Off to a FLYING Start

I made my first trip to the oceanfront today, and the fishing was HOT.  Yes, the migrating schoolies have hit the RI oceanfront in a big way as I fished multiple spots and caught fish in every spot.

Cocahoes mounted on
half ounce jigheads were
hot numbers today.

The shrimp fly teaser was also
working as it caught about
a third of the fish.

It took me exactly 15 seconds to nail my first fish. On my very first cast, I landed my first striper of the new year. From then on, it was numerous singles and many numerous doubles as both the shrimp teaser and the Cocahoe were catching. All the fish today were schoolies with most of them good size running 20-25 inches on average.

These fish have been around for a few days now, but surprisingly, few fishermen were fishing today. I suspect that many fishermen are hanging on the sidelines just waiting to hear of good numbers of fish. They are here, and it should only get better in the coming weeks. By this time next week, I am guessing there will be keeper stripers in the mix. 

A new year has begun, and it's about time!

Nothing to Report

I am hearing what everyone else is hearing.  There are some holdover fish being taken in the backwaters, but no new fish moving along the oceanfront.  I mentioned many times that this would be an unusual year because of the brutal winter and the very cold spring that is in progress.  It will be a very late start.  As I sit here typing this, it  is a cold 38 degrees outside and the water temperatures along the oceanfront are in the mid forties.  In a nutshell, that is why we have no fish yet. Too cold.
Last year proved to be similar.  While a few fish were being taken in the last week or April, the real good fishing did not begin until the first week of May, very late by past standards.  We are looking at the same scenario for this year. With temperatures in the next week predicted to be only in the 50's, don't expect to see much. It will happen eventually, but you might just have to wait till May to see good numbers of stripers.

What's in the April Surfbag?

I know we are getting close to the start of a new striper season when I start packing my surfbag.  Some time within the next two weeks you will hear about migrating stripers being caught along the south shore or even in Narragansett Bay. While everything is late this year due to the brutal winter we had, I am guessing stripers will be arriving between April 20-25, maybe even a bit later if the weather is cool and earlier if we get a big warm-up.
So, what's in the surfbag for April fishing.  My bag reflects a heavy emphasis on jigs.  Early fish are all schoolies and they tend to grub along the bottom.  Jigs are the hottest lures in April, though I do carry a few plugs with me.  I might get a schoolie to come up and hit a popper in the early going in a warm water spot in the Bay. When I say jigs I mean bucktail jigs or plastic bodies (Cocahoes and Zoom flukes threaded onto jigheads.
Here's what's in my bag for April fishing:
1. Small plugs- a few poppers  in the 3-4 inch range and some small swimmers.
2. Plastic box loaded with jigheads (1/4-1 oz.) and an assortment of  bucktail jigs in the same sizes.
3. Bags of plastic- 3 and 4 inch white grub tails, bags of Zoom flukes in light color for Gansett Bay, bags of 3 and 4 inch Cochahoe minnows for oceanfront.
4. Leader wallet to hold leaders and teaser rigs (shrimp flies used as teasers)
5. Wooden egg floats to use with jig and float rigs.
6. Tools- Scissors to cut braid, pliers.
7. Extra swivels and snaps in a small container.