Check Out This Story in The Fisherman Magazine

If you are looking for information on one of the hottest artificial combos to use for stripers right now, check out this week's issue (May 17, issue #20)  of The Fisherman magazine.  I wrote a feature article titled "Stripers on the Float 'n' Plastic.  The article outlines everything you need to know about fishing the float and plastic rig from rigging to actual fishing to spots this might work.  It is one of the deadliest lure combos to catch stripers (schoolies as well as keepers) from shore, especially when fishing windy and rough conditions.
This article is the first of many that I will be writing for The Fisherman this year.  I met the new editor, Toby Lapinski, at one of the big shows this winter and he told me he goes to my blog just about every day.  He also said he read everything I wrote years ago when he started striper fishing.  Well, I was flattered. So, when he asked if I had any ideas for stories for The Fisherman, I was quick to reply.
The Fisherman magazine is sold at numerous tackle stores around the state.  For subscription info, call 860-572-0564.

Hot Schoolie Fishing in Nasty Weather

The last three evenings have featured some nasty weather with rain, thunderstorms, cold and wind.  However, the fishing for schoolies has been real good in  the Bay.  I landed a total of 31 fish in  the last three evenings.  They ranged from tiny ones to fish of 24 inches.  I got no keepers.  The hot ticket has been plastics.  The three inch Zoom fluke with a lightweight jighead has done most of the damage, but I also scored using a float and Slug-Go combo (see photo).  If I had the choice I would much rather fish in nasty weather than beautiful sunny weather.  The fish are far easier to fool and more active in the lousy weather. And, there are far less fishermen around.

So, Ya Think There are Some Big Fish Around?

Boys Outfish the Old Man Today

What can I say.  I taught them everything they know about fishing so on occasion, the sons show up the father. It happened that way tonight. First off, my son, Ben, is out slugging it out in the rough and stormy surf along the oceanfront.  Smart boy....I taught him far better to fish rough water than calm conditions.  And, it paid off today as he landed a 33 inch striper (see photo at right) along with a decent schoolie while tossing a float and Cocahoe into white water.  My son, Jon, went out with me in the upper Bay.  Tough conditions tonight with a very strong wind, dirty water and a big tide.  Well, Jon got the only fish, a decent size one (see photo at left) that was close to keeper size that he nailed on a Zoom fluke on a jighead.  So, the boys showed up the father tonight.  Hey, I'll get 'em back this week!

In a Slowdown

We're in a slowdown.  I was catching 8-10 stripers an outing several weeks ago and now I'm getting 3 or 4 an outing.  I'm fishing mostly in Narrragansett Bay, but my son Ben is fishing the oceanfront and he reports the same thing going on there.  My brother is fishing from his boat and he, too, reports slow going.  Maybe it's the weather.  We are in a cold spell with below average temperatures.  It's also been rainy.  In the last ten days the water temperature in the Bay has actually dropped 6-10 degrees depending on where you are.  On the bright side, I do think the average fish is a bit larger than several weeks ago.  Tonight I landed exactly three fish from shore.  They were all in the 20-26 inch range (see photo of biggest).  Those are decent size schoolies compared to some of the tiny fish we were getting weeks back.

Sad News....Tim Coleman Passes Away

The RI saltwater fishing community lost a giant today as Tim Coleman, long time editor of the Fisherman magazine, passed away.  The Providence Journal is reporting that his body was found in back of Weekapaug Breachway.   Here is the link: http://news.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/2012/05/fishermans-body.html
While I never fished with Tim, I knew him from my dealings at The Fisherman magazine and I spoke with him many times.  You knew from talking with him he had a passion for fishing and it was something he truly loved, whether it was casting from shore for stripers or blues or hauling in codfish from a boat.  He was one of my favorite writers of all time, and his passion for fishing always came through in his magazine articles and editorials. He will be missed. 

First Bluefish

Some are going to cheer this news; others are sure to curse.  I got my first bluefish of the year tonight from shore in the Bay while fishing with a Slug Go for stripers (see pic).  The blue went about five pounds.  This is very early for bluefish, but everything has been early this year so I am not surprised at this catch.  Whether there are a lot of them or not, I don't know.  I have been taking keeper bass just about every evening in the last week on skinny plastic, but I landed none tonight though I had a couple of good fish on.  Bluefish can be real pests when you are fishing skinny plastic as they will often cut these expensive offerings to shreds.  But, hey, unlike many striper guys, I do like catching blues. So, I am cheering their presence!