inch Fin S fish twitched on top with a stop every once in a while. As I have written many time before,  most of my hits came on the stop. Another interesting phenomenon I encountered was a lot of spooked fish.  I would peddle along and I'd scare one fish after another in spots.  They seemed to be near the surface just doing nothing. On one outing, I must have spooked close to a hundred fish, but only caught one that evening. So, there are fish around, but just not feeding at times.

One other note- I saw just about no bait in the multiple locations I fished.  The one time I did see a small pod of bait, fish were breaking on them, and I nailed five of them in short order. 

Going "Finesse" in Skinny Water

 

The Albie Snax mounted on a BKK
Titan Rider hook was a hot
lure last evening.

My son Jon and I went out last evening in an off the beaten path location in Narragansett Bay.  This was a quiet skinny water cove where we have had success in the past with decent sized stripers. This is one of those spots where big plugs have little to no chance of scoring. If you want to catch in places like these where stripers are generally super fussy, you need to take a finesse approach.

We immediately snapped on weightless plastics.  Jon used a 7 1/2 inch white Slug-go while I put on a white Albie Snax.  These were weightless offerings with just a BKK Titan Rider hook up front. I've written a lot about how to fish these....slow retrieve, twitches of the rod tip, stop every once in a while.  I've also written that you will get a lot of hits on the stop. That happened last evening many times.

Jon and I came away with five decent fish landed, and they were all slots.  We also had a lot of other hits and swirls, a sure sign that good numbers of stripers were around. I would bet that if we were using large plugs here, we would have gotten nothing.

A finesse approach works well in quiet, skinny
water spots. It got us many good size fish
last evening.

Inconsistent

 

Jon Pickering holds a slot fish that was taken
from shore.  These larger fish have been hanging
around places that have schools of menhaden.
The fish was released in good shape. 

By now the striper fishing should be humming here in RI.  It's not.  In a few words to sum it up, we are in the midst of a mediocre spring that has been very inconsistent. I thought it would really perk up by now since the water is warming, but it is not happening especially for shore fishermen. There is also a noticeable lack of small bait.

I've been out just about every day/evening for the last two weeks.  While I've had very few skunks, it has mostly been one fish here and there.  The oceanfront has had fair numbers of small fish at times, but no bonanza of fish. Most of them that I have caught there have been schoolies in the 12 to 18 inch range.  I haven't even seen anyone get a fish over 24 inches.

The Bay is fishing better for larger fish.  That is because there are schools of menhaden in various places that are attracting slot and over slot fish. These fish will only take the real thing. The fishing with menhaden is best done by boat or kayak. Find the bait and you tend to find some fish.  Still, I have been able to catch  a number of slots and even an over slot recently but there have been no big numbers.  In places where I get a couple of fish one evening, I'll go down the next evening (with the same conditions) and get nothing.

As for bluefish, I got that one over a week ago, and I've not gotten or seen one since. They have not been around.  They haven't even been around the schools of menhaden.  Maybe too early?

Good but not Great; First Overslot Landed!

I landed this hefty overslot last 
evening in the Bay.

Here's the scoop on the latest striper fishing.  It's been good but not great. The fish are now spread out along the oceanfront and throughout the Bay.  There are good numbers of all sizes.  Schoolies seem to dominate along the oceanfront while the Bay has some hefty slots and even over slots.  I landed my first over slot of the year yesterday evening in the Bay.  I suspect that slug of large fish that are in the Bay have followed schools of adult menhaden that I have seen in different parts of the Bay. I've seen no bait along the oceanfront.

Thus far these have been my best lures.  For schoolies along the oceanfront the NLBN in a three inch , white model has been hard to beat.  But, other paddle tails like a Cocahoe and Al Gag's have also worked. In the bay, topwater plugs rule.  My best producer there has been a Yo- Zuri Hydro Pencil in a bone color. Other topwater plugs that have scored have been standard poppers and Doc lures. White or bone color have been the best.

I have to say that we had better and more consistent fishing last year.  While this year has been super at times, it has mostly been an on and off deal though I have only had one blank in the last two weeks. I think the weather has added to the inconsistency.

First BLUEFISH of the Year

 Surprise, surprise! I landed my first bluefish of the year this evening along the oceanfront.  The fish, about 6 lbs., hit a NLBN paddle tail that was intended for a striper.  This is very early for a blue along the oceanfront.  With everyone complaining that the water is so cold, it was even more unusual for this blue to be around.  We'll find out in the days to come if this was a fluke or if a run of spring blues has started.!

First blue of the year landed this evening.

Photo of the Day- "FIRST KEEPER"

 

Got my first keeper of the year.  Yup, it's early but
they are around! This one fell for a Slug-go and hit
right at dark.  And, surprise, it was caught in the Bay!

It's a START!

I landed decent numbers of schoolies
that had lice on them tonight. The
migration has arrived.

 I landed one lone fish, a scout, about a week ago along the oceanfront.  In my mind, the season kicks off when I can land more than one fish in an outing.  Well, tonight that happened as I landed good numbers of schoolies that had lice on them, a sure sign that the migrating fish have arrived. My season has really begun.

In the spot I was fishing, I saw about 18 fish landed tonight by half a dozen fishermen.  These were all schoolies in the 14 to 22 inch range.  Most of the fish were caught on some type of paddle tail jig.  I got my fish on a white, NLBN, three inch paddle tail on a half ounce jighead. These have been my best producers in the last year when the fish are taking jigs.

So, the fish are here.  Look for these coming attractions in the next week or so.  Keepers should be here within week or so.  The fish should be moving into the Bay and the salt ponds along the oceanfront within the next few days.  And, it wouldn't surprise me if we see a bluefish caught before May 1.

It's happening!

First One Landed!

 

It's the first one from the oceanfront
for me this year. Expect good
numbers of them in the coming week.

I landed my first striper of the year from the oceanfront today, a fish I would call a "scout".  In striper fishing lingo, a scout is one of the early arrivals that makes it's way ahead of the main body of fish.  I suspect this was a scout because it was the only one that I landed.  I'm guessing within a few days, we will begin to see greater numbers of them as schools of migrating stripers arrive.

The fish was about 20 to 21 inches.  It was caught on a white, 3 inch NLBN paddle tail.  I fished several locations along the oceanfront, but this was the only hit I had from late afternoon into the evening.

On the blog I had predicted the first fish would be caught on April 15 and that's just what happened. Last year I got my first one on the 15th also. Yes, they do follow a predictable pattern. 

Here's another prediction- I'll have my first keeper within the next 10 days! 

Coming Attractions

They should be here within a couple of weeks!

 A new season is almost here.  Within a couple of weeks migrating stripers will hit the oceanfront and that will commence the spring runs.

Here is a timetable of what I think will happen based over 50 years of keeping fishing logs.

Middle of April- First stripers of the season, these fish that will have sea lice on them and will be caught along the oceanfront.  I tend to go by April 15th, give or take a few days.  Oftentimes, a warm southwest blow will be the mover that will push schools of fish onto the shore. Jigs, bucktails, paddletails and flukes on jigheads will be your top producers.

Late April/Early May- Stripers will start to be caught in Narragansett Bay by boaters and shore fishermen. Shallow locations where the water warms up quickly will be your best bets.  Jigs still work but the fish will quickly start to hit topwater plugs as the waters warm.  You might even see some big fish as the first pogy (menhaden) schools enter the Bay. These should attract some over slot fish.

Early May- Bluefish will arrive in the beginning of May especially if we hit a warm spell.  The last few years have delivered some big blues in the early going. It could happen along the oceanfront or in the Bay, but my bet is that I'll get the first blue over 10 lbs. from the Bay.  They, too, will be on the tails of migrating menhaden.

Really Enjoying this Winter!

 

Here's a big pickerel I jigged up
through the ice a few weeks ago.
It's been the best ice fishing year in
over a decade!

I'm sure many of you are sick of winter at this point and looking forward to spring.  But, I just love winter and the snowier and colder the better. 

I have really enjoyed this winter.  I did a lot of skiing.  It's not over yet and I plan to go till April.  I've logged in over 50 days on the slopes thusfar and I'm hoping to go at least another 15 days.  I've been able to do this with friends, my sons and my two oldest grandkids. I also got to go ice fishing many times this winter, maybe more than the last five winters combined. The last time I went (last week) I was cutting through 12 inches of ice with my brand new electric auger. The ice fishing has been super productive for multiple species of fish. I've only been jigging, but that has been real good. I've also been able to do this with all my sons and even some of the grandkids.

So, while I am also looking forward to spring around the corner and getting back to salt and freshwater open water fishing, I will savor those last few weeks of winter. It has been a winter to remember!

I'm at the top of Wachusett mountain skiing
with my grandson Troy and my granddaughter Hailey.
It's been a great winter for skiing!