Youth Writing Contest Sponsored by NE Outdoor Writers

The NEOWA (New England Outdoor Writers' Association) of which I am a member is running its annual Youth Writing Contest for 2016.  This contest is open to kids from 6th to 12th grade and is divided into a junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12) division. State winners receive $125 cash awards with the possibility of winning the best of NE award ($150 additional).
The whole idea is to come up with a story or poem about anything outdoor related.  Here in RI we had several real good fishing stories last year from kids who entered after seeing a post like this on my blog. We had a couple of very deserving winners from RI and we are hoping to get the same this year.
The rules for the contest and other details are spelled out in the this link: Youth Writing Contest.
So, if you know a kid who likes to fish or likes to do anything outdoor related, think about getting him or her to enter out contest. Every NE state is running their own contest.

Just Nothing to Report from Saltwater; Freshwater Hot

I can't get a striper this December, but fishing for carp
in freshwater has been spectacular, the best ever for
this time of year.

I have nothing to report from saltwater.  Yes, I have been numerous times looking for holdover fish in the Providence River, but I have found nothing but bait.  There are schools of large menhaden as well as peanut bunker, but I have found no stripers. I've tried in the daytime as well as at night.  Man, this area has really taken a plunge.  At one time, as recently as five years ago, I was catching hundreds of stripers a month in the wintertime in this area. But, it has gone so far downhill in the last few years that I am beginning to doubt that I will get even one fish this winter. That should tell you a lot about the state of our striped bass numbers.
On the other hand, I am still fishing, and have turned my attention to freshwater carp.  This has been a record late fall/early winter for me as the warm weather has the fish feeding as if it is September.  Some days I catch 10, 15 and even 20 fish with numerous fish between 10 and 20 lbs. So, long as this weather remains ice free, the carp will continue hitting.  If you are looking for info about carp fishing, one of the fastest growing fisheries in the entire US, check out my popular blog at RI Carp Fishing.

Alls Quiet with the Winter Fishing

The disappointing fall fishing has extended into my winter fishing. Normally at this time I am racking up some big catches in the upper Bay.  But, I have been out several times in the last couple of weeks and it has been a big fat ZERO. No fish, no one fishing, which seems to be a familiar theme this fall in RI..
I was out tonight. Just like along the oceanfront in the last few weeks there was a lot bait where I was fishing.  There were lots of large menhaden just lazily circling about. I saw peanut bucker schools also milling around the lighted areas and shadow line. There was some sort of skinny small bait (bay anchovies?). But, no striper hits and no whirls.
In the last few years, winter fishing has been on a downhill slide which has mirrored the downhill slide of the striper stocks. Ten short years ago I was catching over a thousand stripers a winter in upper Gansett Bay. The way things are going I am wondering if I will even catch one this winter.