A Slowdown from Shore; Boaters Have the Advantage

 

I landed this hefty schoolie last evening.
It's been a typical summer pattern with a fish
here and there. Boaters are scoring much more
consistently than shore fishermen right now.

We are in a typical summer pattern.  The water is warm, the bait is small and the stripers are heading for deeper and cooler water. I would describe shore fishing as fair to poor right now. There are small windows of opportunity when you can get them from shore. Daybreak and dusk might get you a fish or two.  Fishing at night might also get you some.  However, the fishing is way off right now compared to where we were a month ago.

I got out two times in the surf in the last three days.  On evening one I landed a nice slot fish and had several more small hits on skinny plastic.  On the second evening I landed one hefty schoolie and had no more hits.  Both fish came right before dark. So, this is typical for me right now- a fish here and there with a good amount of effort.

I saw an Instagram report from a good fishermen that fishes the RI south shore a lot. He says he's caught NOTHING in the last eight nights he's been out. Yikes, not good. I know other fishermen who have given up or who are fishing for bottom fish like scup and fluke. Still, some of my friends who slug it out all night are getting a fish or two here and there, much like what I am doing in the evening.

Now, boat fishermen are a different story.  Those guys fishing the oceanfront at the mouth of the Bay or Block Island are scoring.  There are lots of squid and small sandeels around the keep the stripers feeding. All these boat fish are coming in deep water where the water is cooler and the fish are more active. But, I am told that even these boat fish are fussy and tough to fool when feeding on small sandeels.

So, still some fish around but way off for the shore guys compared to a few short weeks ago. Hey, summer is here and that's the way it goes.

Shore Fishing Cools in this Heat

 

I landed this hefty schoolie last evening on an 
Albie Snax. There are still fish around though
not the numbers and sizes we saw several weeks
ago.

The shore fishing is cooling.  I believe the water is heating up quickly, and the stripers are moving to deeper water at the mouth of the Bay where they will reside for the summer.  In addition, there are few if any schools of pogies in the Bay so there's little bait to hold them there.  The oceanfront offers squid and sandeels right now, though we are not seeing much of that close to shore.

Still, there are fish to be had.  In the last three outings I have landed exactly 6 stripers.  Five of those were schoolies (yes, they do exist!) and one was a slot fish.  I am getting them on skinny plastic and a float and bucktail jig.  The float and jig are good choices in rough water and when sandeels are around. The skinny plastic is best suited to calmer water where a finesse type of approach works better.

I've had most of my action in the evening just before dark.  Some of my friends are also catching after dark though not with the same action as a few weeks ago. Daytime fishing is poor right now.

Hey, it's summer and we usually do expect a slowdown in the doldrums of summer. But, the main takeaway is that there are still some fish around.

My New Fishing Bike, a Ride1Up Portola

 

Here is my new fishing e-bike, A Ride1Up
Portola bike

I treated myself to a new fishing bike, an e-bike. I bought a Ride1Up Portola foldable bike.  This bike is a large step through and I found it so easy to get on and off. I rigged the bike up with a milk crate and rod holders. See the website: Ride1Up

This bike is constantly in the top 3 as far as ratings. I got mine on a Memorial Day sale for $795, a phenomenal deal for e-bikes.  Normally, this sells for over a thousand dollars. The bike comes with a 10.4 ah battery and can go 20 to 40 miles on a charge. They also sell an optional larger battery.  It comes as a Class 2 bike out of the box meaning it mostly runs by pedal assist.  You start pedaling, and the motor helps to really get it going. For fishing this is a gamechanger as I can cover a lot of territory with little effort. The battery comes off when folding it up.  Without the battery, the bike weighs 51 lbs. I just fold it up, lift it and store it in the back of my truck when coming and going.

My milk crate with rod holders simply slide onto
the rear rack by using a Connect + bracket.
It can be easily removed with the push of a lever.

One feature that I really love is the Connect + system for the back rack.  You can slide in accessories if they have the Connect+ bracket.  I bought the bracket from the Ride1Up website and mounted it to my milk crate.  Now, I can easily slide it on and off.  This makes it so much easier to fold up the bike.

I took the bike on its maiden cruise yesterday along the most famous place where biking fishermen gather.  It worked like a charm pedaling into the wind and up hills. I can see myself using it in other private locations where you can't park a vehicle.

And, by the way, the bike DID get me into some fish! So, all's good for the first outing

Photo of the Day- "Catching with The Grandkids"

 

I went out last evening in my son Matt's boat.  We fished 
along the south shore of Boston, and just like here in RI,
there were good numbers of slots around! This one was
released in good shape.

This Baitfish Changing the Game

 

Sandeels have arrived and the stripers are on them.

As I arrived at the water last evening, I looked out to see lots of turns hitting the water about two to three casts off the shore where I was standing. At the same time I glanced down in a tidal pool next to me to find several dead sandeels. Yes, they have arrived, the birds have found them, and they will bring some hot fishing for stripers in the next month wherever they come ashore.

My evening started off slowly yesterday.  But, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the fishing suddenly improved.  Bait and predators moved closer to shore with the setting sun. I was fishing an Alie Snax, a good imitator of these slender baitfish. Before darkness set in, I was able to land a couple of schoolies and a couple of slot fish in the 28 to 31 inch range.  I also lost a much bigger fish.

Albie Snax are great to use when
stripers are feeding on sandeels.
Slim profiled artificials will be your
best bet.

No question, stripers tend to be fussy when feeding on this small, slender baitfish. Sandeels are hard to imitate, but I have a set of lures specifically packed into my bag to use when this happens.  The Albie Snax is a good choice as is the 7 1/2 inch Slug-Go.  Think thin profile and movement, and both have it. I might also use a Red Gill teaser when the fish are very fussy. The drawback to the teaser is that you could hook two big fish at the same time.  In that case, you will likely lose one or both fish. Some fishermen also opt for slender plastic flukes like a Lunker City Finesse Fish on a small jighead. Even small topwater plugs like a Rebel Jumpin' Minnow could get you a striper or two when sandeels are around. Fly fishermen do well with Deceiver flies. Large plugs tend to be ineffective when this small, slender bait is around.

The sandeel invasion tends to be a June thing here in RI.  It is just starting and should continue in the weeks ahead.  I see it as the prevalent bait right now.

Lure of the Month- Lunker City Slug-go Lures

 

This huge overslot, was landed last evening on a
white Slug-go. The 9 inch white Slug has been
my most effective big fish catcher all May.

The good ole Slug-go- it's been the hottest lure for me in the past month. I've landed schoolies, slots and oh, so many over slots with this lure that it's hard to deny it's effectiveness. It's appeal has been widespread.  I've landed big fish on it along the RI oceanfront, Narragansett Bay and along the Cape Cod Canal.  I've gotten them from shore as well as from the kayak. As many of you know, this has been a record breaking year for large fish, and just about every fish over 40 inches (and there's been a lot of them) that I have landed this spring has come on the Slug-go. Yet, few fishermen use it. Many don't know how to rig it; some don't know how to work it.

My favorite this spring has been a white, 9 inch Slug-go.  I rig mine with a single hook up front.  I tend to use a 6/0 BKK Titan rider hook that has the screw type device up front. That screw is placed in the head of the Slug-go and screwed in.  Then the hook is lined up and pushed through the body.  It should be hooked in the narrow underbody and pushed up through the flat top of the lure. The lure should sit straight horizontally on your hook set-up. Note that I have had several BKK hooks straightened out or bent so the sturdiness of these hooks are questionable in my mind. 

I tend to use a BKK Titan Rider 
6/0 hook (weightless) on my Slug-gos.
The single hook in the head of
the lure will do the trick.

To work the Slug-go, simple cast and reel in slowly with twitches of the rod tip to give it a swimming action.  Stop the lure every once in a while and just let it suspend for a second or two.  Many hits will come on the pause. 

These lures are affective in the daytime as well as at night. I believe this is the MOST effective daytime catcher for big stripers in the spring.

Note that many fishermen have their own preference for rigging.  Some will rig two hooks in the front and middle (Mc Kenna style).  Others will add nail weights to the body, and some will use weighted hooks to get a slightly longer cast. I think the single weightless hook with no weights gives the lure the most natural action and is the most effective overall. But, I also know many fishermen have confidence in the way their are fishing their creations.  If it's working for you keep doing it.

Another Good Week of Fishing

It's been another good week of fishing for me
with Slug-gos and Albid Snax doing most of the
damage.

This has been another good week of fishing for me.  It wasn't all big fish, though, as I also landed good numbers of schoolies. I did have a couple of over slots up to 40 inches that I landed on Slug-gos.  I also had slots and hefty schoolies that fell for an Albie Snax.  The skinny plastic in a white color has been hot all week as it has been all season long. 

I must admit that the fish have been fussy.  One day this week my son and I could actually see large fish near us that were swimming under pods of herring. They were super fussy and would whirl, chase and sometimes take the Slug-go. Other fishermen using standard swimmers and even glide baits were catching very little or nothing.  Just goes to show the effectiveness of the Slug.

The white Albie Snax has been a hot
lure this week for me.  It caught the
slot shown above.