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| Will the blues still be around after things calm down? It's unlikely. |
There are two big negatives coming from this recent cold front. First off, the winds are severe for an extended period of time. That northwest wind has been blowing up to 40 knots for the last two days and will continue for two more days. I suspect a lot of migrating fish and bait have been pushed off shore. Secondly, the cold has been severe. As I write this, it is 30 degrees outside. Just two days ago the water temperature off Newport was 52 degrees. It now stands at 48 degrees, a severe drop in just a couple of days. That will almost surely send the blues packing. Some stripers may still be around. Water temps in the 40's generally point to the end in sight.
Now, before I start getting e-mails from the diehards who fish throughout December, let's get something straight about the end of the season. There are really two endings. One of them I call the end to CONSISTENT fishing. That is the ending I am talking about. And, I think you will see this consistent fishing end in a week or so if it isn't already over. It is always a crap shoot after Thanksgiving, and I can count on one hand the years that have been productive in the last two decades after turkey day. The other ending is the TOTAL END to things. Sure, there are guys who live near the shore that will fish four or five times a week until the end of December. And, I have no doubt they will hook into a fish or two, maybe even stumble upon a blitz, but I am guessing they will not see any consistent fishing in December along the RI oceanfront. It will be a straggler here and there until the total end of things happens in December.
So, regardless if the fishing is over or not, this will go down as an epic November that saw record numbers of schoolies, very good numbers of big blues and enough keepers to keep things interesting! It was fun while it lasted.
