I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we are back in business with good numbers of stripers back along the RI coast. The bad news is that they are all small, I mean really small as these are the smallest fish I have seen all season.
I went down today in this really cold weather. I don't mind the cold since I will be spend all winter outside skiing starting in a couple of weeks regardless of the temperature. The advantage to fishing the cold is that you have the oceanfront to yourself, and that says it all about today. With wind chills in the 20's the beaches were empty except for a few hearty souls that showed up to make a few casts. I saw little activity. I saw a few gannets hitting the water way out, and at one point I saw a few gulls hitting the water in close and a few fish breaking for maybe 20 seconds. I saw no other bait close to shore. There was little activity to note. However, the fish were there, maybe just moving along the beaches in small schools.
Using a Cocahoe on a half ounce jighead, I landed good numbers of fish. I was hoping for a big one in the mix, but they were all 12 to 18 inches. These were some of the smallest fish I have seen this year along the oceanfront. But, in my mind, still better than staying home and listening to depressing news. If you are going to fish for these small ones, consider using single hook jigs. They are safer for catch-and-release fishing than treble hooked plugs.
Regardless of what happens in the coming days, I think we have less than two weeks left of consistent fishing. After Dec. 1, it becomes a crap shoot here in RI.
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| This is one of many schoolies landed today in this cold weather. Stripers are back along the oceanfront but most are on the small side. |
