The Year in Review- Grading 2021

 

Slot limit stripers were
around in very good
numbers this years.  Shore
fishing and kayak fishing
was very productive.

This past year was another banner year for stripers here in RI.  Just like last year, they were the highlight of the 2021 season.  Regardless of all the negative press we hear from the armchair warriors and the constant barrage of doom and gloom, those who were out fishing know this was a great year for stripers of all sizes here in RI. Bluefish, on the other hand, were a disappointment again. Albies were also a disappointment. Hickory shad hit our shores in record numbers.

Stripers:

Schoolies (12 to 28 inch fish)- While I started catching holdover schoolies in March, I found the first migrating fish along the oceanfront on April 19^th, just about on schedule. From that point to early May, it was a glut of smaller fish from 10 to 20 inches with occasional 25 inch fish. If you wanted to put in the time, hundred fish days were not unusual. I found similar numbers of schoolies close to home in the Bay where I was scoring big time from my kayak. Those big numbers of schoolies would continue right through summer and into the fall, although the stripers in the summer and early fall tended to be much larger. I got nearly all my schoolies on jigs with the bucktail along with a curly tail being the best producer all year.  It also made for safe and easy catch and release. Grade for schoolies-A

Slot Limit Stripers (28 to 34 inch fish)- Here’s a startling statistic from my logbook.  Back in 2020, one striper in 200 that I landed was a slot.  This year from May until late fall, one fish in 5 was a slot.  We had massive numbers of 22 to 26 inch stripers back in 2020.  They came back this year as slots over 28 inches. The kayak put me into big numbers of these slots in the late spring/summertime in the Bay.  Along the oceanfront, that time period from mid August to late September was unexpectedly good with almost daily blitzes of slot limit stripers chasing down massive schools of peanut bunker along the oceanfront and in parts of the Bay. Grade for slots- A

From schoolies to over slot stripers, it was a 
banner year of fishing here in RI

Over slots (35 + inches)-In recent years these fish were in short supply.  Not in 2021. I found good numbers of over slot fish from late spring into late fall.  Narragansett Bay was red hot in late spring/early summer as large numbers of big stripers were chasing down big schools of large menhaden. When you see 200 boats in the upper Bay on Memorial Day, you know things are hot. Big stripers were never easy to catch even in the heydays of striper fishing.  This year, if you put in your time, you could find stripers over 40 inches from shore, boat or kayak. Grade for over slots- B+

There were big blues around
in the early going but as the
season moved on it was poor.
Fall fishing for bluefish was
especially poor.

Bluefish-  In the early going (May into June) there were lots of them along the oceanfront and in the Bay.  I had many days from the kayak with 10 to 20 big blues in the 8 to 15 lb. range.  Shore fishing was also very good.  But, once the warm weather, warm water hit, they were gone.  They never returned in any numbers and the fall was particularly disappointing. From September through November, I landed exactly 2 bluefish.  I saw almost no others caught. Grade for blues- C

Albies- There is no predicting what will go on with these fish as they randomly move into shallow water from the depths of the ocean in late summer. This year started off early as I got my first one on August 31. That first week of September produced good numbers.  But, it got very inconsistent very fast. There were spurts of limited action, but it was often nothing for days and even weeks. Big storms may have played a role in moving them out. Overall, it was a disappointing year. I also never saw a single bonito landed from shore. Grade for albies- C-

Hickory Shad- They were around in record numbers along the oceanfront.  At times, especially in the fall, there were massive numbers of these chasing down small bay anchovies and just boiling up the water in a frenzy.  While the oceanfront had them in good numbers, the backwaters, rivers and ponds along the oceanfront were the prime places to use light tackle and fly fishing gear to catch them.  On many evenings I would get a mix of stripers and shad as the shad would aggressively go after good size bucktail jigs. Grade for hickory shad- A

I ran into this so, so many times this year from August until
late November.  It was often a glut of stripers of all sizes!
2021 was a banner year of striper fishing in RI.

Off to the Slopes

The fishing has gone downhill,
but the skiing has been great!

 The last striper that I caught, a small schoolie, was landed  a week ago. I've heard about nothing since. From all indications, things seem to be pretty much over except for some holdovers if you can find them. I've put most of my fishing stuff away, and am doing winter maintenance on all my stuff. 

The last month has been a changeover period for me.  Since Thanksgiving, I have been skiing 3 or 4 times a week.  The other days I've rotated between carp fishing in freshwater and saltwater striper fishing, sometimes doing both in the same day. I had some late season surprises with the striper fishing where I ran into unexpected good action.  The carp fishing in late fall has been fair, but I banked a few good fish in the teens. But, with some cold weather on the way and almost sure icing, I think the fishing is over for me, at least temporarily.  Of course, I'll get back to it if we get a warm spell.

Years ago when I had more energy, I remember times I'd often ski in the morning/early afternoon at Wachusett Mountain. I would bring along my carp gear and stop on the way home and fish for carp before dark, and I'd usually catch a few.  Later, I'd get home, eat supper and head out to catch holdover stripers at night. Only in New England! 

Bottom Line- They're Still Around!

Here's another one
that was landed tonight.
Earlier in the week,
I landed two slot limit
keepers after dark. 

 

Here's a hefty schoolie that was
landed this afternoon along the 
oceanfront.

I was out fishing saltwater two days ago and today. Surprisingly, I
found good numbers of stripers and even some hickory shad.  I saw birds working along the oceanfront.  I saw small schools of peanut bunker moving along the shore and I saw stripers whirling for bait.  If you didn't know it was December, you'd think I was fishing in October. Very strange; very unusual.

In these two days/evenings of fishing, I landed exactly 13 stripers and two hickory shad.  You will be surprised to learn that two of the stripers were slot limit keepers in the 28 to 30 inch range.  The rest were schoolies that ranged from a foot long to 24 inches. All the fish were caught on various jigs...some bucktails, some plastic bodies on jigheads. I got some fish in the daylight; some fish at night. The two keepers were landed after dark.

It's certainly not hot and heavy fishing all over the place and you probably have to do a lot of looking to find some fish.  But, here's the bottom line.....they are still around!

Photo of the Day....."Late Season Surprise"

 

Surprise, surprise, they are still around!
I found good numbers of fish this evening
and they were taking bucktail jigs. Stripers are still moving
along the RI oceanfront and along the backwaters.
You just have to spend some time looking to
find them.

Happy Thanksgiving

 To all my loyal readers......Wishing you and Your Families Happy Thanksgiving.

Here in RI we are truly blessed with one of the most scenic and beautiful oceanfronts found anywhere in the world.  Add to that some of the best striped bass fishing along the East Coast.  If you're a fisherman, you are truly fortunate.

Winding Down

 

Here's a fish I landed a few nights
ago on a bucktail jig. The striper 
fishing has really slowed down in
the last week.

In the last 4 or 5 days, the fishing along the oceanfront has been marginal at best with a few fish here and a few fish there. Activity level is way down also with very few fishermen out looking. I'm not sure whether it's the high gas prices or the lack or fish or maybe a combination of both.

In normal years we see things heading downhill around Thanksgiving.  Well, we are almost there so no surprise at the lack of fish. Those that live right by the shore might continue to catch some fish into December with fish few and far between, but the consistency is gone.

Those big storms of late October and early November had a devastating effect on the fishing this late fall.  While water temperatures are still around average or maybe even a little warmer than average, the bait appears to be gone. This reminds me of the year Hurrincane Sandy hit back in 2016.  It hit in late October and early November and the fishing never really recovered afterwards. Fishing this November had its moments, but overall it was way below expectations.

If you are still looking to fish, holdovers are probably your best bet right now. Good luck trying to find them.

Back in Business

 

This is one of many schoolies from
14 to 25 inches that I landed today.
I got them all on jigs.
The fishing is back after a dismal
stretch of weather.

Finally, fishable water! And, surprise, surprise, the fish were there!  I found very good numbers of schoolies in a couple of different spots today. I even saw birds working way out in one place along with a few gannets dive-bombing onto bait.  So, slowly, fishing is returning to normal after a dismal and very stormy few days.

The one glaring take-away from today was that there was just about no one fishing. Most places I went to were very fishable, but no one was there. Maybe it was the cold weather or the fact that the fishing has sucked in recent days.  Whatever, I can tell you it's way too early to hang up the gear. The fish are still around in good numbers. We have a solid couple of weeks left to the season, maybe more.

Inconsistent

 

The fishing was lean today with
only a few fish around.  November 
fishing has been inconsistent.

November fishing seems to be following the same pattern we saw in October. In a word, inconsistent. It is nowhere near what we experienced last year when there were blitz days after blitz days for much of the month of November along the RI south shore. This year there have been a few good days but there have also been a lot of dead days also so far in November. Severe weather has played a factor in the inconsistent fishing.

I fished multiple spots today. Most places had very little.  I saw nothing....no bait, no birds, no fish and very few fishermen. I did manage a couple of schoolies in one location in the daylight.  I also landed a schoolie and a slot fish after dark in another location.  All were taken on bucktail jigs. In the last couple of weeks, all the larger fish that I've landed (slots and above) have come after dark except for one fish. This should come as no surprise since your best bet at landing something decent will come at night.

I figure we have about 3 weeks left of good fishing. I think we will see at least one more push of lots of fish and bait that hopefully lasts many days. Maybe a run of ocean herring will come along and light things up. Fishing changes fast at this time of year so you just have to keep looking and plugging away.

Photo of the Day......Simply Beautiful!

 

Fishing was not great this evening but the sunset was spectacular!

One Heck of a Week

 It's been one heck of a week of striper fishing as I have run into blitz after blitz of stripers this week along RI's south shore oceanfront.  By day, it's been tons of schoolies.  After dark has delivered slots and even above slot limit fish. The fish are on the move, and the migration is in full swing right now. Below is a video of clips I pieced together of some of this week's action.

Photo of the Day.....Striper Mayhem

 It was all stripers today as pure mayhem erupted in the spot I was fishing.  With the cooler nights, stripers and bait are on the move setting some wild blitzes along the RI oceanfront in the last few days!

Hickory Shad Gone Wild!

 It's been a big fall for hickory shad as they are around in record numbers this year.  They seem to pop up everywhere in big numbers where there is small bait.  They are great fighters on light tackle.  Small jigs and teaser flies will get them. Check out these shad going crazy.

Weather Calms Down; Fishing Lights Up

 It was back to blitz-like conditions today as I found big numbers of stripers and hickory shad feeding on acres and acres of bay anchovies. At times the water was black with bait moving southward and the predators were hitting them from below while the birds were hitting the bait from above. I landed big numbers of schoolies today up to 25 inches.  The hot lure was a half ounce homemade bucktail jig spiced with a white, Bass Pro, triple ripple curly tail. This hot action cones after a week of very rough water and windy conditions that messed up the water and slowed the fishing considerably.  Looks like we are back in business with a stretch of storm free weather coming up.

Roughness, Persistent NE Winds Send Fishing Downhill

 Too much of a good thing has sent a lot of fish packing.  We've had very rough water and persistent, strong northeast winds since that massive storm on Tuesday. As often happens, the best fishing usually occurs at the start of these storms.  That was the case on Tuesday as I had really good fishing.  That good fishing continued on Wednesday of this week, but since then it has gone steadily downhill and for good reason.  Along sandy stretches, the rough surf has brought in a lot of weed and sand especially in close to shore.  Even along rocky areas the water is now weedy in places. 

Today I fished an area to the north along the oceanfront.  My son, Ben, was fishing many miles to the south of me.  We had a big area of the south shore covered and fished multiple spots.  I did a lot of casting and managed to pull just a few fish out of the white water. They were the only fish I saw caught today.  Ben got nothing.  We both saw some bird activity, but it was way out past the roiled water in close. The fishing was disappointing.

Traditionally, October has been the best fall month of the year here in RI. Not this year.  September's fishing was far better and more consistent.  Even August fished better than October. The inconsistency of this year's October fishing can be tied directly to excessive stormy weather. 

There's still a good amount of time left to our striper fishing.  The water and the weather are warm.  Here's hoping November delivers the best of fall striper fishing.

Photo of the Day.....On the Float and Jig

 

The water was rough and white again
today and the fishing was very good again.
The egg float and  bucktail jig caught
all the fish once again.  Jigs have been
real hot all fall.

Massive Waves Batter Coast; Great Striper Fishing in White Water

 Yes, I did fish today in this nasty northeaster. Huge waves were battering the coast along with strong winds and rain. The waves were as bad as any hurricane waves I've ever seen.  Check out the video below of the East Wall.

I almost drove home, but I figured I was down the oceanfront so why not try fishing.  I found a location where I was somewhat sheltered from the wind but the place still had a lot of white water. On the very first cast I had a schoolie so I knew it was going to be good.  I landed schoolie after schoolie on my float and bucktail jig as the fish were in close, thick in the white water.  These were on the smaller side, running 20 to 22 inches. Some were puking up small bay anchovies though I saw nothing breaking.  Birds were diving about two casts away from shore so I knew there was bait in the area.

The roughness of the next day or so is sure to move fish. I'm hoping that we don't see sandy or dirty water once this storm moves on.  It could put a crimp in the good fishing that was just getting into gear prior to the storm.

Fishing Hot and Cold

Last week's fishing was red hot for me.
It's a different story in the last few 
days as the bait and fish have moved on.

 Last week there was real hot fishing; this week not so good.  The stripers seem to be on the move following massive bait schools. Find the bait and you almost surely find a lot of bass. No bait....it's nearly impossible to pick up a loner striper. Today I burned a lot of that $3.40 gas as I hit many far south beachfront and breachway locations and worked my way northward.  I found nothing.  It was the first time in months that I did not even get a hit.  I saw no bait, no birds working and no fish.  I made a lot of casts hoping for a loner, but it just wasn't happening. 

October, so far, has been an on and off deal.  Interestingly, September offered far better and more consistent fishing. I still think the best fall fishing will happen in November so long as we don't see any severe weather events. We'll see.

Bay Anchovies....The Bait that is Setting off the Blitzes!

 

Passing Cold Front Heats Up Fishing

Here's a good size striper coming ashore with
my bucktail jig in its jaw.  Jigs were hot again
today.

 It took one passing cold front and one cold night to light up the fishing once again.  Today I was into blitz-like action all afternoon and evening as schools of stripers were tearing into schools of bay anchovies along a mile stretch of shoreline.  It was similar to the action we had back in September.  Hopefully today's action has started the fishing on a fall track.

I landed good numbers of stripers although the fish were fussy. Most of the fish were in the 24 to 28 inch range.  I had at least a couple of slot limit fish. Just like I mentioned in the last post, bucktail jigs were hot.  Cast to breaking fish, let the jig sink below the feeders and pump it in. It worked as good or better than anything else I saw today as many fishermen were using topwater plugs with limited success.

I sense this is the start of a fall run.  Barring any sort of severe stormy weather, we should see great and steady action for the next month as migrating bait and masses of stripers move southward.

It was mayhem today as schools of stripers were tearing 
through masses of small bait while birds hit the bait from above.

Big Buck Comes Through AGAIN!

 

The hot lure today was a homemade
bucktail jig (one oz.) spiced with
a four inch triple ripple tail.

It's been a frustrating week of fishing.  No question, the saltwater fishing has gone downhill since those big waves pounded the shore last weekend.  It sent a lot of the bait packing and the predators dispersed, making for inconsistent fishing. All week it has been a pick for me with a couple of fish here and there with no keepers until this evening.

I went out this afternoon and could find nothing anywhere at first, not even any fishermen.  Real dead. But, I finally located a small bunch of fussy stripers feeding on tiny bay anchovies. These seemed to be small schoolies feeding on top.  I went through much of my bag of tricks for fussy fish  Float and jig.....no good. Float and fly.....no takers. Jointed swimmer.....no good.  Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil- ah, finally a schoolie took it. But, my success was short lived as fish continued breaking, but not hitting my offering. 

I know from past experiences with fussy fish that sometimes, the bigger fish are lurking below the surface feeding small bass.  So, I snapped on a one ounce bucktail jig spiced with a four inch curly tail and casted it to a small pod of breaking bass.  I let the jig sink below the surface feeding fish and began a jigging retrieve, when suddenly,  BANG, I was onto my first keeper of the evening.  I used the same technique to nail three more fish, my second slot limit keeper and two others hefty schoolies. 

Once again, the bucktail jig produced.  It has been one of my most productive lures to use all year in various situations.

Hitting it BIG in the Kayak

 

The Rebel Jumpin' Minnow was
a hot plug today.  It works great 
when aggressive stripers are hitting
peanut bunker.

The last few days have been ideal to fish from a kayak.  It's been light northwest winds along with calm seas. In addition to these ideal conditions, there has been a lot of stripers around both in the Bay and along the oceanfront.

So, today I decided to go out in the kayak, and I'm glad I did.  I went with my son Jon and we found small pods of good size stripers slamming peanut bunker in the location we fished.  I used a Rebel Jumpin' Minnow in a bone color and that did the trick with the aggressive stripers.  It seems to me like the cooler nights have lowered the water temperatures, and that has gotten the stripers in a super charged feeding mood. It's a sure sign that fall is here.

Jon and I landed good numbers of stripers today from the kayak with many of them slot limit fish and even some biggies over the slot limit. 

This past week has been a super week of striper fishing for me with over 30 slot limit keepers and over slots in the last five days.  In addition, I've had a lot of hefty schoolies from 25 to 27 inches. The action is as good as it gets right now.

This is the biggest fish, an over slot, that I landed today from
the kayak.  We had several fish this size range along with others 
from hefty schoolies to slot limit keepers.

Photo of the Day....Keeper at Sunset

Here's a slot limit keeper that was landed at
sunset this evening.  Striper fishing has been
red hot all week with lots of slots in the mix.

 

The Birthday Blitz

One of the birthday keepers that joined
the party!

 I celebrated my 71st birthday today with a big blitz of stripers. Our fabulous early fall fishing just seems to keep going and these daily blitzes are happening daily if you can find the bait.  Find the bait and you most certainly will find stripers.  This evening's fish were real good size.  For the most part they were hefty schoolies with slots mixed in.  Of the thirty bass I landed, at least 6 were slot limit keepers up to 32 inches.  This 1 to 5 ratio of slots to schoolies has been what has happened since the summer.  So, no shortage of decent fish around. All the fish tonight were on jigs.  Before dark, it was the float and jig scoring; after dark, it was the big bucktail with a fat Cow jig strip.  The jigs made for easy catch-and-release, and did little to no damage to the fish. 

At 71 years old, I am fortunate to do what I am doing. I suppose health is everything at my age, and I am lucky to still be able to get out and fish every day. I do a lot of casting, walking in waders and climbing rocks in some tough to get at spots.  In addition, I try to ride a bike every day, and during the winter months, I ski at least five days a week. I'm convinced that all this activity is really good for me, and I have no plans to slow down!

One of many slot limit keepers landed this evening/night
on jigs.

RI Albie Fishing, 2021..... Disappointing

 

They were around in late August
but since then, their numbers have
declined big time. So far, albie
fishing overall from shore has
been poor here in RI.

The albie fishing so far in RI has been a big disappointment in 2021.  Expectations were high since they appeared much earlier than expected in late August.  However, the early arrivals were never plentiful with some schools popping up here and there.  Many fishermen thought the numbers would build as we moved into September, but remember you are dealing with an unpredictable fish.  Instead of the numbers building, they declined. A series of rough water events (tropical storm, severe rainstorms, thunderstorms) sent a lot of the bait packing, and I believe the albies went with it. With the calendar ticking away, I think it’s unlikely big numbers of albies will all of a sudden appear here in RI.

I know many fishermen who have put in big time hours to catch a few fish. At this point, a lot of the albie chasers have given up and turned to stripers which have been plentiful.  I have landed 3 albies so far this year, and my last one was caught on September 3^rd.  I’ve been out just about every day/night chasing stripers and I have not seen a school of albies pop up in weeks.  I’ve heard of exactly one fish being caught from shore in the last three weeks.  Those albie hotspots that played host to dozens of fishermen back in late August are just about empty now with only a few diehards left.

It’s not looking good for 2021.

Small Bait + Fussy Bass = Float and Fly

 

The float and fly (Pink Deceiver) is a deadly combo when the bait
is small and the stripers are fussy. It accounted
for good numbers of stripers today.

A slot keeper comes ashore with the fly in its mouth.
The float and fly will catch schoolies as well as keepers.

This hefty schoolie nailed the fly trailing off
the float. The float and fly was my best
producer today.

Thank You, Steve Medeiros

 

The RI sportfishing community has been shocked and saddened by the unexpected passing of Steve Medeiros, President and founder of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA). RISAA was the voice of sport fishermen all across this state for decades and Steve Medeiros was the guy who made everything happen.  I've known Steve for decades as my sons and I were long time members of RISAA.  I also did lots of seminars for the club.  Steve was the perfect guy to run RISAA.  He was a tireless and dedicated worker and he could get things done with political clout that would benefit sport fishermen across this state.  His accomplishments will be felt for decades to come and will be his legacy that will live on. He and RISAA were at the forefront of anything and everything that affected saltwater anglers in this state. He lobbied hard for fair regulations, worked to get an inexpensive saltwater license in place, worked to limit the seining of menhaden in the Bay, worked to gain public access across the oceanfront, ran the big RI saltwater fishing show and wrote a monthly newsletter to name just a few of his many accomplishments. RISAA was a model of efficiency.  They held monthly meetings with informative seminars, set up charities, provided scholarships, ran special and year round tournaments, set up numerous committees, and ran youth events that greatly promoted fishing for kids.

Steve was the glue that made all of this stick and run so smoothly. He will be missed by RISAA members as well as all who fish along saltwater here in RI.  They say those who pass away will be remembered by what they left behind. Steve will surely be remembered for all he contributed to saltwater fishing in RI. He was one of the great ones of sportfishing here in RI.  Thank you, Steve Medeiros, for all you have done for the fishing community over the years.

Photo of the Night....Big Fish on the Big Jig

 

I've got my hand in the jaw of a big bass that hit a large 
bucktail jig after dark. The slots and above slots have been abundant.

Photos of the Day....Hot Fishing in Southern New England

 

My son Matt was fishing in MA waters from a boat today.  It was a
bonanza of albies, Spanish Mackerel, stripers and bluefish. This
albie hit an Epoxy Jig.

At the same time, I was fishing in RI waters.  It was all stripers,
and lots of them from hefty schoolies to slot limit keepers. The
Yo Zuri Hydro Pencil continues to be the hot plug.

Photo of the Day...Big Fish on the Hydro Pencil

 

Here's a 40+ inch over the slot fish that took a Yo Zuri Hyro Pencil.
This is one of many keepers and over slots landed today!
Told ya this plug was hot!

Yo Zuri Hydro Pencil Red Hot

 

A very hot plug in recent days has been the
Yo Zuri Hydro Pencil in a bone color. I've 
landed 14 slot keepers on this plug in the
last few days.

The best plug for me in the last couple of days has been the Yo Zuri Hydro Pencil.  It has accounted for 14 slot limit keepers along with several schoolies. I've written about this plug before and it is one of my favorites to fish for stripers and bluefish when the bait is peanut bunker.  This plug looks like a Jumpin' Minnow on steroids.  It is bulkier than the Jumpin' Minnow as it weighs a bit over an ounce. The action, a walk the dog" type of back and forth movement when vigorously pulling the rod tip with a slow retrieve of the reel seems to drive fussy stripers nuts. Most days, this plug will far outfish standard poppers.  While I still use the Jumpin' Minnow a lot, I like this plug for distance casting or when a wind is in my face.

Our late summer of striper fishing continues to be fantastic here in RI. No shortage whatsoever that was predicted last winter by so called experts. There are big numbers of every category of sizes.  Loads of schoolies in places. an overabundance of slot limit fish and good numbers of over-slot fish. Add to that some big bluefish that join in the melees at times. 

On another note, the albie fishing has gone downhill.  I heard of exactly one albie caught all weekend. Too early for them....they should be back soon when the regular season begins.

Here's a 30+ inch striper that was foul
hooked on the Yo Zuri Hydro Pencil.
This plug has been my best producer lately.
The fish was released in good shape.

Preseason Albies

 

Jon Pickering holds one of two albies that he 
landed from shore one morning this week.  Yes, 
they are in but we are not seeing big numbers yet.

By now, many of you have probably heard that the albies arrived very early this year. By the last days of August they were being caught in various spots along the oceanfront.  There has only been one year (a long time ago) in which I landed an albie in  the month of August. I landed my second albie in August a few days ago on August 31. They are rare here in RI in August. In the last couple of days I have gotten two more.  All my fish so far have come on the egg float and fly. The fly is a pink Deceiver.

While the albies arrived early, there are not a lot of them.  One guy I fish with called these first arrivals "the scouts". Many fishermen I know have already put in a lot of time and effort and have yet to catch one. To give you an idea of your chances from shore, I know of one location this morning, a "hotspot", that saw about 15 guys casting from shore.  There was exactly one albie landed.  In another location, another "hotspot" there were roughly 40 guys fishing.  Exactly four fish were landed. 

Despite the low numbers, those early arrivals have touched off a frenzy of albie seekers.  Loads of fishermen trying from shore and a fleet of boats is chasing them down daily. I suspect a lot of fishermen will be out trying this holiday weekend.

I'm still sticking with my September 10th prediction (give or take a few days) for the big numbers of albies to arrive (if it happens).  That should start the regular season.

Rare Hat Trick....Albie, Stripers and Blue on Same Day.....From Shore!

 It was a rare hat trick today, something I have rarely been able to do from shore over the years.  Today I landed my first albie of the year.  In addition, I landed big numbers of stripers up to keeper size along with a big blue. It was simply loaded in multiple spots I fished today.  Fish busting in big schools, birds diving and massive amounts of peanut bunker fueling the mayhem.  All very rare for Aug. 31 from shore. It seemed more like an October blitz type of day.  Just a preview of what's to come!

First albie of the year, a rare fish for August 31.

Add to the pile of fish, a big blue.

Big numbers of stripers were also around,
completing a rare Aug. hat trick!

Beware of Albie Reports

 The hype has already started. Just about every fishing report I have read today says "bonito and albies" are being caught as if these are the same fish.  They are not and a number of uninformed fishermen out there simply do not know the difference between the two species. They use the names albies and bonito interchangeably as if they are the same fish. 

Here's the REAL report from a guy who is out fishing seven days of the week.  I have not seen a bonito landed from shore yet in RI.  I know of no one who has caught one from a boat, though some reliable reports and photos are surfacing.  So, we can assume a few have been taken.  Note that I have not even seen any breaking on the surface in my travels in the past week. No one else that I know has seen any. So, chances of getting one from shore right now are nil.  From a boat, your chances are bit better though slim. 

As far as albies, a different hardtail species, there are none right now in RI. I don't know of a boater or a shore fisherman who has seen any or caught any.  It's simply too early here in RI. I like September 10th (give or take a few days) as the start of it if it happens here in RI.

Everyone assumes we will see good numbers of albies every year.  I don't know what basis they have to predict this as these fish are highly unpredictable.  These are pelagic fish that spend most of their lives way offshore in the depths of the ocean.  They might come to shore to feed briefly in the fall, mostly from early September to mid October.  But, there are years in which none have appeared.  Over the last 50 years, my logbooks will show that about a third of those years saw big numbers, a third of those years had none and a third of those years produced a few. I have no idea what will happen this year.

Back in Business

 In quick time, the ocean has cleaned up from Tropical Storm Henri, and the fishing is on again.  I went down yesterday and found good numbers of stripers. There are clean spots and some sandy areas along the oceanfront, and it was the clean and rough spots that were producing.  I also saw big schools of fish out far.  At one point I also saw a school of peanut bunker being harassed in close to shore.  It was the float and jig that caught all my fish yesterday.

Looks like the fishing is pretty much back to the way it was before the storm- lots of bait, lots of stripers and lots of action!

This is one of many schoolies that Jon and I 
caught yesterday.  The water has cleared and
calmed down considerably and the fish are back!

A Glut of Slots

 

Here's a slot limit keeper that was
landed on a Jumpin Minnow this week.
There have been big numbers of slot
limit fish around in the last few weeks.

There has been no shortage of slot limit keepers in the last couple of weeks along the RI shoreline.  My son Jon and I have been getting big numbers of stripers from shore.  Roughly 30 to 40 % of them have been slot limit keepers of 28 to 32 inches.  The rest have been hefty schoolies from 24 to 28 inches. There have been massive schools of them on the surface feeding on vast schools of peanut bunker.

So, where's the decline or the shortage of stripers?  In the spring many of the experts were predicting gloom and doom for the stripers in 2021. Some went so far as to say they were disappearing.  But, here in RI it has been big numbers of stripers of all sizes from the start of the season to now.  The spring saw a glut of smaller fish under 20 inches.  In late spring and early summer, Narragansett Bay and the oceanfront had big numbers of slots and over the slot fish which were generally after adult menhaden. In the last month, it has been lights out for large schoolies and slot fish with occasional over the slot larger fish mixed in. 

It shows no sign of letting up, and I believe we are heading for a lights out fall run of good size fish along the oceanfront. No shortage of stripers here in RI! We've got the numbers and we've got the sizes!

Photos of the Day....Mayhem

 

Bottom: Birds are diving, stripers are busting and peanut bunker are swimming for their
lives.  Striper mayhem along the oceanfront.
Top: The after affects of the blitz has left thousands of peanut bunker stranded.

Kindness at the Cape Cod Canal

 I'm sure many of you have seen that You Tube video circulating about 2 guys fighting at the Cape Cod Canal recently. There have been other incidents reported this year and last which depict the very worst in fishing humanity and ethics.  While these knuckleheads get much of the attention, I have to tell you that I've always found the Ditch a very pleasant place to fish.  I will also admit I fish mostly in the daytime and avoid that early morning frenzy.  Most of the problems seem to arise from sleep deprived early morning fishermen that go from fishing should to shoulder to yelling in one another's face. There is a much kinder and gentler crowd that fishes there in the daytime. 

Today and yesterday I was down there.  At one point today I was about to fish a spot that was steep and challenging at best.  I mentioned to one young man who was fishing nearby that "Those rocks look real treacherous. Sure difficult to get a fish up here." He turned to me and said that if I wanted to fish there, he would be happy to go down and unhook any fish I caught.  

At another point today I was riding my bike looking for fish.  I came upon two older guys fishing.  One shouted, "Hey, the fish are here."  I told him I didn't want to crowd him, but he said plenty of room here.  So, I went about 20 yards from this guy and proceeded to catch a few fish.

At another point today I was talking with a couple of younger guys.  We compared notes about where we caught fish the last couple of days.  They offered some generous info as to where they had landed some fish.

I could also tell you countless other stories about other fishermen I have met at the Canal recently.  Some are daytrippers, some are out-of-staters and some are resident fishermen.  The common thread....all quite friendly and pleasant. 

Snagging Stripers....Is it Legal?

 A new, nasty trend is developing along the oceanfront.  This week I saw quite a few people attempting to snag stripers.  Some were using weighted snaggers like you'd use to snag pogies.  Others has this hideous rig with a sinker at the terminal end and two large trebles connected to dropper loops further up. These guys were tossing their snagging rigs into large schools of fussy stripers that were on the surface.  Sadly, I did see some fish caught.

With all the talk about circle hooks and conservation these days, you would think that snagging stripers would be illegal.  I saw one conservation minded angler get  in the face of one of the snagging fishermen and told him in no uncertain terms to cut this out or he would call the DEM.

But, is this practice legal or illegal?  At the least, most of us would agree it is highly unethical. So, I called DEM enforcement.  To my surprise, the answer was "we don't know, we'll have to look into it." Wow, not what I expected to hear.

In these days of striper decline and conservation and all kinds of laws directed at preserving the fish we have, you' d think banning the snagging of them would be no brainer. If it's not illegal, it should be!

Big Blues Enter the Fray

 

Big blues have joined the fray
looking for tons of small 
baitfish along the oceanfront.,

Add big bluefish to the species of fish that are attacking the hordes of bait that have moved in along the RI oceanfront.  Yesterday I found a mix of decent sized stripers as well as big bluefish.  These blues were running 8 to 12 lbs., and they were very aggressive. I was using a pencil popper to get way out.  The blues would blast the plug, sometimes hitting it numerous times before they would get hooked. They were also crazy on the fight.

The has been a wild week along the oceanfront.  I've seen big schools of chub mackerel, loads of hickory shad at times, incredible numbers of stripers from schoolies to slot limit keepers and now big bluefish.  There are even rumors of bonito showing and being caught. Its the wildest fishing I have ever seen in late July from shore.  All of it is being fueled by massive amounts of small bait that are moving along the shore. We are seeing schools of small peanut bunker as well as schools of small bay achovies. 

The pencil popper was a hot plug yesterday
as the fish were in a zone way out. It accounted 
for good numbers of big bluefish and some stripers.

Photos of the Day

 

Here's a slot limit keeper that nailed the float and
fly today. Action continues to be hot and heavy.

Loaded with stripers again today but the bait has
changed.  Today it was masses of small peanut bunker
The peanuts attracted huge numbers of stripers in
the 20 to 30 inch range.

Float 'n' Fly Scores Big

The stripers were feeding on huge
schools of baby achovies that
have moved in along the oceanfront
in the last few days.

 I found big numbers of fussy stripers again last evening.  These fish were feasting on big schools of small bay anchovies. When stripers are feeding on this half inch bait, they can be mighty fussy.   But, on this night I was quite prepared for the fussy fish.

You might remember I posted a number of articles last fall when I ran into the same thing along the south shore.  At the time, it was the wooden egg float with a fly that killed the fish when little else was working. So, before leaving home, I made sure I had the eggs and flies in my surf bag. 

Right away I snapped on my wooden egg float with a pink Deceiver

The wooden egg float and fly (pink
Deceiver) proved to be deadly tonight.
It is one of your best bets when stripers
are feeding on tiny bait.

fly trailing off a three foot leader.  It worked wonders as I had a hit or a fish just about every cast when the fish showed in front of me.  These fish were all hefty schoolies in the 20 to 27 inch range, a size range we haven't seen much of this season. They were around in massive numbers on this night.  At one point I scanned out into the ocean and could count 5 large schools of stripers working the surface.

The calendar says we are in July yet the fishing seems like the middle of October. These are some of the biggest numbers of fish I have ever seen in July. Keep in mind these are fussy stripers keying on very small bait, and you will have to go small in order to catch them.  Nothing better than a float 'n' fly in this situation.

This is one of many stripers landed on the
float 'n' fly.  The fish are running 20 to 27
inches with an occasional small slot in the mix.