Columbus Day Weekend Outllook

 

I landed this hefty schoolie in
some white water yesterday. There
are stripers around but you have to
really work to find them.

The fishing has cooled in the last couple of days along the oceanfront.  It seems that the albies are thinning out or moving south.  There were good numbers of them just a week ago but a week is an eternity in October when you are talking albies. I was out the last couple of days and saw only a few jumping here and there with no concentrations. The numbers being caught are way down in the last few days though a lot of diehards are still trying.  Still, you never know about these fish. Could be loaded tomorrow!!!!

Striper fishing has also taken a hit. Less around in the last few days, but still some if you really look for them.  Yesterday I found a great white water location along the oceanfront and landed three of them on a float and jig. I saw no other fish landed all day. If you can find a lot of bait you will most likely find some stripers. I found very little bait in the places I looked in the last couple of days. Without the bait, your best bet is to look for loners in white water locations. The Bay is still a good bet for both bonito and stripers.  The peanut bunker (bait of choice) is holed up in the Bay, and that's why the fishing there is more consistent. Note that it's generally a boating thing- a boat or kayak will get you out where the fish are and make it easier to move with them. Look for birds working.

Even after dark the striper fishing has been inconsistent from shore. I tried a couple of times this week and had just one good fish on after dark in a great spot.

Good luck if you get out this weekend.  Nice tomorrow and showers on tap for the rest of the weekend which could be a good thing.

Photo of the Day- "They're Back!"

 

They may have disappeared after the storm, but I can tell you they are
back with a vengeance. Albies were blasting the surface in wide swatches 
of the oceanfront today and seemed to be just about everywhere.
The bait has come back also with huge schools of bay achovies
moving around.

Post Storm Report- Albies Gone, Striper Fishing Hot in the Bay But Poor Along Oceanfront

 

It's been hot fishing for me this week from
my kayak in 'Gansett Bay. Most of the fish
have been slots and all were caught on Finesse
Fish. They have been around in good numbers.

It's been almost a week since that big northeaster. The ocean and the fishing have settled down. I've been out the last 7 days in a row.  Here is what's going on:

Albies Gone- I'm in touch with a lot of albie fanatics who fish every day for them. NO ONE has seen or landed an albie since the big blow. At least a week with none.  Heck, haven't even heard of any from the boats. There are still a few bonito around but that's about it for pelagics. The fanatics are confident the albies are coming back.  I'm not so sure.

Striper Bonanza in the Bay- It's been some of the best fall fishing ever in the Bay for me for stripers.  They have been around in big numbers chasing down schools of peanut bunker that seem to be holed up in the Bay but not along the oceanfront. I have been getting most of my fish from the kayak. Most of these fish are in the 26 to 35 inch range and slots make up the majority of fish. They have moved around a lot this week, and it's a matter of finding the stripers and the bait.  Look for birds working. All my fish have come on a 5.75 inch white Finesse Fish fished weightless and rigged with a BKK 5/0 Titan Rider hook. I wish I could report good fishing along the oceanfront for stripers but it has been generally dead once the northeast winds and ocean calmed down. Most of my sharpie friends have been striking out. Rest assured the stripers and peanut bunker will move out of the Bay eventually.

Striper Fishing Blows Up Post Storm; Blitzes from Shore and Kayak!

A bucktail jig coming off a wooded egg float
was the ticket from shore yeaterday.

I had two great days of striper fishing in a row.  

Yesterday I walked into a massive blitz of fish going crazy in the white water and rough conditions along the oceanfront.  It was a good ole fashioned blitz with birds diving and fish breaking.  It was still quite rough from the northeaster, but safe and very fishable where I was.  I ended up landing 25 fish that ranged from 24 to 30 inches.  Hefty schooolies made up the bulk of the catch.  I got them all on a wooden egg float and a jig, an ideal set up to use in white water where a long cast is needed and where stripers are feeding on small bait (looked like bay anchovies to me).

Today I took the kayak out into Narragansett Bay where my son Jon has been killing them in the last few days.  I found good numbers of fish breaking here and there.  And, these were larger fish than what I saw at the oceanfront yesterday.  At times the breaks were like cinder blocks hitting the water.  But, they were fussy in some super calm conditions.  I could only get them to hit an unweighted Finesse Fish on a super slow retrieve with stops. I ended up the morning with 7 stripers- generally all slots with one over slot. I had a ton of hits but a lot of fussy takers.

It was hot fishing in the kayak today
for large fish. Most of my fish were slots
with this one over slot.

So, that big northeaster has charged up the striper fishing. It's about time.  Looks like a fall run is in progress!

Too Much of a Good Thing?

 We are in the grips of a northeaster and it's wreaking havoc on the oceanfront. I've fished 4 days in a row this week and conditions have gradually gone downhill making fishing very difficult in most areas.

I landed this hefty schoolie in some
wild, but clean white water this week.
There have been some impressive
catches in the blows this week. Look
for clean white water with lots of
bait.

I love fishing rough water and over the years it has really produced for me.  However, this past week has been marginal with a fish here and there in some beautiful white water. Yesterday, conditions really took a turn for the worse with a lot of weedy and sandy water, stuff stripers try to avoid. It was the first time in a week I got skunked.

While I have not been lighting it up in this week's northeast blows, I have heard of some great catches. These have mostly occurred in places of clean, white water with a lot of bait.  My son Jon had the best outing I heard of with 10 stripers over 40 inches two nights ago. So, you can score in the roughness if you find the fish.

There are many well known "Northeaster Spots" to fish in RI.  Most of these are either points that offer fishing on three sides which gives you some shelter from the wind, but still gives you white water.  The backwaters are also good bets and within the breachways on the outgoing tides might offer some good fishing in clean water.

If you do get out in the next few days, proceed with extreme caution and stay safe. The wind and surf are really supposed to ramp up.

Marathon Outing in the Yak Really Produces!

 

One of the big black sea bass that I jigged up.

I was just supposed to fish for a couple of hours along the oceanfront for albies today from the kayak. I did do that, but plans quickly changed and what turned out to be a couple of hours turned into 8 hours!

Man, how plans can change, and sometimes you just have to make adjustments.  In the area I fished there were basically few or no albies around today.  I saw one small pod of them crashing into huge schools of bait.  I decided this was a waste of time and began jigging the bottom.  The bottom was absolutely covered with black sea bass.  I had one on just about every drop and jig of my Clarkspoon. While most of them were small, I did mange to get a couple of big ones.

I left the oceanfront and decided on a whim to hit the Bay on the way home in a place where I got

First blues of the year today and it was loaded!

skunked earlier in the week. Today was a different story. Immediately after launching, I ran into a massive school of blitzing bluefish.  It was like the good ole days with boiling water, huge numbers of fish in a frenzy and loads of birds hitting the water. Even when the blues weren't blitzing or showing they were scattered in a big area where I was fishing and hitting.  Using a Rebel Jumpin' Minnow, I landed well over a dozen of them.  They were generally 3 to 5 lbs. Mind you, these are the first blues I've landed THIS YEAR!

Mixed in with the bluefish were big stripers.  Every once in a while I would see a big boil at my lure.  I finally got one to take, and it was either a good size slot or one that was slightly over the slot. My son Jon was with me and he also got a decent striper.

So, the day did not go as planned, but I am happy with the results. There are fish around, but you have to really look to find them.

One good size striper was the icing on the cake!

Must Have Lures When Stripers on Tiny Bay Anchovies

 

Three MUST HAVE lures when fussy stripers are
feeding on small bay anchovies.

The key to catching when stripers are on small bay anchovies is to try to "match the hatch" as fly fishermen would say.  That means going small with small offerings with a thin profile.  I have three killers in my bag which that I use when I encounter this small bait. One of them usually works the best although there are days when all three will be effective. These lures will catch albies, stripers and bonito with deadly efficiency on some day. 

1. Float 'n' Fly- This is so effective and worked the best in that blitz type day in my last post.  I am using a homemade wooden egg float with about two and a half to three feet of Varivas fluoro (usually 30 lb. test) trailing off the egg. Onto the fluoro I am tying on a homemade pink Deceiver fly (other colors/patterns will also work).  Cast it out and reel in slowly with occasional twitches of the rod tip.  Stop it occasionally. This set up outfished everyone else fishing on that hot day for big stripers a few days ago. 

2. Albie Snax- This lure is a bit bigger than the bay anchovies but it has the profile and the movement to attract fussy  stripers.  I like the white color and I rig it with a BKK Titan Rider 5/0 hook.  Cast, let it sink a bit and reel in slowly with twitches of the tod tip.  Stop reeling occasionally. Many hits will come on the stop.

3. Albie Jigs- These metal or epoxy lures are great casters and have the looks to catch a predators' eyes. I especially like an all silver Clarkspoon Stick Jig. Fool around with the retrieve.  Sometimes fast works, sometimes up and down jigging works. Sometimes a slow retrieve with twitches of the rod tip is best. The biggest fish I landed the other day, a 45 inch stripers, was taken on this lure. I also landed a couple of bonito on this lure.

So, there you have it. While I know most fishermen are stocking their bags with big expensive wooden plugs these days, sometimes simple and cheaper is better, especially when stripers are feeding on tiny bay anchovies!