First Keepers Landed; Uptick in Activity; Other "Stuff" Working

This schoolie hit a one ounce
bucktail jig spiced with a
4 inch curly tail.

The Yo-Zuri Hydro Minnow
was my best producer today.
It also seemed to lure larger fish.

The fishing really took a turn for the better today in some rough and stormy conditions along the RI oceanfront. I had my best day yet with 22 fish onto the shore. Most were bigger than what I have seen in recent days with the average fish running 20 to 25 inches.
I also saw some keepers landed this week.  A couple of days ago, my friend Dick Geldard, fishing right next to me, landed a beautiful fish that had to go at least 15 lbs. (roughly 32-33 inches). I have seen a few other smaller keepers (28 inch range) taken this week. I had several fish this week that were just shy of keeper size, so the average size fish seems to be getting bigger.
The fish are also getting more active. Today was the first day I have been able to catch stripers on something other than a Cocahoe Minnow on a jighead.  Yes, I got a few on that.  I also got a few on a bucktail jig with a curly tail attached to it. But, I had my best luck today using swimmers.  I landed good numbers of fish on both a Sebile Magic Swimmer and a Yo-Zuri Hydro Minnow.  Both of those lures in a white color were getting it done and seemed to be attracting larger fish. If you want to use a swimmer, consider crushing the barbs of the treble hooks for easier catch and release.  With the fish being so active, I'll bet I could have even gotten one to hit a popper, but I did not have one in my bag.

So Far, Not So Good

I've been catching spring run stripers for over a week now, and I can sum up the fishing in three words. SHOULD BE BETTER.
In the last few years, that initial push of fish has been phenomenal. Not this year. In the last eight days, either I have been out fishing or my son, Jon, has been out fishing the RI south shore. In total, the both of us combined have landed 55 schoolies. Heck, in the last few years, I could get that alone on a good night. My best outing has been 18 schoolies, but it took me almost all day to get them.
Last night I was fishing in a real good early season spot.  I had beautiful water in front of me....a perfect "10".  The water was rough but clean and the water was moving with a rising tide.  It was ideal for late April.  I plugged that spot for three hours and came away with just three schoolies. Not good.
I've also been disappointed by the size of the fish.  A lot of what I am seeing are small schoolies in the 12 to 16 inch range. Because we had a lot of 20 to 24 inch fish last year, I figured this year's bunch would be real good size schoolies over 24 inches.  Those fish have been scarce.
I realize we are still real early in the season, and for sure, more fish are on the way. The first week of May has always been a real hot time to fish. Realize, too, the ocean has been unusually rough and stormy. Lots of big water, lots of  rain and lots of wind. In short, it's been too much of a good thing. So, maybe when things calm down a bit, the fishing will perk up, especially for the larger fish.
On one bright note, I did hear of several schoolies caught already in the upper and mid Bay.  So, they are spreading out. I'm guessing the Bay should light up with big numbers of fish in about a week.

Cocahoes Rule the Early Action

A Cocahoe Minnow mounted on a 3/4 oz.
jighead has been THE lure to use in the early
going.  In this photo of a fish I landed
tonight, the lure is a larger Queen Cocahoe.

Once again, the Cocahoe Minnow is killing it in the early going. This fan tailed lure is just about all you need to catch stripers in the spring surf along the RI oceanfront.  Pair this with jigheads of assorted sizes and you are good to go. I especially like the "Queen" Cocahoe, a plastic minnow in a glow or white color that measures 4 inches long.  Many fishermen like the regular three inch size.
This week I have been fishing a lot of rough surf, and I that Queen Cocahoe paired with a 3/4 oz. jighead has been my best producer.  I like to use the smaller Cocahoe with smaller jigheads when the water turns calm and the fish tend to be a bit more fussy.
While many fishermen will just cast and retrieve this lure slowly near the bottom, I like to give it a bit more action by pulling the rod tip occasionally on the slow retrieve.  This makes the Cocahoe move up and down rather than tracking straight in. Tonight I was getting a lot of fish and hits when the lure dropped down after a pull of the rod tip.  Sometimes a pause in your retrieve will also get a striper to hit since they are often following this lure and will tend to hit it when the lure does something different like a pause or dropping down.
Regardless of how you fish it, the Cocahoe is BY FAR the best lure to use in the early going for schoolies and small keepers.

SOME

Here's the first one of the year for me.  I've gotten some in the
last few days, but have not run into big numbers of fish.

I've been out fishing a lot in the last few days, and I can report that there are some stripers around. Some. There has been no big numbers of fish in this initial push of migrating fish, and I am guessing that most of the guys and gals who have been trying along the south shore have not gotten anything yet. The big numbers are just not here yet. But, I have landed some in the last few days, and that is the start of it for me.
As I have preached all along, Cocahoes have caught all the fish for me.  Most of the fish I am catching have been in the 16 to 20 inch range, typical for the first arrivals, but I also had a near keeper yesterday.  All of these are fresh sea run fish because they are bright colors and loaded with sea lice.
It's only a matter of time, maybe a few days, until we really begin to see big numbers of schoolies and maybe even some small keepers.

Jigs Rule the Early Season

Plastics on jigheads rule
the early season striper
fishiing

If you are looking for the full story
on early season striper fishing, check out
my latest article in The Fisherman magazine
titles "Spring Stripers from the Bottom Up".

Unlike the rest of the year, fishing for stripers in the early season is quite simple. Jigs rule. It's a fan tailed lure like the Cocahoe that shines along the oceanfront while fork tailed lures like a Zoom fluke does the job in Gansett Bay. Light colors or all white is the color choice.  Pack a bunch of jigheads in the half to 3/4 ounce range. That's it for the first two weeks of fishing.
I especially like the Cocahoe minnow mounted on a half or 5/8 oz. jighead (might go larger in rough water) along the oceanfront where the migrating fish will appear first. I use both the three and four inch models in a glow or white color. Nothing complicated about using it.  Simply cast, let it sink and reel in. The back and forth swimming of the fan tail will get the stripers to hit.
If you are looking for the scoop and more details about early season fishing with jigs, check out my latest story in The Fisherman magazine in the April issue.

Coming Attractions

I did a show the other night in Braintree, MA for the Mass Striped Bass Association.  The talk around the club was that everyone couldn't wait until the striper season gets started.
It won't be long now as the calendar soon moves to April, the month that starts our season here in RI.
Here are a few highlights of what to expect:

Expect the initial surge of migrating stripers to hit the RI
Oceanfront from April 15 to April 20th.

When? -I expect to see the first stripers along the RI oceanfront to show from April 15 to April 20.  If we suddenly get a warm spell, it could be earlier. If this cool spring weather persists, it could be a bit later. But, it will happen in April. The Bay will start to produce about a week to 10 days after the first ones are taken along the oceanfront.
How many?- Expect that initial surge to be memorable.  Last year there were tons of schoolies around, and I see a big surge of migrating fish hitting our shores. We'll go from one or two fish being caught to a glut of them in a matter of a few days.
How Big?- Last year saw record numbers of stripers in the 20 to 24 inch range.  They grow about 4 inches a year when schoolies.  It should be loaded with fish in the 24 to 28 inch range.  While early spring typically delivers tons of schoolies, expect to see good numbers of small keepers in the 28 to 32 inch range.  I suspect the larger fish over 36 inches will be scarce again this year.
What to use?- Jigs of all kinds rule in the early going. The very best lure will be a white Cocahoe Minnow threaded onto a jighead. Other jigs such as other fan tailed plastics, bucktails and Storm shads should also catch.  Leave the topwater plugs at home. They won't work until the water warms. Light tackle is generally preferred in the early going.
Where?- I'll let you figure that one out.  But, I will say this.  While tons of guys often congreagate in one spot, there's about 15 miles of fishable shoreline along the south shore of RI.  They are not all in one spot!

River's End Striper Surf Day....Sat., March 9

My next stop on my seminar tour for 2019 will be the River's End Striper Surf Day on Saturday, March 9.  This event is put on by River's End Tackle, 440 Boston Post Rd., Old Saybrook, CT. This is a very popular event with CT and southern RI striper fishermen and is a very well attended event.  The day's events run from 10:00 AM till 4:00 PM and feature seminars, raffles, demonstrations, factory reps, and tackle galore. The event is all free from the parking to the food to the seminars.  You can find more information here: http://www.thefisherman.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.eventdetail&EventID=1430
Hope to see many of you there!