Fishing Over There

Newsday 6/30/06

2006-07-01T23:51:00.001-04:00

Fishing Forecast
Source: Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Publication date: 2006-06-30

Jun. 30--1.Western Long Island Sound: Striped bass continue to mob the area with plenty of fish in the 20-30 pound range and R&G in Port Washington reporting a 38-pounder. The action is almost exclusively on fresh bunker chunks and live bait. Jack's B&T in City Island reported anglers are limiting on fluke to 5 pounds at the points using bucktails with squid and spearing. Porgy fishing is strong.

2. Huntington / Northport bays: Four Winds in Huntington Station reported super fluke action with loads of sand eels and anglers having no trouble reaching limits. The pool fish on the Huntington open boats is typically between 4 and 6 pounds with outstanding action. Bass are biting well though the weather limited anglers last week. Porgies are shallow which is good for beach fishing but tough for anglers drifting worms for bass.

3. Smithtown Bay: Tony DeVito and his buddy limited on fluke to 6 pounds and had porgies to 2 pounds while Mike Mastrogiacomo and Rich Cunes had fluke to 25 inches off West Meadow, according to Swaine's B&T in St. James. Dave Ciotti used live killies off Short Beach to take a limit of fluke to 20 inches, a few bluefish to 4 pounds and a 14-pound striper.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: An intense fluke bite with many anglers limiting out on fish to 6 pounds and plenty of juicy keepers in the 3-4 pound range for the open boats out of Port Jeff. The sand eels keep the fluke feeding through all conditions. Many say it's the best fluke action in at least 10 years. Fluke has been pretty disappointing in other parts of LI, but from Oyster Bay to Rocky Point it is tremendous.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: A nice bite along the Sound side from Goldsmith Inlet to Orient with anglers working the surf with poppers and wooden plugs for keeper bass and blues, according to Wego Fishing in Southold. A lot of big porgies on that side as well. The Gut and Race are producing strong bluefish with a few keeper bass during the day, and at night the bite turns to stripers.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Some decent fluke action by the Ruins in the last few days, with anglers using squid and spearing or live killies to flush out the keepers. Bluefishing in the bay is a sure thing with a diamond jig or small shad; just find the birds working. Most of the fish are cocktail size.

7. Montauk Point: The Marine Basin Shark Tournament brought 10 fish to the scales, but no threshers for the first time in a few years. Most of the action was far offshore. Fish On took first place with a 315-pound blue shark and Tuna Tangler had a 192 mako. Striped bass action is excellent as Amanda had a 38.4-pounder on the Venture and Freddie's B&T reported some keepers from the surf, mostly on night tides.

8. Shinnecock Bay: Every so often the fluke bite has a pulse, like when the ocean lit up for the Shinnecock Star on Saturday with fish to 6 pounds, but then it fades again. Wind and fog this week did little to boost angler participation, according to Molnar's Landing, but Tom, Wayne and Al had stripers in the inlet to 18 pounds.

9. Moriches Bay: Mastic B&T reported good striped bass action on clams and a solid bite of sea bass and ling on the outside reef and wrecks when conditions allow anglers to get there. Fluking in the bay is decent; Bob hit a limit of fluke between buoys 27 and 29, according to Silly Lily's in East Moriches.

10. Great South Bay / Fire Island Inlet: Billy Sorrese drilled a 40.71-pound striper on live bunker off South Beach and fishing buddy Dave Gagliano took a 27.8-pounder, according to Augie's B&T in Babylon. Peter Mack picked up a 15-pounder fly fishing in the inlet. Bluefish are spread about and the fluke bite from West Channel to the bridge picked up with some nice keepers. Fluke are biting outside southwest of the inlet but dogfish are a nuisance.

11. Jones Inlet / Western Bays: Paul on the Emily S had a 37-pound striper on live bunker in the inlet and anglers have been using bunker and clam chum from the Meadowbrook to the Wantagh bridge for nice keepers, according to Woodcleft Fishing Station. Sam Agro took a 223-pound mako while releasing another 150-pounder around the Schooner. Fluke has been slow but a few keepers have come off the Lido Golf Course in Reynolds Channel.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Pete and crew on the Fish On battled the dogfish at the Mudhole before moving to the Virginia for a 214-pound thresher, according to Bay Park Fishing Station. Bill, Randy, Les and Ronnie had 17 keeper-sized stripers to 41 inches off Rockaway using fresh clams in about 35 feet of water and Capt. Jack of Jesse James charters fished the back bays for a 28-pound bass and nice blues on clams.

13. New York Bight: Joe and Vin from Bernie's B&T in Sheepshead Bay had a first-hand report of strong fluke action on the open boat The Angler with fish to nearly 8 pounds. Mike Bordes and Bob Heney also had fish over 7 on the half-day trip in the bay.

NY Newsday

2006-06-01T21:53:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: Jack's B&T in City Island reported striped bass in the 20-pound class and said the big 40-pound cows have been coming to anglers trolling wire. That means the fish are deep and on the bottom, so make sure the chunks get all the way down. A burst of bluefish hit the area this week around the bridges and fluke to 4 pounds have been caught off Harts Island.

2. Huntington / Northport bays: The coolers lined up outside Four Winds B&T in Huntington Station yesterday as the shop weighed five fish over 20 pounds by 10 a.m. with Tim Lober's 26-pounder leading the way. Most action is in Cold Spring Harbor but there are fish in the Triangle and inside Huntington Bay. Charlie Burk had a 7.38-pound fluke off Asharoken.

3. Smithtown Bay: Steve from the BLT CafA© in St. James took a 14.5-pound striper from the mouth of Stony Brook Harbor using worms and Swaine's B&T in St. James had reports of bass to 15 pounds with bluefish mixed in at the Nissequogue. Most stripers are on clams or worms but some anglers are using bucktails and plugs.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Anthony Caputo hooked a 7-pound fluke on the Celtic Quest on Sunday, and like the other keepers it was stuffed with sand eels. There was also a report that a local dragger pulled a 20-pound fluke near Buoy 11. The Capt. Bob fleet in Mattituck continued to mash the keeper fluke with fish to 8 pounds. Rocky Point Fishing Stop reported huge shad in the Sound with 25-pound stripers feeding on them and bluefish along the beaches.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: Steady fluke as the Peconic Star reported 60-80 keepers per day, including last week's 11-pounder. Bernie Osofsky had an 8-pounder last week then returned Monday for a 7.35-pounder, and Choi Duk Il had a 6.85-pounder on Wednesday. There have been one or two tough nights for bass in the Gut and Race, but overall the fishing has been excellent.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Lots of life in the bay. The weakfish arrived and anglers are taking fish to 12 pounds from Jessups to the Greenlawns, according to Wego Fishing. Bluefish are buzzing all over. Stripers are hitting in Jessups. Anthony Capasso caught a 6.41-pound fluke on Tuesday, one of many 4-6 pounders.

7. Montauk Point: George Bowman nailed a 42.5-pound striper from the surf on Monday and the bass fishing has been good according to Johnny's Tackle Shop in Montauk. The charter boats are diamond jigging and trolling for their limits and the big open boats start their nighttime eel fishing trips this weekend. Lots of fluke with plenty of shorts and a few sea bass. Many charters have openings this weekend.

8. Shinnecock Bay: Ocean fluking had fizzled with the storms but as things settled the fishing returned. The Shinnecock Star had fish up to 8 lbs., 6 oz right outside the inlet. Molnar's Landing reported Willard and Mary Huber have averaged 15 flounder a day this week in the nearby creek.

9. Moriches Bay: The final weekend of flounder season promises to be a very good one. Silly Lily's in East Moriches reported that the best action should be early in the morning. Worms and mussels have been working very well between buoys 15 and 21. Stripers are being caught in the east and west cuts on clams and lures. Anglers after fluke could find them at the warmer water around buoy 7.

10. Great South Bay / Fire Island Inlet: Conditions dictate how the Captree boats make out on night striper trips. The Laura Lee had 15 fish over 20 pounds on Monday, including Steve Wilitus' 29- and 23-pounders, while on Tuesday with more wind Cole Rudnick limited out with a 22-pounder amid slow action. By Wednesday it picked back up and Chris Fogione had a 30-pounder. Fluke action is frenzied but keepers are absent. There are sea bass to 5 A1 2 pounds.

11. Jones Inlet / Western Bays: Ed Haran caught a 30-pound striper off Long Beach using chunks yesterday, according to Scotty's Fishing Station in Point Lookout. There are some keeper fluke mixed with the shorts in the bay and out in the ocean. Jose Rodriguez hooked a 12-pound blackfish using fiddler crabs off the Point Lookout jetty. Blackfish season closes Wednesday.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Clams are the bait for striped bass with Bay Park Fishing Station reporting action at the Rockaway Reef and the Atlantic Beach Bridge. The Fish On reported six keeper-size fish to 28.5 pounds over the weekend and the Valiant had lots of action with a pair of keepers. An occasional keeper fluke pops up, but the sea bass are a better bottom bite.

13. New York Bight: Striped bass fishing is terrific for the Sheepshead Bay boats and while fluking has been tough there are plenty of sea bass, blackfish and ling to pick at. Don't forget the Noreast.com Striped Bass Memorial Classic this weekend where the angler with the two heaviest fish between 30 and 34 inches could win $10,000. [Newsday Tom Rock]

PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Shad run is dud, fishermen claim

2006-05-16T13:15:00.000-04:00

Shad run is dud, fishermen claim [By Dan Shapley, Poughkeepsie Journal]

John Mylod found nothing in his nets Wednesday and gave up fishing for shad early. He turned to working out knots and repairing holes in hopes they catch more next year.

"It's not so much the season. It's the few shad that are out there," the Poughkeepsie fisherman said. "We used to fish past Mother's Day."

Shad fishing on the Hudson River reached new lows this year. The number of crews trying to catch the Hudson's only remaining commercial fish declined. Most who did fish didn't catch much.

Coastwide, the story was the same, said Christopher Letts, an educator for the Hudson River Foundation. He buys shad for the annual shad festivals, and his suppliers reported slim harvests from South Carolina to Connecticut.

"The season is terrible. I've never seen it so bad," said Kevin Coons, a Hyde Park resident who for 15 years has taken time off each spring to fish for American shad. "I've had a lot of people stopping by. I've had restaurants stopping by. Restaurants can't get them from their suppliers."

Last year, about a dozen boats fished for shad, the largest of the river herring. This year, it was closer to 10.

Roe is coveted

Shad's Latin name means "most delicious herring." Its notoriously bony flesh deters many. It takes an expert to fillet a shad and remove the bones. Its roe is a delicacy as passionately loved by enthusiasts as it is reviled by its detractors.

Bill Collier, a Wappingers Falls resident, has looked for the fresh catch from the river ever since tasting roe at a VFW dinner in Cold Spring. He was sorry to hear about the early end to the season, since he hadn't had a meal yet.

"I'm disappointed to hear the news," he said.

Commercial fishing on the Hudson has been in decline for decades. PCB pollution makes most species of fish illegal to sell, and unsafe to eat, according to state advisories.

Shad are the exception because they spawn briefly in the river, eat little, then return to the ocean or die. Yet, a number of insults have contributed to a decline in shad numbers.

PCBs and other pollutants may harm fish directly. Acres of spawning habitat have been destroyed. Thousands of eggs and larvae are killed by power plants drawing cooling water from the river. Zebra mussels invaded the river 15 years ago and have since filtered so much plankton from the water that young shad leave the river smaller, weaker and more prone to predation. Intense industrial ocean fishing at the river mouths was only banned last year. And fisheries managers have favored the striped bass, the voracious predator at the heart of a recreational fishery that now eclipses the commercial.

This is the second year since interstate fisheries managers banned off-shore fishing that had decimated the shad population. Whether it results in a resurgence in Hudson River shad remains to be seen, since shad born in coastal estuaries mature for four or five years in the Atlantic before returning.

"It'll be another couple years before we see," Mylod said.

Bobby Gabrielson Sr., whose family has fished out of Nyack for decades, catches the smaller river herring, bluebacks and alewives that striped bass anglers use for bait. They hardly fished for shad this year, but caught them when they tried. He was the lone fisherman of several interviewed who said shad were abundant.

"I'm telling you, the shad were there. They were there last year too," Gabrielson said. "They stopped the intercept fishery on the coast. Now, I'm getting calls from Cape May, N.J. A guy from Philadelphia came all the way up here for shad. That's the demand for this stuff now."

Restoring shad coastwide is a goal of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. On the Hudson, it's a priority for the state's Hudson River Estuary Program.

"This is one of our signature species, and it is our goal to restore them to their historic high levels," said Fran Dunwell, coordinator of the estuary program. "We have our work cut out for us."

There are no shad festivals scheduled in Dutchess or Ulster counties this year. The Hudson River Foundation will host a festival Saturday at Memorial Park, Depew Avenue in Nyack, Rockland County. Next weekend, festivals are planned in Catskill, Greene County and Croton, Westchester County. Visit www.hudsonriver.org for information.

Providence Journal 5/12/06

2006-05-16T12:54:00.000-04:00

BAY:When there's a break in the weather, striped bass are rolling on the surface outside of Bristol Harbor and along Prudence and Patience Islands, especially near Potter Cove and Providence Point, said Billy Silvia, skipper of the charter boat Can't Imagine. Wednesday evening, Silvia caught 34- to 40-inch bass in the Seekonk River. Jim White, skipper of the charter boat White Ghost, says the Providence River is loaded with stripers. He also recommends the waters off Barrington and Poppasquash Point in Bristol.
This is the time of month when Ed Hughes starts finding large schools of large stripers in the waters off Conanicut Point. The fish tend to be just beneath the surface, and they'll hit flies, Slug-Gos and hard-plastic lures. He said bass have been hitting flies in East Greenwich Harbor near the Goddard Park boat ramp. Nearby, Dave Sanford has been catching a lot of stripers and some squeteague at Sally Rock, said David Henault of Ocean State Tackle.
In Middletown, Sam Toland of Sam's Bait & Tackle said schoolies to keeper-sized bass are biting at First and Second Beaches early in the morning and in the evening. They're taking small poppers, Slug-Gos and Storm Wildeye Shad. A bit up the Bay, anglers are taking fish as large as 26 pounds on squid, he said.
Tautog are biting from Sachuest Point to the Stone Bridge in Tiverton, Toland said. He also recommended fishing the rocks at Fort Adams, Ocean Drive and the Mount Hope Bridge. The bite has improved in Bristol Narrows, said Henault.
BEACHES AND SALT PONDS:Fran Sawicki, the dean of Point Judith Pond, has been catching flounder, but it hasn't been easy, he said. "I caught four real nice flounder [Tuesday], but I had to work for them," he said. I caught them in 4 feet of water, and they were nice, fat fish. I got four on Sunday, but I had to look for them. They're in places where they haven't been before. Two weeks ago, I got my four fish in 25 minutes, but they're much harder to find since the weather turned cold." Stripers as large as 35 pounds are holding in the deeper holes of the pond. Sawicki cuts 6-inch, motor-oil Slug-Gos in half and uses the tail ends to catch the bass. Three- to 4-pound bluefish have appeared in the pond, too. "My gut tells me this is going to be a phenomenal year," Sawicki said.
Quonochontaug Pond holds bass and tautog, said Don Cameron of Captain Don's Bait & Tackle. He weighed an 18-pound striper Wednesday morning. The fish hit a squid-colored Gag's It's Alive lure at the boat ramp on the breachway. Tautog, as large as 7 pounds, are biting worms.
Fluke are biting in the waters from the fish trap at Point Judith to Green Hill Beach, Cameron said. Thom Pelletier of Quaker Lane Outfitters said the fish are in 35 feet of water one day and in much deeper areas on other days.
PARTY BOATS:Squid fishing has been excellent aboard the Frances Fleet boats, their skippers report.
Cod fishing is slow, but fluke fishing along the beaches is excellent, even though there aren't any jumbo fluke being caught. When cod fishing did improve a little on Sunday, the largest fish taken was a 25-pounder.
FRESHWATER:"All this rain will raise water levels on our rivers, but that's not necessarily a bad thing," Ed Lombardo said in an e-mail. "I like fishing blood worms in sizes No. 18 to No. 16 just under the surface. The worms will be washed in rivers and still waters by all the increasing volume of water. The worms are a deep to bright red in color and are tied on a scud style hook or a regular hook. I also like using all of the other flies that mimic what is still hatching, such as Mahogany Duns, Red Quills, and Black and light Tan Caddis in sizes No. 16 and No. 14. Black ants have also been good during long periods of rainfall. I like using sizes No. 16 and No. 14."
BEST BITES
Point Judith Pond:Striped bass, bluefish
Aquidneck Island shore:Striped bass, tautog
Prudence Island:Striped bass
THE TIDES:The moon causes tides and affects the activity of saltwater and freshwater fish as well as animals on land. Anglers generally find the best fishing two hours before and after a high tide, but fish and other animals also become active around the time of low tide.

Hudson River Shad

2006-05-16T00:11:00.000-04:00

How's fishing? Depends on who's telling the tale By DAN SHAPLEY

Commercial netters on the Hudson were, with rare exception, consistent in their assessment of the 2006 shad season. It was lousy.

When it comes to dropping a hook and line in the water — whether the target was shad or striped bass — the story line was not nearly as consistent.

Spring is the time for fishing on the Hudson, as river herring like shad spawn. They are followed by the spawning striped bass, which prey on the herring.

As you're reading this, chances are Bill Emslie's sitting at White's Marina in New Hamburg, waiting for the next boat to dock and unload a striped bass. The Wappingers Falls resident organizes the annual Hudson River Striped Bass Tournament, and so he will spend this weekend weighing bass.

'Fish are scattered'

If anyone has a pulse on the season, it's him, and this is what he had to say about the year in stripers: "It depends who you talk to."

"There are fish out there now. They're scattered between here and Albany," he said. "You have to find them, and maybe you have to find the hungry ones."

Anglers have been catching bass in the 20 and 30 pound range consistently, he said. He expects one more than 40 pounds to take the prize today.

When it comes to shad, some anglers said they have had a lot more luck than the commercial netters.

"Not many people consider a rod and reel when they think of American shad. Since Colonial times, shad had been the providence of commercial fishermen," Tom Lake, a naturalist for the Hudson River Estuary Program and a fisherman, said.

"In the last 25 years, however, they have slowly become a darling species, albeit for only about three weeks, of a select number of dedicated anglers looking for a world-class fishing experience in the Hudson River."

The best fishing for shad is probably done, as the spawning run nears its end and the rain makes the water muddy. Shad strike by sight so anglers need clear water, Lake said.

If shad are under-appreciated as a sport fish, river herring are all but ignored.

Shad's smaller cousins, the bluebacks and alewives, have been scarce, many fishermen have said. Some catch them to eat, but the biggest harvest supports the bait needs of the trophy bass hunters.

There's no good data on herring caught in the Hudson, but many say their decline has been steep and persistent, just as it has been elsewhere on the East Coast.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts banned all herring fishing this year, following the lead of Connecticut. Other states have set restrictions of various kinds as well.

There's a growing chorus of voices suggesting, quietly, New York should follow suit, though others say herring don't need such aggressive restrictions.

Rob Marshall, who works at his parents' bait and tackle shop, Fisherman's World, in Wappingers Falls, said fishing for the popular bait needs to be stopped.

"We're going to have to," he said. "The only reason the stripers come up here is for the herring. They follow their food up here because that's where the herring spawn." [Poughkeepsie Journal by Dan Shapley]

Fluke 18-inch rule negates the bounty -- Newsday.com

2006-05-14T00:05:00.000-04:00

Anyone interested in catching fluke on opening day last weekend was in luck. The fish were biting hard and fast. But anyone interested in keeping fluke had a much tougher time as the 18-inch regulation relegated some otherwise very big fish to throwbacks and left many anglers frustrated.
The distance between 17 1/2 and 18 inches never seemed as great as it did this week. So many fish were just-shorts, forcing fisherman to first squint at the lines on the ruler, then wince at the idea of tossing the catch back. The good news is that in another few weeks, those fish will be big enough to find their way to someone's plate. By the end of the summer, the 16-inch fish will probably be long enough to keep. The bad news is that fluke season ends in early September, so any fish smaller than 16 inches this week won't likely reach the regulation by the time the recreational fishing ends.
While many anglers were tossing fluke over the side as if they were bailing water from the engine room, there were a few locations where keepers were plentiful. Just outside Shinnecock Inlet on opening day, the Shinnecock Star found plenty of 18-inch fish. Bill Nixon had a 9-pound, 4-ounce, fish Saturday afternoon to go with an 8-pounder and a 6-pound, 8-ounce fluke by other anglers on the trip. On Sunday, Mike Chan hooked a 9-pound, 2-ounce fluke. In the Greenlawns area off Shelter Island, Bill Joyce caught a 10.44-pounder and Wego Fishing in Southold weighed about five fish of more than 8 pounds from that same area during the weekend.
Eighteen inches will be a difficult benchmark to meet throughout the summer. Heck, it was difficult to meet this week. But it is still early for productive fluke fishing in many areas. Sure, anglers may have to alter their techniques or their locations to put some filets on the table this year. But fishermen who know their craft and put in their time will find the keeper fish. That's the one constant in fishing. [Tom Rock NY Newsday]

NY Newsday 5/12/06

2006-05-13T23:45:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: The stripers continue to hit hard as R&G in Port Washington reported action on everything from live bunker to pencil poppers with fish to 25 pounds in the bay. Jack's B&T in City Island weighed a 34.5-pound bass taken between the Throgs Neck and Whitestone. A few bluefish are moving in, mostly in the Sound, and some bottom anglers are still finding blackfish or flounder.

2. Huntington / Northport bays: Decent striper activity with fish to 23 pounds taken from Cold Spring Harbor and keepers off Eatons Neck and in the Triangle, according to Four Winds in Huntington Station. The big excitement was over sightings of mackerel schools yesterday morning; the bluefish should be right behind them. Fluking has been steady with keepers up to 21 inches, and Bill Joyce brought a 10.44-pound fluke into Four Winds that was caught off the Greenlawns of Shelter Island.

3. Smithtown Bay: A lot of fish to catch but not a whole lot to keep. Most of the striped bass are schoolies with a few up to 30 inches, and they are coming on clams and worms according to Swaine's B&T in St. James. The fluke have also been short as anglers reported many 17-inch throwbacks on squid and spearing or sand eel and squid combos.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Rocky Point Fishing Stop reported small striped bass taking cinder worms in the harbors while bigger fish have been working clams and worms off the beaches. The fluke opener saw plenty of action, but not a lot of keepers unless you went to the east. Bluefish are starting to pop up.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: A very steady fluke bite with about a 50-50 keeper ratio and the bigger fish in the 5-7 pound range. Capt. Mike of the Prime Time III said Tom McKeever had a 7.5 pounder on opening day. Look for the doormats to start coming up this weekend with the full moon. The moon should trigger some striped bass and bluefish action in the Gut and Race, too.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: A nice flow of keeper fluke marched into Wego Fishing in Southold this weekend. Jean Rogers was first to hit the scales on Saturday with 7.4 and 6.5 pounders. Mr. Swiskey had a 10.85-pounder taken off Greenport and Jeff Mayo caught a 9.1-pounder on the Isabella. Linda Riedner brought in fluke of 8.15 and 6.95 pounds on Saturday and had a 13.55-pound weakfish on Monday.

7. Montauk Point: A lot of fluke coming up just short of the 18-inch regulation, but they'll grow to keeper size by the middle of June. The action is top-notch and there are nice fish to 7 pounds along with steady blackfish. Johnny's Tackle Shop in the Village reported sparse striper action for the boats but surfcasters under the light and at Ditch Plains have found some good schoolie action.

8. Shinnecock Bay: Fluke season opened with a bang as Bill Nixon took a 9 lb., 4 oz. fish on opening day Saturday and there were other fish over 8 pounds on the Shinnecock Star. Capt. John reported the bite was just outside the inlet in 25-55 feet of water and while it was furious action at times with some shorts and fish from 3-5 pounds, the bigger fish generally came during slower paces.

9. Moriches Bay: Flounder action was hitting a peak last weekend before the weather kept most anglers on land this week. Silly Lily's reported Kenny Dinkel and Phil Kelly found a nice pod of fish around buoy 15 with the biggest flounder at 2.48 pounds. The action has been between buoys 14 and 20 and should continue through the month.

10. Great South Bay / Fire Island Inlet: Capt. Ken of the Laura Lee reported terrific striper action at the bridges on Tuesday night. Ten anglers hooked about 100 fish and Jim Brown had 16 keeper-sized fish. Augie's in Babylon reported similar bass highlights as Conrad weighed a 25.3-pounder on Sunday with most of the action on live bunker.

11. Jones Inlet / Western Bays: Anglers who ran outside for live bunker then brought them back inside for fishing in the rips and off the jetties found nice striped bass from 15-25 pounds over the weekend, according to Woodcleft Fishing Station in Freeport. The Codfather has been limiting out on keeper bass at Debs using clams. Boats on the reef have been finding sea bass from 4-5 pounds.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Bay Park Fishing Station reported Gene Tripodo decided to throw some bucktails during his lunch break on Wednesday, made four casts and pulled up a 4.42-pound fluke. There have been some fluke to 22 inches on squid and spearing. Striped bass action has been very good and Hans Coflesh had a 6.26-pound sea bass from Rockaway Reef.

13. New York Bight: Premier striped bass action in Raritan on bunker chunks and live baits with fish to 30 pounds and up gobbling the bait. Jamaica Bay is also seeing its share of 20-25 pounders, especially around the bunker schools. The Angler in Howard Beach reported lots of just-short fluke in the bay along with some fat keepers to 5 pounds.

NY Newsday, 10/7/05

2005-10-07T21:58:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: It's still mostly bluefish, but a few bass have been found underneath the schools and the cooler weather projected for this weekend should make the stripers more accessible. Jack's in City Island reported big blues to 12 pounds behind Execution and keeper blackfish in the rocks off Rye.

2. Huntington / Northport bays: The bluefish action inside the harbors is still terrific with 6-10 pound fish taking chunks or plugs, and the fish are biting outside the bays as well. More and more keeper bass are being chunked in the Triangle, according to Four Winds, but striper-minded anglers are still fighting through bluefish. Porgy fishing has improved with some limits and fish to 2 pounds. They're in varying depths from north of Buoy 13 to 11B.

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3. Smithtown Bay: John Manning caught a 42-inch, 30-pound striper on eels in Nissequogue early Tuesday morning according to Swaine's B&T in St. James, which weighed in some bass during the week, including a 21-pounder from Ken Koch and a 31-inch keeper from Bill Higgins. Dave Ciotti limited on fluke on Sunday at the mouth of the river with fish to 19 on live killies, then took a 17-pound bass from the surf off Long Beach on Monday.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Rocky Point Fishing Stop reported that most surf action is for bluefish but some keeper bass are at the Wading River creek and off Sound Beach when the wind blows from the north. The Port Jeff open boats are slamming the porgies to 3 pounds.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: Ask Joseph Kazzola if the bass are biting; he caught a 25.05-pounder on a porgy hook near the Orient lighthouse Wednesday night when the scup he was reeling up turned into bait. The fish was weighed at Wego Fishing in Southold along with the 37.5-pounder taken by Ed Plaia in the Race on the charter Relentless on Tuesday. Chris Papas had a 24.5 and a 35 pounder off Hortons using live eels during the day on Sunday. And John Kowalski had opening day blackfish to 7 pounds near Plum Island.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: The porgies are still biting hard and fast all over the region, and they should be doing so for the rest of the month. Bluefish and a few small weakfish are running throughout the bay. Not many anglers are interested, but those who put in their time can pluck some keeper fluke.

7. Montauk Point: The boats are loading up on big stripers and bluefish, mixing live baits with trolling and bailing bass to 50 pounds. The surf crowd is hoping for a nice northeast wind to push some action their way. Offshore action is still strong as the Capt. Mark charter for Rick Uidell had four blue sharks to 300 pounds, a 90-pound mako and eight bluefin from 50-90 pounds according to Jack Yee. A day earlier the Capt. Mark hooked what may have been an 800-pound giant bluefin tuna that fought for 25 minutes before dropping the hook.

8. Shinnecock Bay: Capt. John on the Shinnecock Star reports nice action on blackfish and porgies this week, though the blackfish bite may fade when the porgies become super-aggressive this month. The tog will be back, though. Most of the fluke action has faded. Stripers in the inlet are biting well.

9. Moriches Bay: B&B Tackle reported striped bass in the inlet to 41 pounds, the big one taken on an eel during a daytime outgoing tide. The artificial reef has been holding nice keeper sea bass but the blackfish aren't biting yet despite a few keepers taken along the jetties on opening day. The bay is loaded with kingfish and the snappers are still active enjoying the warm waters.

10. Great South Bay / Fire Island Inlet: Bass fishing has picked up with fish to 29 pounds being taken in the bay according to Augie's in Babylon. Live bait is the key with bunker or scup during the day and eels at night. Bass are starting to hit surfcasters as well. Sore Thumb is holding porgies, sea bass and flounder and the bay has keeper blackfish biting. Some anglers have been finding fluke in the ocean, but in deep water that can be a ride from the inlet.

11. Jones Inlet / Western Bays: Scotty's Fishing Station reported big bass in the bay with some 35-pounders being taken on live baits like porgies and sea bass. The bass outside the inlet are hungry too but not as big yet and the bridges are producing keepers on clams with bellies for bait. Kingfish, sea bass and porgies are in the bay and a few blackfish are starting to show.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Seven-year-old Dominick Simonelli and his dad fished Reynolds Channel with baby bunker for a limit of weakfish to nearly 4 pounds this week, according to Bay Park Fishing Station. Some keeper bass taking clam bellies at the Atlantic Beach Bridge mixed with some nice schoolie action. Pat Stewart had a dozen sea bass to 4 pounds and a 3-pound porgy on fresh clams at Rockaway Reef on Wednesday.

13. New York Bight: The Angler reported weakfish action on sandworms with some customers limiting out and fish around 6 pounds. Bottom fishing is at its best now with porgies, sea bass and keeper blackfish coming up. The cooler temperatures this week should flick the switch from bluefish to bass.

RI 10/7/05

2005-10-07T21:39:00.000-04:00

This has been one of the strangest weeks in memory. You could go to a spot one day and catch fish after fish. Go to the same spot on the same tide in the same weather conditions the next day, and you couldn't find a fish. The predicted cold front and a weekend storm may stir up an autumn bite.

This is the final Fishing Report of the season, but Outdoor Notes in Sunday's Providence Journal will continue to report on fishing and hunting opportunities. Small-game hunting season is scheduled to open Oct. 15 in Rhode Island.

BAY

The Providence and Seekonk rivers have been fairly reliable with a steady bluefish bite, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. Fish as large as 15 pounds have been biting there. Stripers move in and out of the rivers unpredictably. Yesterday morning, hickory shad were taking small darts in the Providence River.

Greenwich Bay holds bluefish, weakfish and stripers, said Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle, but the bite is spotty. Shore fishermen have been catching blues and squeteague on Kastmasters, he said. Stripers have been nailing Creek Chubs and tube-and worm rigs.

Early in the week the waters on the east side of Providence Point and off Pine Hill Point were hot, but the fish disappeared later in the week. The striper bite has been fairly consistent for trollers off Brenton Point, said Kevin Kendrick of Edwards Fishing Tackle.

Small squid have appeared in Newport Harbor; jigging after 9 p.m. has been the most productive.

In the lower Bay, blues were stacked up beneath the Newport Bridge, but they vanished with the high-pressure system. Look for them to return to the bridges and the waters between Quonset and Conanicut points after the weekend.

On the Sakonnet River, tautog and small bluefish have been biting in Tiverton Basin, said Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine. Blackfish were biting near the BT marker between Sabin Point and and Port Edgewood yesterday, said Henault.

Bonito and false albacore are mixed among schools of bluefish off Little Compton, said Latinville.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

Striper fishing came to a virtual halt after the midweek. There are still bass in the salt ponds, said Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle, but it will take a cold front to get the fish moving and biting.

Steve McKenna and Bill Nolan have experienced very slow fishing in the Narragansett surf this week. A storm could stir up some activity, McKenna said.

OFFSHORE

The bluefin bite improved in the Mud Hole this week, said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, but the fish are finicky, requiring 30-pound fluorocarbon leaders. They're larger at the Fingers, he said.

At the Fish Tails, yellowfin and albacore tuna are biting along with mahi-mahi.

BLOCK ISLAND

Surf fishing has been a challenge, said Steve McKenna, but David Henault reported that fishing was good for Mike Neto and Bill Curran on the south side of the island Wednesday.

FRESHWATER

Most ponds are too warm and many streams are too low for the traditional Columbus Day trout stocking, said Peter Angelone, supervising biologist who oversees Rhode Island's trout program. He said his staff would probably stock the Beaver, Flat and Falls rivers this week, and the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited is scheduled to float-stock the Wood River tomorrow.

"The Wood is fishing very well even though the water level is still very low," Ed Lombardo said in an e-mail. "In addition to the usual patterns that work so well this time of year -- Blue-Wing Olives and terrestrial patterns -- one of the most exciting phenomena that takes place every year at this time are the swarms of flying ants. Look for them to start falling on the water around 2:30 p.m. The fish will be everywhere, coming up and feeding on these flying ants very aggressively. I use both red and black imitations in sizes No. 18 and No. 14. I prefer tying these imitations with black and cinnamon colored rabbit fur for the body and brown furnace hackle in the center. The wings can be either CDC or dun hackle tips. After the first frost of the year, the warm fall afternoons brings the ants to the water. Wasps and small hoppers are still working well."

Yesterday morning, largemouth bass as large as 17 inches were taking shiners near the bridge on Stump Pond in Smithfield, said David Henault.

TOURNAMENT

Snug Harbor Marina's Bass and Bluefish Boogie is scheduled to start tomorrow at the marina in South Kingstown. Registration will begin this afternoon. Prizes include savings bonds and fishing tackle. The entry fee is $25 per rod. For more information, call (401) 783-7766.

BEST BITES

Newport:

Bass, bluefish, squid

Sakonnet River:

Bluefish, tautog

Wood River:

Trout

NY Newsday, 9/29/05

2005-10-03T20:53:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: Bluefish are still biting heavily between the bridges and in the harbors, but they are starting to make room for the stripers. Yesterday, Andrew weighed a 30-pounder at Jack's in City Island, one of three 20-plus pounders he and his crew caught on bunker heads Wednesday night. Porgies aren't thick and a few anglers have found blackfish the last week or so; that season opens tomorrow.

2. Huntington/Northport bays: The James Joseph didn't sail yesterday, and it hardly needed to. The morning crew showed up and pegged bluefish 7-10 pounds right off the tied-up boat and from the Huntington Town Dock. George from Four Winds called this bluefishing "phenomenal" with action in every corner of the region. A few stripers are mixed in deeper water, 50 feet by Buoy 11B. And Four Winds weighed a 2.69-pound porgy for Nader Gerbin taken off the Brushpile at Eatons Neck.

3. Smithtown Bay: Bluefish are thick and strong to 9 pounds. Rocco had porgies to 2 pounds and a 24-inch sea bass last week before the bluefish chased everything away and he started whacking them, according to Swaine's B&T. Schoolie and keeper bass are inside the mouth of Stony Brook Harbor and there was a report of a 30-pounder taken by the big rock off Short Beach.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Rocky Point Fishing Station reported John's 15-pound bluefish caught on a bunker at Broadway Beach. There are some big porgies in the water and nice bluefish at Middle Grounds - the Port Jeff open boats are hammering both. Surfcasters around Hortons are getting nice bass and bluefish.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: Capt. Dave Brennan of the Peconic Star said porgy fishing has hit a stride the last week with big fish looking to chew. The hungry scup are taking all baits and average 14-15 inches and crowding out the sea bass and blackfish for the time being. Surfcasters are hitting nice stripers all along the Sound.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: A few spotty weakfish are still hanging around, according to Wego Fishing, but the porgies and bluefish are dominating the local bite. Jessups and Cedar Point are good places to start looking for them. The birds will tell you where the bluefish are. Most fluke anglers have packed it up for the season, but there are still some nice fish being taken by Tobacco Lot.

7. Montauk Point: John Bruno won the Montauk Surf Classic last weekend with a 33.66-pound striper and Richie Michelsen had the top bluefish at 11.28 pounds. Matt Vega took a 41.36-pound bass to lead the Montauk Locals Tournament, according to Freddie's B&T. Miles of bluefish and albacore were lined up this week from the inlet to the point, providing the boaters and flycasters some joy. Offshore action for sharks and tuna has been steady. Wind and weather will start to keep some boats tied up as we get further into fall.

8. Shinnecock Bay: John Bourgal caught a 26-pound bass in the inlet this week, according to Molnar's Landing, a nice signal that the fall season is here. The false albacore dancing around the inlet are giving flyrodders a fight. Most fluke have moved from the bay to the ocean. Some sea bass and porgies are hanging around.

9. Moriches Bay: The inlet is filling with striped bass as Mastic B&T reported customers seeing the fish jumping all over the white water and some anglers hooking up 20 fish in a trip. Plenty of keepers too, up to about 40 inches, on eels, clams and plugs. The fluke are moving from the bay and Charlie Ladella had a 9.5-pounder on its way out last week.

10. Great South Bay/Fire Island Inlet: Sore Thumb is giving anglers plenty of fish to chose from, with lots of porgies, kingfish, blowfish and sea bass. There is even an occasional flounder, according to Augie's B&T in Babylon. Stripers are taking bass in the evenings and anglers can plug schoolies in the middle of the bay during the daytime. Blues are still around in nice numbers and fluke are inside the bay but mostly shorts.

11. Jones Inlet/Western Bays: Stripers are biting clams in the bay, but hooking them in the inlet is tough because of the number of bluefish. Woodcleft Fishing Station reports nice action around the bridges on sea bass and porgies with some nice weakfish bites in the deeper holes in the bay.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Bay Park Fishing Station reports some nice weakfish action between the railroad bridge and the Long Beach Hospital, though not many of the fish are big. They are taking sandworms and live baby bunker. Some keeper bass are at the Atlantic Beach Bridge on clams. No Time Charters limited out on bluefin tuna this week with fish from 75-100 pounds for Lloyd, John, Larry and Kevin.

13. New York Bight: Weakfish are biting well in Jamaica Bay, with sandworms accounting for most of the fish to 5 pounds. There's still a fluke bite offshore and anglers are going crazy with the bluefish at Cholera and the Mud Buoy. Sea bass and porgies are also biting at their usual structures.

RI, 10/1/05

2005-10-02T22:42:00.000-04:00

The new moon Monday could boost the bite in the lower Bay, where baitfish abound. The uppermost reaches of the Bay are already active.

BAY

Bluefish blitz the waters at Barrington Beach and Sabin Point once or twice a day, said John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle, and Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle said that blues between 6 and 12 pounds apiece are biting in Greenwich Bay. They're also biting in the Providence River, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. Small squeteague are mixed among the blues in Greenwich Bay.

Immature herring are pouring out of the spawning grounds now, and stripers of all sizes are waiting for them downstream in the Seekonk River at Omega Pond and in Apponaug Cove below Gorton Pond, where fish as large as 39 inches were biting Wednesday. Yesterday morning, bass had thinned out on the Seekonk, where they were replaced by bluefish. Bass as large as 30 pounds have been nailing parachute, umbrella and tube-and-worm rigs trolled near Marker 14 off Conimicut Light and in the channel near Ohio Ledge, said Littlefield. Stripers are also taking swimming plugs near the White Church Bridge in Barrington. After free-diving around Sakonnet Point Sunday, Faye Anderson said she saw several large bass against the jetty there. Bass have been biting in deep-water drop-offs off Jamestown and Newport. John Lisi continues to catch large bass before dawn in the surf at Beavertail Point.

Tautog are beginning to bite near Hope Island, and spear fishers are shooting large blackfish off Sakonnet Point.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

"The South Shore has exploded with fish from Narragansett to Westerly," writes Rob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters. "The waters from the Narrow River to Hazard Rock hold stripers and bluefish. The stripers are taking needlefish, poppers and eels. Four- to six-inch soft plastic shads are also working, especially those that look like bunker, mullet, and red-head shad. Walter Pike caught a nice 24-pounder at Point Judith Light, and I caught a fat 28-pounder on an eel, fishing with Sea Ferra Charters." Bill Nolan has been taking a lot of large stripers along the Narragansett shore, said Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters.

Fishing on the reefs got tough Wednesday, said charter boat skipper Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle. Bass were biting in Ninigret Pond, yesterday morning, however. A cold front should help the fishing, he said.

Among this week's top catches were a 49-pound bass taken by Bill Gavitt and a 52-pounder landed by Bob Wheeler, said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.

McKenna said little tunny have been biting along all three walls on the Harbor of Refuge.

PARTY BOATS

"Captain Don found some nice bluefin tuna this week in the 70-pound range," reports Frank Blount, skipper of the Frances Fleet. "They are a little farther offshore then we would like, but they are out there. Captain Mike had a canyon trip at the end of last week and got into a good bunch of albacore and one nice yellowfin. Porgy fishing on the beach was very good with lots of really big humpback porgies around. Captain Rich is still finding a good number of fluke on the 7 a.m. trip. This is the longest season we have ever had for the jumbo fluke."

CUTTYHUNK ISLAND

Steve McKenna ran out-of Slug-Gos so he switched to Hab's Needlefish and caught 40 stripers between 20 and 37 pounds last weekend in the surf. On Saturday night, he caught 33 big bass.

BLOCK ISLAND

David Henault fished with Dave Sloane and Jason Seratin aboard Mike Neto's Adriana on Wednesday and caught bass as large as 30 pounds on light tackle. They marked fish off Southeast Point, but had difficulty catching them in the morning, so Neto moved to the western end of the south side and found the fish to be more cooperative in the afternoon, Henault said.

OFFSHORE

The bluefin bite at the Mud Hole is on and off. There are some giants there, but they haven't been biting, according to Al Conti. Don Venticinque and Craig Stevens steamed out to Cape Cod to catch giants aboard Venticinque's sportfisherman, "25."

Curt Behling caught yellowfin tuna and large mahi this week, chunking at the Fish Tails.

FRESHWATER

John Cote caught a 4-pound bass on Spectacle Pond in Cranston this week, said David Henault. Bass fishing should improve after a cold front moves through.

BEST BITES

Greenwich Bay:

Bluefish, possibly squeteague

Block Island:

Striped bass

Cuttyhunk Island:

Striped bass

Newtown Creek most polluted waterway in NY

2005-09-24T13:59:00.000-04:00

Newtown Creek is New York City’s most polluted waterway. More than 50 years ago, a 17-million-gallon oil spill seeped below 55 acres of residential, commercial and industrial property in the area. The spill affects the communities of Maspeth, Bushwick, Greenpoint and Long Island City.
City officials first learned of the oil spill in 1950, when an underground explosion in Greenpoint shot 25 manhole covers into the air and shattered windowpanes on more than 500 buildings. It turned out that gasoline had seeped into a sewer and ignited.
It took almost 30 more years for the problem to be rediscovered. It was a Coast Guard pilot on a routine patrol who noticed the oil slick on Newtown Creek in 1978. Further investigation revealed the slick was part of a spill that originated from tanks at an Exxon facility. According to Riverkeeper, because ExxonMobil ignored the spill, it has spread. It is now six times larger than the infamous Exxon Valdez spill was in Alaska.
It was not until 1990 that ExxonMobil signed a consent order from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to clean up the mess.
But Riverkeeper has maintained that the order was inadequate since no provisions were made for cleaning the contaminated soil beneath the water’s surface and ExxonMobil was not required to pay penalties or compensate the community. An estimated 230 homes and 80 businesses are still thought to be affected by contaminated soil.
In addition to the oil spill, Empire Transit Mix, a concrete manufacturer based in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in federal court in May to illegally dumping concrete slurry into the creek. Riverkeeper also sued Maspeth Concrete Loading for similarly dumping concrete, which changes the pH balance of water and kills fish.
Riverkeeper continues to patrol the creek either in a helicopter or by boat every few weeks, and sometimes on consecutive days. Even now, with the fate of the creek highly publicized—Robert Kennedy Jr. is the organization’s chief attorney—companies still routinely dump hazardous materials. [orb pub Queens Chronicle by Kim Brown]

NY Newsday, 9/23/05

2005-09-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: As the tune switches from fluke to porgies, the bluefish are still keeping the beat. Snappers are huge and can sometimes be taken on every cast, according to Jack's B&T. They're mixed with harbor blues and some to 10 pounds on bunker chunks. R&G Bait and Tackle reported some bass off the points at night on chunks, but nothing huge until the water cools a little more.

2. Huntington/Northport bays: Joseph Roach won the Oyster Bay Bluefish Tournament with a 12.63-pounder and there were 12 fish weighed in at more than 10 pounds. Joe Migliore won the Huntington Yacht Club Tournament with a 10.5-pounder. Four Winds reported sustained action just outside Huntington Harbor on 7-10 pound blues on diamond jigs.
3. Smithtown Bay: Swaine's reported schoolie and keeper striped bass to 35 inches in the mouth of Stony Brook Harbor on clams and worms, and customer Tadd McLaughlin nailed a 30-pounder in Port Jeff Harbor on eels. Bluefish are in and out of the channel; Bill Higgins reported drilling fish to 8 pounds while watching another boat catch keepable bass on bucktails. Porgies are off Cranes Neck and fluke are mostly short but killies have better luck finding keepers.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Snappers to cocktail blues are along the local beaches, according to Rocky Point Fishing Stop, and the false albacore are dashing around. The boats out of Port Jeff are hitting the porgies, then catching the bass and blues on the tides. The Capt. Bob fleet was banging the keeper stripers at Hortons Point, including Tom's 25-pounder that won the pool Sunday.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: A lot of pole-benders in the Gut and the Race as the fall fishing kicks off. Most of the bigger bass have been taken on the ebb at night, according to Wego Fishing, with dark bucktails and eels working well. During the day, it's a bluefish bonanza with some bass still around. Surfcasters are getting their share of the action, as well, working worms and chunks at night for nice fish.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Porgies are still strong, though once in a while a klunker of a day comes along. Bluefish are packed nicely in the bay and anglers are finding a nice run of weakfish from 12-20 pounds, especially off Rose Grove and Buoy 16 by Noyak, according to Wego Fishing.

7. Montauk Point: The caravan will be heading east this weekend for the Montauk Classic surf tournament, and just in time for the first blitzes of the season at Turtle Cove and North Bar this week. Freddie's, which will be open 24 hours for the tournament, reported loads of fish in the 20-pound range from the suds. Rick had a 52.8-pound bass weighed in off the Night Stalker, so the big guys are out there. Sharking is very steady with lots of exotics alongside the blue sharks. Eddie Ammon caught a 15-pound mako while fluking a quarter mile off the town beach.

8. Shinnecock Bay: The Shinnecock Star reported a load of big sea bass Wednesday, with some porgies mixed in. Chuck Wouters nailed an 8.5-pound fluke immortalized on Willy's Wall at Molnar's Landing. Bass are starting to turn on as John Fernandez had fish to 29 pounds. Offshore, Molnar's reported the crew on Barbaric caught five yellowfin to 75 pounds and eight albies.

9. Moriches Bay: A nice body of bass is sitting in the east and west cuts and anglers using live baits are having the best success. Silly Lily's reported decent fluking with a keeper ratio of about 1-8.

10. Great South Bay/Fire Island Inlet: Stripers are heating up in the inlet, taking eels even during the day, according to Augie's B&T. Ken Higgins on the Laura Lee reported terrific sea bass action with some triggerfish and big porgies mixed in this week. Monday's half-day trips had more than 500 keepers each. J&J Sports reported a lot of action off the Patchogue docks with snappers, kingfish and blowfish coming up.

11. Jones Inlet/Western Bays: The fluke are pushing out of the bay, and anglers are at the JI Buoy to ambush them, according to Scotty's Fishing Station. More and more striped bass are being caught, mostly on whole clams for bait with clam belly chum. Check out the action at the bridges or out on the West Bar.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: No Time Charters has been hitting the weakfish hard, sailing west to Raritan for limits to 5 pounds on sandworms and peanut bunker, according to Bay Park Fishing Station. The Reel Time took a 33-inch striper off Riis Park. The crew on Fish On made it out to the north tip of the Hudson Canyon and scored bluefish to 100 pounds chunking with sardines and herring.

13. New York Bight: The Angler reported loads of porgies and sea bass on the half-day trips, and customers who bring a spinning rod can usually snag the bonito that break around the boat on occasion. Surfcasters are itching to get at the stripers, but so far, it's been pretty slow. [NY Newsday, Tim Rock]

RI, 9/23/05

2005-09-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

Rhode Island [org pub Providence Journal]

BAY: Ed Noll took a 48-pound striper on a tube-and-worm rig this week, said Sam Toland of Sam's Bait & Tackle. Large fish have been striking the rigs in deep water from Elbow Ledge to Brenton Reef, he said. Anglers are catching as many as 100 stripers a night on the Seekonk River, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. Only three or four percent are long enough to keep, but the action is fast. Larger bass have been hitting umbrella rigs trolled over Ohio Ledge.
Bluefish are biting throughout the Bay, but they're unpredictable. Larger blues have moved into the waters off Barrington Beach and Bristol, said John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle. Ed Hughes spotted a large school of 10- to 12-pound fish off Allen's Harbor yesterday at midmorning. Snapper blues are in all the coves and they're biting. Newport Harbor, the Newport Bridge and the waters father up the East Passage also hold blues, said Toland.
An angler caught a 12-pound squeteague on a live scup near the No. 2 can off Bristol this week, Littlefield said. There have been a lot of small weakfish around, but this was one of the first reports of a keeper this season. Scup fishing has improved, but the fish are smaller than they have been. Sea bass are mixed among them in deeper water, said Toland. Bonito arrived in the waters off Newport Wednesday.
BEACHES AND SALT PONDS:The waters from Whale Rock to Fishers Island are alive with gamefish.
The big news is the arrival of little tunny and bonito: They're popping up everywhere. Fly fishermen and light-tackle anglers are catching 7- to 12-pounders on flashy flies and small lures such as Deadly Dicks and Swedish Pimples; a green Crippled Herring is deadly. The waters off Weekapaug have been especially hot.
Striped bass are biting around dawn and dusk along most of the beaches. Don Michaud of King Cove Outfitters said boaters are taking fish on Watch Hill, Catumb and Sugar reefs. The bite has also been active off Sandy and Napatree points, and the flats in between. Bass are biting on the reefs and inside the breachways, too, but you have to get through the bluefish, said Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle.
The bluefish bite has been reliable all day long off the Charlestown and Quonochontaug breachways.
Fluke fishing is getting more difficult but anglers willing to work have been catching fish in 60 to 80 feet of water off Isabella Beach on Fishers Island.
Blackfish are beginning to bite on Old Reef and Ragged Reef. They're also biting in the waters off Latimer Light, but those are New York waters, and the Empire State season doesn't open until Oct. 1.
Reports on scup are mixed this week; Ron Mouchon said large fish have been biting on the reefs off South Kingstown, and Don Michaud said they're also biting off Stonington.
Fishing for sea bass is slower, although there have been fish on reefs to the west of Charlestown.
Hard-fighting jack crevalle have arrived, said Michaud. Most of them are under 6-inches, but one angler caught a pair of 14-inchers off Weekapaug on small Kastmasters.
OFFSHORE
Albacore tuna, between 40 and 50 pounds apiece, are biting in the waters from Atlantis Canyon across to the Fish Tails and down to the Dip, according to Sam Toland.
The Mud Hole holds sharks and small bluefin.
The only concentration is yellowfin is still to the east, at Oceanographers Canyon, but Toland is confident, they'll move closer.
BLOCK ISLAND
Reporting by cell phone from Great Salt Pond yesterday morning, Don Rafferty of Oceans & Ponds said that either little tunny or bonito were in and boiling. Both fish have been making forays in and out of the Coast Guard Channel.
Boaters are still catching a lot of large bass and bluefish in the waters over Southwest Ledge said Ron Mouchon. Rafferty recommended the waters on the south side of island for surf casters; Southwest Point and Black Rock have been dependable all season long.
Fluke are biting in the waters south of Southeast Point, said Mouchon.
FRESHWATER:
Buddy Thayer and a pal have been catching a bass between 5 and 7.4 pounds on Stump Pond in Smithfield and Echo Lake in Burrillville, Thayer reported in an e-mail. They've been using shiners.
BEST BITES:
South Shore Bluefish, bass, bonito, little tunny
Block Island: Bluefish, bass, fluke
Lower Bay: Bluefish

On The Water, 9/23/05

2005-09-23T12:12:00.000-04:00

The big story this week is the arrival of false albacore in the eastern end of Long Island Sound and along the south shore beaches of Rhode Island. It is far from a sure bet with these fast-moving fish, but apparently they are around in sufficient numbers that a scouting trip of likely spots should at least produce some sightings. The best, most consistent catches are coming from Montauk Point, with other “inside” areas the usual hit or miss.
Since the storm, bass and bluefish activity have improved as these fish moved inshore to chow down on the super abundance of bait that seems to be everywhere in the region.
Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown told us that the fishing has picked up considerably in the waters he and his customers have been fishing around Narragansett and along the south shore since the storm passed through over the weekend. There is tons of bait, mostly in the form of mullet and peanut bunker along the shore from Newport to Watch Hill.
False albacore showed up off the West and East walls at Pt. Judith, off the coastline along Narragansett and down the beaches to the Weekapaug Breachway. Fluke fishing is pretty well dead since the storm. Scup and blackfish are filling the void for bottom fishermen, with blackfish catches just starting to pick up as fall approaches. Waters are still a tad warm for this cold-loving species. Steve said it looks and feels like the fall runs are revving up already.
Rob at Saltwater Edge, Newport reported that the fishing is pretty good along the mouth of Narragansett Bay. He caught two 20-pounders on Sunday and another similar fish while casting the surf Tuesday evening. The bass are chasing mullet that are 6 or 7 inches in the surf from Sakonnet to Sachuest Point. Watch Hill was red-hot with albies, bass and bluefish over the weekend, according to a group of his buddies who headed down that way. There are some bigger bass around. Rob dropped a big fish on a foot-long Hab’s needlefish over the weekend. Iron Mike caught a 38-pounder on a plug he “borrowed” from Peter Graber who works at the shop. The albies seem to be biting best in the morning but disappearing toward the afternoon when they have been popping up off the breachways.
The bluefish in the Newport area have been bigger fish of eight pounds and up lately, as opposed to the small “snarbors” that were dominating the fishery for most of the summer.
Ronnie at Breachway Tackle said the bass and bluefish have been all over the breachway all week, and the false albies just showed up about two or three days ago.
Scup fishing has been pretty good for bigger scup along the beaches and local rock piles, but not many anglers are after them. There are tons of bait inside the breachway, more than Ronnie has ever seen. Offshore has slowed since the storm, while the action along the beaches has improved.
We missed Rob at Wildwood Outfitters in Wakefield this week, hope he was into a blitz somewhere.
John Swienton, owner of Twin Maples Tackle out on Block Island, told us the island has been producing lots of bonito and false albacore in the Coast Guard Channel and vicinity. Anglers are hitting them on Deadly Dicks and Fin-S lures that, as he jokingly said, have to be “activated” at Twin Maples before they will catch anything.
The island is still holding big bass weighing in the low 40s for local eel slingers. Overall, the striper bite is still holding up well with big fish in the usual spots such as the southwest corner and Black Rock. Bluefish are dominating the bite at Sandy Point, but elsewhere in rocky areas stripers are the primary target and catch for those who fish the surf both from boats and the rocks.
Fluke slowed, but sea bass and scup are still around for bottom fishermen to catch.
Here like everywhere else, there are tons of bait all over the place. John said that Wednesday while at Payne’s Dock he looked in the water and saw needlefish and northern sennet (northern barracuda, a small toothy fish of about a foot in length) in good numbers swimming around near the dock. Both of these species are tidbits for bass. There are also some eight- to nine-inch baby bonito swimming around, along with anchovies that are big, up to eight inches or so, attracting the bass. Surprisingly, peanut bunker is not the primary bait at Block Island like it is every place else. But they are present along with enough big bait to maintain a great bite all fall, weather permitting.
A few locals have been out looking for shark and bluefin, south-southeast of the light, but there’s been no word on how they did.
Captain Don of Captain Don’s in Charlestown, Rhode Island reported that there are fish (bass, blues and some tunoids) all over the place. Tons of mullet have moved in since the storm’s passing on Friday, and with them have come some nice bass and loads of bluefish that are strung out from Watch Hill to Point Judith. The weekend produced phenomenal fishing, according to the customers he’s talked to. Saturday you could see people tied into fish in both directions from the Quonny Breachway. It looks like these fish are holding and not on the move due to all the bait in the area.
Over the weekend no one was out fluke fishing. He suspects the fluke are still around because the water temperatures are high and bait is so abundant. However, the bigger fish are of primary interest to most anglers as the fall blitzes begin to shape up over the next few weeks.
False albacore have been showing up off the West Wall at Point Judith. Wednesday they were in both the Charlestown and Quonny breachways, although in the morning they were not sure if the fish at Quonny were albies or bonito because no one caught one. But they were definitely tunoids of some variety. [OnThe Water, Bob Sampson]

RI, 9/16/05

2005-09-16T17:37:00.000-04:00

BAY

Bluefish as large as 30 inches were blitzing butterfish on the East Providence side of the Red Bridge over the Seekonk River yesterday morning, said David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. Pods of blues have also been popping up at Green Island, Sabin Point, Barrington Beach and Colt State Park in the upper Bay, and near Halfway Rock and the Jamestown Bridge in the lower Bay. Skipjack blues are in every cove of the Bay, said Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle and John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle.

Striped bass are scarce in the upper Bay, but there have been some schoolies taking clams and Storm Wild-eye Shad at the White Church Bridge in Barrington. Trollers are catching bass in the 20-pound class on the reefs off Newport, said Sam Toland of Sam's Bait & Tackle.

Yesterday morning, a diver spotted a lot of large tautog at Hope Island, Ferrara said.

The fluke bite is still fairly strong off Shepley's Dock and Conimicut Light, said Ferrara. In the lower Bay, fluke are biting between Newport and Jamestown.

Scup fishing is fair along the rocks off Newport, but the sea-bass bite is spotty.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

Large bluefish and bass up to 15 pounds have been feeding on peanut bunker in South County's breachways, according to Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle. The bass bite has also improved along the Narragansett shore, said Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters. He has been fishing Slug-Go lures, and his partner, Bill Nolan, has been using live eels to catch bass in the 20-pound class at night. Bluefish have been relatively scarce after dark, they said.

Scup are biting on the slack high tide in the breachways.

Fluke fishing is waning, according to several sources.

The salt ponds are filling with exotic fish now. Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina has seen a lot of northern barracuda around his docks this week.

OFFSHORE

Yellowfin tuna over 100 pounds apiece were biting in Hudson Canyon on Wednesday, said Al Conti. Aerie One took wahoo, mahi and bonito on the south side of the shipping channel south of Block Island, too.

Sunday, the bluefin bite has taking shape at the Mud Hole, but it died following Monday's blow, said Conti. Giants bluefins are rolling up behind draggers, he said.

There are plenty of albacore tuna from Veach Canyon to the Dip, said Sam Toland.

BLOCK ISLAND

Striper fishing has been hot and cold this week. John D'Agostino took a 50-pounder on Southwest Ledge, and Jack Linton nailed a 48-inch fish Monday, said Bob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters, but the bite turned off on Wednesday.

Don Richards caught an 8.9-pound fluke this week, said Ron Mouchon.

FRESHWATER

The water temperature on the Wood River was 63 degrees Tuesday, according to Ed Lombardo. Trout were rising to No. 12 and No. 14 ant imitations, and there was a small emergence of Blue-Winged Olive mayflies.

In Smithfield, anglers are catching a lot of bass, some as large as 4 pounds, on Stump Pond, said David Henault. The bass and northern pike ar taking shiners.

Boston, 9/16/05

2005-09-16T17:28:00.000-04:00

A bit of inclement weather could change the fishing trends, and most certainly will affect the number of anglers on open waterways. Generally, it is these storms and the cold rain of fall that remind the migrant game species in the Northeast that it's time to bulk up for the long trip south. That usually spells good fishing in our parts, and all the signs were there this week for a strong finish. One sign of weakness, however, is a general cooling off of the great football tuna craze, though there are still fish in Massachusetts Bay up into the Gulf of Maine.
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Area A: The rockbound Downeast coast had some excellent striper fishing this week, with catches of note around Boothbay Harbor, Damariscotta, Orrs, and Bailey's Island up to Muscongus Bay. Also check out Popham Beach for stripers -- none too large, but slot size -- and down into the Piscataqua River mouth for both blues and striped bass. The ledges are still producing cod and haddock for party boats (and others), while the football action out in the gulf has quieted -- fewer fish or fewer anglers or both. North Shore fishing is generally fair with some decent catches at Plum Island, off Halibut Point, Lamprey River, and Lynn Harbor, where schools of blues and stripers are chasing bait.

Area B: Boston Harbor is decent, but with many fewer charters these days, the reports are diminished. Still, catches of stripers between Deer Island Light and Long Island Light have been reported steadily. Also, the outer islands, Lovells, Gallops, and Georges, had some schools of feeding stripers as did the southern approach -- Rainsford, Peddocks, and Grape Islands. Hingham and Hull have plenty of bait and fish feeding on it right down into the Weir River around World's End.

Area C: Blues and bass found around Hingham Harbor, with some decent bass schools outside over the rocky bottoms from Black Rock to Minots, Strawberry Point and The Glades. While the bass are still decent, as of yesterday morning, the bluefish were more in evidence along this coast, around to the North River mouth. Lots of bait in Duxbury, Plymouth, and Kingston bays have plenty of fish on the move, with medium striped bass all over this shallow inner bay that meets the estuary. Manomet rocks are OK, but not hot right now, and the east end of the Canal is only fair off the jetties.

Area D: Some bonito still biting in the west end of the Canal and anglers were having luck trolling into Buzzards Bay around Wareham and across at Pocasset, where the fluke fishing is still decent but fading. Stripers between Scraggy and Woods Hole for trollers, and there are even a few scup deep around Clevelands. In western Buzzards Bay, the stripers are decent from back of Cuttyhunk to Westport, and on the back side out toward Nomans.

Area E: The South Cape is pretty quiet just now, with only fair fishing in the early days of the annual Vineyard Derby. Nantucket bluefish are excellent in the shoal water, especially at the famous Old Man Shoal -- all that could be altered by Ophelia, of course.

Area F: Some good bass catches around Monomoy, but the water is churned up and weedy along the National Seashore beaches. Some decent bass and bluefish inside around Billingsgate, Provincetown Harbor, and Crescent Beach.

NY Newsday, 9/16/05

2005-09-16T17:27:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: This should be a good weekend for full-moon fluking, and on Wednesday, anglers from Jack's B&T in City Island were already finding limits. Lots of bluefish up to 13 pounds on chunks or on the surface, and mixed in is a fall prelude of small striped bass.

2. Huntington/Northport bays: There will be plenty of bluefish hunters on the water this weekend with the Huntington Yacht Club Tournament tomorrow and the Town of Oyster Bay Bluefish Tournament on Sunday. Four Winds had reports of big bluefish off Eatons Neck and by Buoy 13, and if the wind kicks things up, there should be some bonito and albacore activity.

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3. Smithtown Bay: Not much bass action until Wednesday, when things began to open up. Rob Krogman nailed a 20-pounder using clams off the jetty leading out of Stony Brook Harbor and his father, Bob, had a 15-pounder on the same trip, according to Swaine's. Jeff Sicdi, Heather Velez and Christie Palazzo also reported 20-25 pounders on eels. Bluefish to 9 pounds are stretched along the shore and there are keepable fluke among the many shorts.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Porgies are biting in good size and numbers at the Middle Grounds when conditions accommodate anglers. Slack tide and no drift make things difficult. Bluefish are being jigged all around in deeper Sound waters with some bass showing up more regularly. Big fluke are still around, but use large baits to slow the throwbacks.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: The Race and the Gut are teeming with blues during the day on heavy diamond jigs and bass at night on bucktails and eels. The bass haven't been stunning in size, but the action is nearly non-stop with a few larger fish in the Race, according to Wego Fishing. Sound-side surfcasters have been enjoying a nice run of bluefish and bass.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: You can't go wrong looking for porgies with Cedar Point and Buoy 17 among the hot spots lately, according to Wego Fishing. Weakfish aren't in the numbers they were two weeks ago, but there are some being taken on high-low rigs or diamond jigs off Rose Grove and Greenport.

7. Montauk Point: Offshore fishing is very good when conditions allow the trip. Gary Benker had a 210-pound mako and Mike Nolan had a 65-pound yellowfin tuna on the Viking Star's first offshore tuna trip of the season. All totaled, there were eight yellowfins, three albacore, two makos and plenty of ling and mahi. Surfcasters are finding bass on both the north and south sides, mostly through the night, according to Freddie's B&T, with a lot of false albacore and bonito mixed in off Shagwong.

8. Shinnecock Bay: Young Cassie Deneuve caught her first fluke, a 4-pounder, while fishing with Grandma Sue and Timmy on the Awesome over the weekend, according to Molnar's Landing. Capt. Robert DeMarco and Frank DeMarco both hooked into the same 7-pound, 13-ounce fluke outside the inlet. Stripers are starting to show up; John Fernandez caught a 29-pounder on Wednesday near the bridge.

9. Moriches Bay: On Wednesday, the open boat Rosie fished outside the inlet and had 45 keeper fluke, 23 of them better than 5 pounds. Of course, the day before, there were practically no bites. Bass are biting on the outer bar and on the flats. B&B Tackle customer Doug reported a 35-pounder caught on herring.

10. Great South Bay/Fire Island Inlet: Stripers are starting to perk up as anglers are hitting on live eels in the evenings, according to Augie's in Babylon. The action runs from the Robert Moses Bridge to the inlet, depending on conditions, and it's a nice start to the fall with loads of bait to entice the fish to the area. A few larger weakfish are coming close to the docks looking to chow on the snappers.

11. Jones Inlet/Western Bays: With forecasts for 5-20 foot seas this weekend, there won't be a lot of boats heading for the Canyon, where the fishing has been excellent. But inshore is pretty good, too, with a burst of fluke in 70 feet, south of the inlet according to Woodcleft Fishing Station, which also reported Gary Corwin's 10-pounder taken in the bay on a live snapper. Weakfish are hitting sandworms in the creeks and bluefishing is good at Three Sisters, 17 Fathoms and the Mud Buoy.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Bay Park Fishing Station reported the crew of Four Queens had 10 keeper-sized bass Sunday and nine Monday drifting clams behind the commercial boats. Make sure to give those guys their space! The crew on the Low Key had fluke to 6 pounds with eight keepers and nice sea bass at the Atlantic Beach Reef on Tuesday. And over the weekend, the Fish On went to the tip of the Canyon and had bluefin to 100 pounds on the chunk, including 11-year-old Justin Mole's first bluefin.

13. New York Bight: Bluefish to 15 pounds are being taken off the beaches and the striped bass are starting to snoop around the shoreline, as well. Weakfish aren't as consistent as they've been, but there are still keepers around and it's a nice pursuit after you've killed your arms bluefishing.

On The Water, 9/16/05

2005-09-16T16:26:00.000-04:00

This week everyone is anticipating the approach of slow-moving and hopefully wet, Hurricane Ophelia, which will most likely be remnants by the time it gets here. Either way, many anglers along the shore are looking for fishing to pick up in the suds after this storm passes through. For sure it will improve the very difficult freshwater conditions that inland anglers are contending with.
Thomcat Pelletier of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown said the fishing has been pretty good for stripers along the south shore reefs for their customers who are fishing the dusk through dawn bite with live baits such as scup, hickory shad and eels. Thom himself said he was catching stripers over the weekend on live bait that were in the 20- to 30-pound range. Steve McKenna, who also works at the shop, continues to do well by slinging Slug-Gos at night off the beaches in the Narragansett area.
Bluefish are all over the place. Fish of all size classes from one pound to over 10 are chopping eels, shredding soft plastics and generally raising hell with anyone who is not targeting them. One of his buddies had a bluefish take a four-inch-wide bite out of a fluke that was being reeled up to the boat on Sunday. Bluefishing is, for all practical purposes, a “can’t miss situation” along the south shore, as well as up inside Narragansett Bay.
Fluke fishing is slowing down, but there are still fish coming in from the drifts at Pt. Judith, Newport and Sakonnet in 60 to 70 feet of water. There was a 12-pounder caught over the weekend out in front of Point Judith during what was a pretty fair bite. Anglers are also taking sea bass up to five pounds while fluke fishing off the beaches.
Bottom fishermen are killing big scup off the east wall at Point Judith Harbor in closer to the rocks. One scup fisherman caught a stray triggerfish, a migrant from the south that is commonly caught in our waters late in the summer. With water temps so high, it seems like oddball species such as angel fish, jack crevalle, cobia, wahoo and even tarpon might show up in our waters this year as they have in the past during hot long summers. However, other than some wahoo reported offshore, reports of southern migrants locally have been scarce so far. No solid reports on false albacore and bonito in the area, and no one has even mentioned Spanish mackerel yet this fall.
Rob at Saltwater Edge, Newport reported that nothing much has changed since last week’s report, other than the fact that the striped bass action is picking up, with fish weighing in the mid-twenties. These fish have been hitting well on topwater baits, such as Zara Spooks and Poe’s walk-the-dog lures, as well as on larger Slug-Gos.
Lots of big eight-pound and better blues are also hitting well and are easy to find around the Newport area.
Rob heard that the albies are starting to move down along the Long Island shore, but not much in this area so far. The fact that there’s peanut bunker everywhere and some mullet up to about seven inches swimming around to bring them in and hold them when they show up bodes well for later in the fall. He thinks something big is about to happen after the hurricane blows up the coast. This week has been the calm before the storm, so to speak.
John Swienton, owner of Twin Maples Tackle out on Block Island, told us the big waves stopped earlier in the week, so anglers could get back out to fish. One friend from Line Sider Charters caught seven big bass just south of Southwest Ledge up to 42 pounds on Tuesday by drift-fishing with live eels. Everyone else on the ledge was getting fish, as well.
John went to Black Rock with a buddy and easily limited out using eels over the weekend. There are loads of big fish around the island at the present time and plenty of bait in the form of anchovies and baby bunker to keep them around for a while. The area around Sandy Point is also producing fish to 20 pounds and better on poppers and swimming plugs.
There are bluefin tuna southwest of Sharks Ledge, running between the 90- and 120-foot line. These fish are in the 20- to 50-pound range, and most are being caught by trolling offshore lures such as Hex heads, Green Machines, etc. The false albacore are still ripping in and out of New Harbor with the tides at the Coast Guard station and vicinity.
Fluke fishing was slow this past week, due more to the lack of anglers targeting them than to lack of fluke. There are good numbers of sea bass being caught along the west side of the island incidentally by fluke anglers and by a few sharpies who are targeting sea bass around the rock piles and drop-offs that hold them in high densities.
Captain Don of Captain Don’s Tackle in Charlestown, Rhode Island, reported low angler activity levels so far this week, but the weekend saw plenty of activity and catches of bass, bluefish, porgies and fluke from Quonny Pond and vicinity.
There are some very big slammer bluefish around ranging from 12 to 15 pounds being caught off the shore from Charlestown Breachway down to East Beach and the Andrea Hotel at Misquamicut.
The Watch Hill Reef complex has been producing consistent catches of both bass and bluefish, mostly on eels and by trolling with tube and worms, although anglers tossing plugs are taking their share of smaller fish. Fred and Trish Dewolfe of Westerly caught an 18-pound bass off the Charlestown Breachway at two in the afternoon on a tube and worm. These things are so easy and effective they break all the rules. My son caught his biggest bass to date, a 33-pounder, using a tube and worm on a hot July day at around 3 p.m. at dead slack low tide, a time I wouldn’t bet on being able to catch a dam porgy. Yet over the years, we’ve consistently caught decent stripers at times when they weren’t supposed to be biting.
Fluke are still being caught along the south shore but at a greatly reduced pace over the past week or so. Bigger fish have been caught in 60 to 70 feet of water off the beaches, with smaller fish coming in from the salt ponds where they appear to be chasing peanut bunker. One customer and a friend caught fluke of 27 and 29 inches and about nine pounds while fishing out off the shore from Weekapaug Breachway over the weekend. No one has been out fluking so far this week.
Bill Jolley caught a 3-pound weakfish off Weekapaug Beach on Sunday using a Kastmaster. Another angler took a 5.25-pound sea bass in 50 feet of water off the beaches while drifting for fluke.
The Swamp Yankee Classic Tournament is underway. This is an event that runs from September 5 through November 13, with weekly prizes for both bass and bluefish in the shore and boat divisions.
There are still some good scup around the breachways, as well as off the beaches and local reefs, for anyone who wants fast fishing action and edible fillets.
As of Wednesday, the surf was kicking up, so many anglers are anticipating good action as the effects of Hurricane Ophelia are felt.
Don at King Cove Marina, Stonington told us they have been seeing tons of bluefish and some good striper catches from the waters between Watch Hill and Stonington. One kayaker caught a 46-incher, along with eight other keepers while trolling a tube-and-worm rig on Tuesday evening. Everyone who has gone out lately has been taking some nice bass and blues off the reefs, as well as from the Stonington flats.
Fluke action has died off big time throughout the eastern Long Island Sound area, with many anglers switching over to sea bass or scup for their frying material.
Kevin, who fishes out of the shop, said he spotted schools of tunoids off the reefs on Monday, but they were not on top long enough to get a hook into them. Customers and the guys at the shop are hopeful this may be a sign that this fall’s albie run is finally beginning. Maybe they will be about three to four weeks late, which puts their arrival about the middle of next week – or maybe due to the presence of tuna earlier in the summer they are not going to make a major showing this season.

RI Provo, 9/9/05

2005-09-09T17:43:00.000-04:00

BAY:"Fluking is the name of the game," said Sam Toland of Sam's Bait & Tackle. "I've never seen a season like this one where it gets progressively better. Normally, it's just the opposite." Fluke have been biting at the mouth of the Sakonnet River and off most of Aquidneck Island's beaches, off Goat Island, and near the Newport Bridge, he said. Off Bailey's and the other beaches, fluke are taking squid strips on flashy rigs in 50 to 75 feet of water. In the upper Bay, the fluke bite is "pretty good" near Conimicut Light, said John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle.
Bluefish are also biting in the lower Bay, particularly in the East Passage. The bluefish bite is virtually guaranteed in the Sakonnet River, off Sapowet, Fogland and Sandy points, said Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine, noting that the blues frequently shoot into the Tiverton basin, too. Shore fishermen have been taking blues along Burma Road in Portsmouth, said Toland. In the upper Bay, the bluefish bite has been iffy at best.
Bass fishing is terribly slow throughout the Bay, although Ed Hughes said he found stripers among blues off Castle Hill. Latinville said he weighed fish as large as 37 pounds. He recommended Taylor Lane in Little Compton on the Sakonnet for shore fishermen and the waters off Lands End and Sakonnet Point for boaters. Tube-and-worm rigs and eels have been luring the big fish, he said.
On the reefs off Newport, Tiverton and Westport, sea bass are huge. John Dubois caught a 6.24-pounder this week. Triggerfish fish have appeared, too.
Scup aren't numerous, but they are large. Look for them off the Clambake Club, Sakonnet Point, north of Third Beach in the Sakonnet, and around the Dumplings off Jamestown. In the upper Bay, the White Church Bridge in Barrington has been a fairly consistent spot.
BEACHES AND SALT PONDS: Gil Pope, a commercial rod-and-reel fisherman, caught a 13.55-pound fluke last weekend. The fish was 31 inches long, 16 inches wide and 3 inches thick. "I caught it south of the center wall of the Harbor of Refuge about a mile out or so, on a combination of fluke and squid strip," he said. "It was in the afternoon and the current was moving pretty fast and I had to use a 12-ounce sinker to keep the bait on the bottom. It was just one of those days when the larger fish were biting. I had a 7-pounder, a 5-pounder and a 4-pounder in the same area on that same day and quite a few 3-plus-pounders as well. The next day, same spot, same baits, same tide. There were just a few smaller fish and not such a great day. Such is fishing."
Fishing the Narragansett surf over the weekend, Bill Nolan took a 41-pound bass on an eel. Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle has been finding small concentrations of large bass on the reefs off South County.
"Anglers have been treated to full coolers of jumbo scup," writes Frank Blount, skipper of the Frances Fleet out of Galilee. "There has been a nice mix of sea bass and a few fluke mixed in. The fish are bigger then we have seen at this time of the season in years. We will be sailing daily at 8 a.m. The jumbo fluke and sea bass trips continue to do well and will sail through the fall. Sea bass should take over as the fluke start moving to deeper water. Night bass fishing has turned on again. The fish are the biggest fish that we have seen for the season. On one recent trip we had several fish in the 40-pound class, and the pool fish top out in the 50s."
OFFSHORE: "There's a monster slug of good water in Oceanographer's [Canyon] that must hold a massive amount of fish," said Sam Toland. "It's working its way toward the Fish Tails. There's also some nice water moving into the Dump. It should hold some albacore and mahi."
The bite between the Dip and the Fish Tails has cooled, Toland said, but it should improve within two weeks. "Overall, the fishing is not good," he said, "but it's certain that it's going to improve."
FRESHWATER: Bass are striking weedless frog and mouse lures in the middle of the day on Turner Reservoir in East Providence, according to Bill Quatrucci of Bill's Bait & Tackle. The Yum Buzz frog has been especially effective, fished over the heavy weed cover.
On Stump Pond in Smithfield, a lot of undersized pike, and occasionally a keeper, have been taking heavy-medium shiners, according to Rudy D'Agostino of the R&Y Shop. At night, large bass are nailing surface lures near the inlet.
BEST BITES:Sakonnet River:Bluefish, scup
South County reefs:Bass, bluefish, seabass, scup
Stump Pond:Pike, bass

NY side of LIS, 9/9/05

2005-09-09T14:32:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: A lot of blues spread around with big fish amongst them. Even the snappers are huge, to 14 inches in some cases. And since the blues are on the L.I. side of the Sound, the porgies have run to the Connecticut side. Jack's B&T in City Island reported slow fluking, but there should be one last hurrah for the species next weekend.

2. Huntington/Northport bays: Great fluke action with some 15-17 inch shorts but plenty of keepers with a few 5-pounders mixed in. They're biting on both sides of Huntington Bay, as well as Cold Spring Harbor and Oyster Bay. Four Winds B&T reported a nice mix of blues and keeper bass south of 11B in 50-60 feet of water. Porgy fishing hasn't been very consistent.

3. Smithtown Bay: Sean Barron and his dad had fluke to 25 inches using killies off West Meadow Beach and Steve from BLT Cafe in St. James had five fluke to 22 inches in the same area, according to Swaine's B&T. Bluefish from cocktails to 8 pounds are in and out and some keeper bass are in Stony Brook Harbor with a lot of schoolies. Chumming is the key to porgy fishing, but that draws bluefish.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Jigging for bass and blues is producing good action in the Middle Grounds, with the stripers getting bigger each day. The Celtic Quest reported the sunset bite on porgies has been fantastic. Fluking took an upswing in the past week. Over the weekend, Mark caught a 10-pound fluke, then followed it with keeper sea bass and stripers on the Capt. Bob in Mattituck.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: The bass bite has gotten better and should continue to improve through next weekend's full moon. Eels and dark bucktails at night are hitting the majority of the 30-pounders. Bluefish are mixed in and can be diamond jigged in the Gut or Race. Porgy fishing is very good all the way out to Fishers, and when the tide is slack in the Gut, there are a few jumbos, according to Wego Fishing.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Not a lot of big weakfish, but some good keepers being taken on squid and diamond jigs by Greenport and Roses Grove. Plenty of cocktail bluefish with some bigger ones at Jessups. Porgies are everywhere and still being taken in terrific size and number.

7. Montauk Point: Surfcasters caught some bass yesterday just east of Ditch Plains and on the north side at Lazy Point, according to Freddie's B&T. The north bar and false bar have also been producing in the middle of the night. Under the light has been tough with the large heave that has also slowed the traffic for offshore boats (though the ones that do get out are doing well with tuna and sharks).

8. Shinnecock Bay: Limiting out on fluke has become work, but some anglers are sorting through the shorts poised for their fall dash to the ocean. It's been a remarkably consistent year for fluking here, and there's no reason it shouldn't end with a bang this month. Ocean fluke anglers are taking some fish to 8 pounds, along with nice sea bass off the wrecks and rockpiles.

9. Moriches Bay: The fluke are moving; on Tuesday, Julius and his wife had four keepers at Buoy 14, but Wednesday, there was nothing there and they caught their keepers at Buoy 4. Silly Lily's reports squid and spearing still working the best, usually three hours before high water. Plenty of schoolie bass in the cuts, and weakfish are biting by Buoy 31.

10. Great South Bay/Fire Island Inlet: Fluking had been pretty good over the holiday weekend but a roll of waves the last few days has turned them off, according to Augie's in Babylon. Expect a good fall run in the next week. A lot of big bluefish are inside the bay and blowfish and kingfish are being taken on the north side of the bay. The water is still a little warm for the fall bass explosion, but with the loads of bait around, it could happen any day.

11. Jones Inlet/Western Bays: Since the heat wave ended, the fishing has come back to respectability. Fluking is still fraught with shorts but the action is terrific and there are 3-5 pounders. Scotty's reported one boat anchored near Point Lookout Bridge taking 25 nice sea bass to 16 inches and two 3-pound triggerfish. Stripers are still small but the evening bite is starting to stir.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Bay Park Fishing Station reported some nice ocean fluking last weekend as the gang on For Reel took 16 keepers to 7 pounds, and the Donna Rosalie had a limit at Cholera with only a few shorts. Offshore has been slowed by the ocean storms, but over the weekend, the crew of Momentum had an 80-pound bluefin and a 100-pound yellowfin from the east wall of the Hudson while the 50-50 was on the west wall hooking longfin, a hammerhead shark and a '-pound swordfish.

13. New York Bight: Bluefish are feasting on the bodies of bait, busting the surface with fierce action. Poppers will snag some to 8 pounds if you come across a blitz. Fluke action in Jamaica Bay has been good, but the by-catch of sea bass and porgies has been even better with scup to 2 pounds and in good numbers. [by tom rock]

Bluefin tuna remain red-hot - The Boston Globe

2005-09-09T14:29:00.000-04:00

September always brings a renewal of fishing excitement to our waterfront, and this year is no exception. Except to say that along with the new dedication of striped bass to their feeding habits -- especially with so much peanut bunker around these days -- and the coming of new bluefish, the red-hot fishery for football bluefin tuna has drawn in just about everyone who has a boat capable of fishing 5 miles offshore.
Area A: Good bass catches in Saco Bay and the river mouth, down along Southern Maine to Kittery. Isle of Shoals has some excellent bluefishing mixed with the bass. Fishing the ledges holds very strong with cod and market haddock still good fare. Football tuna is the game just offshore from the Gulf of Maine through Massachusetts Bay. Tuna is hot off Plum Island, and the stripers and bluefish are feeding on bait along the beach.
Area B: Some large bass catches from Baker Island to Peaches Point. Nahant to the outer harbor islands has been productive water, and a 48-inch bass was caught off Winthrop this week. Other catches at Spectacle, Georges, and Deer Island. Plenty of bait in the inner harbor -- especially small herring and peanut bunker -- makes Boston Harbor a place to wet your line and follow the boats already out there. Some of the action has returned to the surface.
Area C: The bluefin craze has come close to shore, as anglers are fishing for them within 4 miles of the Scituate beaches. Also some good bluefish action along the cliffs and in the North River mouth. Fish there long enough and you'll find a mix of everything. Also, pursue the feeding stripers right up to the South River confluence. Again, from this shore across to Stellwagen, the football fishing is tremendous. Plenty of bass action in Duxbury Bay, along with bluefish, which are hitting right up to the Powder Point Bridge.
Area D: The Canal has its moments, with plenty of traffic. The fishing is generally better around the west end and into upper Buzzards Bay, where from the Buttermilk Bay side to Pocasset and Hog Island Channel the fishing has been steady. Plenty of action in middle bay around Clevelands and along the Elizabeth Islands, especially Robinsons Hole. Cuttyhunk produces big stripers at night, as does the water from Gay Head to Nomans. Around the other side, Sunken Meadow is strong in Nantucket Sound with bass and bluefish. Wasque is worth fishing again, despite the swell.
Area E: Tuna fishing ongoing off Chatham with some big stripers being boated off Monomoy, with some good action in the rips. You'll find a few fluke still biting in the Bass River, and the Falmouth beaches have some good bluefishing, right out into the Sound and across to the Vineyard. Along the State Beach shore, from East Chop to Edgartown, the bonito fishing is still pretty hot.
Area F: Still a lot of swell off the north-facing beaches, with weeds making the fishing tough. Inside Cape Cod Bay, good fishing from Billingsgate along Truro to Provincetown Harbor. [org pub Boston Globe by Tony Chamberlain]

Rhode Island, 9/8/05

2005-09-08T17:07:00.000-04:00

1. BAY:Unusually good fishing along the Warwick shore, north of Conimicut Point: blues & bass. Big bass have also made a return in recent weeks. I believe it is due to favorable water temperatures and the amount of bait in the water.
2. Large bluefish are also biting off Goddard Park in Greenwich bay, Potter's Cove on Prudence Island and Ohio Ledge, says Bob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters. "The blues are absolutely monstrous, and in large schools," he writes. Ken Ferrara recommended Brenton Reef and Beavertail Point for large blues. Smaller, 5- to 6-pound fish are biting near Halfway Rock, Hope Island, and Conanicut Point. On the Sakonnet River, Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine, said, "Catching bluefish on topwater plugs is almost a given at Fogland and Sandy points. The fish are up and down all day long. Tide doesn't matter."
3. Fluke as large as 9 pounds have been biting in the waters off Sakonnet Point, said Latinville.
4. BEACHES AND SALT PONDS: Fishing off South Kingstown has slowed some, Neilson reports. "People are saying that it's the first time they have been skunked all year," he writes.
5. Commercial rod-and-reel fishermen opened their fall season yesterday in high, westerly winds and rough seas. "The seas and calming down," Ron Mouchon reported from his boat yesterday morning, "so hopefully by the weekend, fishing will improve." Inside Charlestown Breachway, off the camping area, a young angler took a 34-inch striper Wednesday morning.
6. Bass have been taking eels at Watch Hill, plugs at the Weekapaug overlook at night, and tube-and-worm rigs inside Quonochontaug Pond, said Don Cameron of Captain Don's Bait & Tackle.
7. Inside the Narrow River and Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds, fly fisherman Ed Lombardo is catching stripers and hickory shad on the flood tide. "Peanut bunker and silversides are really abundant, and this can become a big problem," he writes. "With all of that bait around, your fly gets lost. Most of the bass are schoolies, anywhere from 15 to 20 inches, but there are occasional keepers. I'm fishing a No. 1 white Deceiver on a 12-foot leader with a 6-weight floating line. Another good fly is a black-and-white Clouser Minnow. Worm patterns also work, and for larger fish, I like to use a 4- to 5-inch-long squid pattern, all white with a little pink in the body."
8. Fluke remain at the Center Wall and also around the Charlestown Breachway in 40 feet of water, according to Neilson. To the west, the fluke have moved into much deeper water, said Cameron.
9. Scup are biting on the slack tides inside Quonochontaug Breachway and Stonington Harbor at high tide.
10. Sea-bass fishing is improving off Misquamicut, Cameron said.
11. Bonito appeared in Quonochontaug Breachway yesterday morning.
12. OFFSHORE: Swells and high winds have kept most boats at the dock this week, but before the blow, offshore anglers were catching a lot of mako sharks. Bill Slattery caught a 320-pounder at the Mud Hole, according to Ken Ferrara.
13. BLOCK ISLAND: "With the small bluefin tuna gone, we have focused our efforts on stripers," writes Chris Willi of Block Island Fishworks. "The past few days have been slow, but fish have been around. Those of us who did have success were fishing the early morning hours coinciding with a good tide. Bubblegum, rainbow, and chartreuse Slug-Gos have worked. Black Rock, Dories Cove, and North Light produced. Hula Charters' largest bass of the week was a 41-pounder. "There is plenty of bait around -- loads of it. Capt. Eric on the Rooster reports great sea bass action on the wrecks."
14. FRESHWATER: Twin Rivers Reservoir in North Providence is the best spot to fish for bass and hornpout, says Rudy D'Agostino of the R&Y Shop. Largemouths as large as 4.5 pounds have been taking shiners, and hornpout have been biting nightcrawlers between 6 and 10 p.m.

On The Water, RI, 9/8/05

2005-09-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown told us the bass fishing is still pretty good and that it held up consistently throughout the month of August. Bill Nolan, one of his buddies, caught a 43-pounder from the beach at Narragansett on a live eel one day late last week. Steve himself has been doing well and catching bass on Slug-Gos and eels after dark pretty much every night. It’s been consistent action from smaller fish up to about the midteens for him and for his customers who are fishing the Narragansett area.
Big seas have made things unfishable since early in the week due to the storms offshore in the south. Once this situation passes, Steve expects the fishing to get back to normal.
Bluefish made a major appearance up inside Narragansett Bay since the rainstorms last week. Surprisingly, there has not been much reported in the way of bluefish action outside the bay. But up in the bay, Steve said the only place the blues aren’t hitting is in swimming pools.
Fluke fishing is on the way out this time of year. It’s slowed down pretty much all over the area, with a few scattered catches being made along the south shore beaches.
Scup fishing is still red hot and will be for a month or so more, but blackfish are slow for the moment. There are loads of bait around, which bodes well for the remainder of the fall.
Earl at Saltwater Edge, Newport reported that not too much has changed since last week’s report. Bluefish are present in the Newport area, but there aren’t many of them. The bait situation is not very good at this time, even the peanut bunker seem to have moved out of the Newport area. Speculation is that all of those bluefin tuna that were ripping around the area may have had something to do with this situation.
Mrs. Dangelo of Maridee Bait and Tackle, Narragansett, R.I. said anglers have been catching keeper stripers on clam bellies off the Point Judith docks in the evenings. Bass and blues are in the harbor refuge.
Captain Andy Dangelo caught a wahoo over Labor Day weekend on one of his offshore charters that was 24 pounds. The captain has been catching bass over 30 pounds off Block Island during his local striper charters.
Loads of bait in along the shore and beaches do draw and hold the predatory species. Early and later in the day, the bass are hitting eels and plugs. In the daylight hours, bluefish are the dominant catch off the jetties and breachways when the tide is running.
Fluke have slowed down, with a few minor catches being reported from the waters in front of the “Cottages” in 50 to 70 feet, but it’s definitely slowing down. Porgies are still thick, easy to catch and big.
Kevin at Breachway Tackle, Charlestown said this week was slow, in general. The fish (bass) haven’t been cooperating very well. Ron, owner of the shop, who has been slaying them all summer long, has been going out and not catching, so something is wrong. Kevin noted that Ron said the bass are hard to find and not biting when you do find them.
There are still plenty of bluefish and snappers up inside the salt pond and running in and out of the breachway, but the bass are a disappointment.
The bonito have been reported in the area, but nothing specific as to exactly where. One sighting took place off the Pt. Judith walls. As we all know, all news is old news when it comes to reports on any member of the tuna family because they move around so darn fast.
Fluke fishing is pretty much over. There may be a week or two left before it’s completely finished, but even now no one is doing very well.
Porgies are the best bet for action and filleting material when it’s needed.
Rob at Wildwood Outfitters, Wakefield said there was an increase in bluefish that are following the peanut bunker and silversides up into the bay and in along the beaches. There is a ton of bait in the Point Judith Salt Pond. Schoolie bass catches have picked up in Narragansett around the Avenues and in both the Pt. Judith and Charlestown Salt Ponds. The numbers of bass are up lately, but overall the average size is down. Eben Horton caught a 36-pounder along the Narragansett shore with one of his custom-made needlefish plugs in copper color, but that was the only big fish they heard of this week. Dannys and needlefish plugs are popular this time of year, as well as any of the Storm and similar swim baits.
The Mud Hole is holding albacore, bluefins and mahi-mahi, but no yellowfins yet. Many of their offshore fishermen are coming in for supplies, which is an indication that things are heating up. The Dip has been red hot for all the different tunas. Steve Flood, captain of the Rum Runner did an overnighter at The Dip and caught yellowfins, albies and mahi-mahi under weed patches by trolling and chunking after dark, the usual routine for a canyon run.
We missed John Swienton’s report from Twin Maples at Block Island this week.
Captain Don of Captain Don’s Tackle, Charlestown, Rhode Island said that this week there were a few small bluefins back on the south side of Fishers Island again as of Wednesday. One customer who was back there tube-and-worming, or trying to in the dirty water, said there were loads of bait with some small bluefins chasing them. But they disappeared too quickly to get a hook into any of them. There have continued to be random hookups from schoolie bluefins in The Race even since the majority of these fish moved off to the east two or three weeks ago. At his end of the beaches, the Quonny Breachway is alive with bass and bluefish that are chasing peanut bunker.
Don told me that there are more needlefish up inside the pond than he’s ever seen. This is good news because it will surely draw big bass up inside the pond where the guys in kayaks and small boats can have a crack at them.
In front of Watch Hill, a couple of his old-timers have been doing well by casting Creek Chub Darters. Daybreak and dusk have been consistently productive out front at the Quonny Breachway, where there are some decent keepers being caught on the dropping tide. Generally, the bite dies out with the tide or after the sun rises up above the trees.
Fluke have been moving in and out from the drifts that many anglers fish off Misquamicut in waters ranging from 45 to 80 feet and are still being caught, but not in big numbers. There are still good numbers of small fluke to be caught up inside the salt pond on small jigs baited with mummichogs. Last year they were gone by now, so anglers are lucky they are still around in catchable numbers.
Remember, this time of year, when all the bait moves inshore, so do the fluke, so look for them in shallow water up inside salt ponds, bays and river mouths. They are not gone yet, they are just not where they were all summer long.
Porgies are all over the place and are a “give me” for anyone who seeks them.
Hearsay midweek indicated that there were some albies out off the Quonny Breachway, but it was only secondhand news and not verified by another source. Captain Don saw bonito in the breachway a week back but has not seen any since. However, with all the bait around, he believes that it’s only a matter of time before these tunoids move in to feed – providing they come into the region.
Don of King Cove Marina, Stonington told us the big waves have made a mess of things along the south side of Fishers Island and around the Watch Hill Reef complex. The fish seem to have moved off the reefs and inside over the past week, since things began kicking up. The best fishing is being found between Sandy Point and Napatree Point, as well as out on the Stonington Flats where there have been good numbers of schoolies ranging on up to keepers of nearly 20 pounds. Kevin from the shop caught fish to 38 inches the other day. Sandy Point has been producing fish from both boat and surf – same thing over at Napatree Point.
Some false albacore have shown up off Charlestown and Quonny breachways, as well as out along the south side of Fishers Island, starting last week and right up to Wednesday.
Fluke fishing has slowed drastically, but sea bass and blackfish have picked up. Salted clams have been the ticket, rather than crabs, for blackfish, but remember that the season closes in Connecticut waters from September 7 until September 22, when it reopens through December. This second split in the season will be the time to mobilize and do some serious “togging.”
There have been weakfish caught up to nine pounds off the Quonny Breachway and up the beaches as far as Misquamicut. The odd report was made by a regular who fishes the beaches every morning. He noted that there were 5 little 10-inch weakfish that were beached, evidently chased into the shallows and washed up on the beach by bluefish early Wednesday morning.
Only a few blue crabs are around, and no one is really talking about them.

New York Pike Fishing

2005-09-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

SILVER LAKE
Without question, Silver Lake is one of the premier pike waters in western New York. The 761-acre fishing hole in Wyoming County has everything a growing northern pike could want, including a rich forage base of alewives and perch and thick weeds to serve as spawning and ambush cover.

CONESUS LAKE
There is no place in New York where an angler can count on hooking a 30-pound pike, but Conesus Lake is one of a handful of waters where northerns that size are known to swim. DEC biologists have actually handled such fish during local netting forays.

SODUS BAY
For consistent catches of 4- to 8-pound northerns -- and occasional tussles with larger specimens -- it's hard to imagine a spot better than Sodus Bay. Catches of 10 or more such pike are frequently reported in the bay, and wallhangers of 15 to 18 pounds are caught each year.

SENECA RIVER/CROSS LAKE
The Seneca River begins as a canal outlet at the north end of Seneca Lake and then flows in a generally northeasterly direction for about 35 miles through the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and Cross Lake before meeting the Oneida River and forming the Oswego River near Phoenix.

OWASCO LAKE
While its south end is known for giving up big pike through the ice, Owasco Lake is overlooked by Esox lovers during the warm months of the year. I suspect that's mainly due to the abundance of other game fish in the lake, including brown trout, lake trout and smallmouth bass. Certainly the 8- to 15-pound northerns that enthrall Owasco's hard-water cadre do not disappear in the summer.

SANDY POND
A 2,400-acre bay on Lake Ontario's Oswego County shore, Sandy Pond has a mean depth of 8 feet and a maximum depth of just 13 feet. Weedy from end to end, it's perfect habitat for northern pike and the panfish they love to eat. A run-of-the mill pike in Sandy Pond is a 5-pounder, but 15-pounders are caught annually. In July, the biggest pike will be in the deepest part of the bay, or tucked under weed mats or deadfalls in areas where boat traffic is relatively light.

SIXTOWN POND
Here's a bit of a sleeper, but it won't interest readers whose primary interest is a trophy-class northern. Sixtown Pond in Jefferson County doesn't grow many whoppers, but if you're one of those anglers who enjoy hooking lots of medium-sized pike in relative solitude, it could be just the retreat you've been looking for.

1,000 ISLANDS
Old-timers claim the pike fishing in the 1,000 Islands region of the upper St. Lawrence River isn't what it used to be, yet a good ice-fisherman will have no problem catching several nice fish per outing in Eel Bay, Chippewa Bay and other areas where northerns stage prior to their spring spawning run.

SARANAC CHAIN OF LAKES
The Adirondack region is full of good pike lakes, but the Saranac Chain of Lakes stands out as a consistent producer. Seven interconnected bodies of water are within a few minutes of the village of Saranac Lake in eastern Franklin County. They are Upper, Middle and Lower Saranac lakes, Weller Pond, Oseetah Lake, Kiwassa Lake and Lake Flower. A map of the chain may be obtained from the Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce, 30 Main St., Saranac Lake, NY 12983. Perhaps the best all-round pike water in the chain is Middle Saranac, which spans 1,393 acres. Its average depth is only about 9 feet and there are plenty of weedbeds to hide northerns that average 2 to 4 pounds but sometimes grow to 8 or 10 pounds.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN
Northern pike are so abundant in the bays and creek mouths along Lake Champlain's shore that generations of sportsmen on the Vermont side once enjoyed shooting big northerns in the spring -- with deer rifles!

While the statewide creel limit of five pike per day applies to Lake Champlain, the minimum keeper size is 20 inches. Most will run considerably larger than that. Virtually the entire 110-mile length of Lake Champlain is home to at least a few northerns, but the most consistent fishing for the species is from Plattsburgh north. Kings Bay, off the mouth of the Great Chazy River, is excellent, as is the water around the abandoned railroad bridge stretching eastward from the village of Rouse's Point.

These areas may be accessed by taking U.S. Route 11 east from Malone or by following Route 87 and Route 9 north from Albany to the northern sector of the lake. Public and private marinas are available at Rouse's Point and Plattsburgh. For advice on accommodations, try the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce at (518) 563-1000.

Rich Clients to Help Out Fishing Guide

2005-09-07T06:16:00.000-04:00

PORTLAND, Maine— The case of a single 11-inch smallmouth bass has reverberated far beyond a Maine lake and the fishing lodges of Maine's Grand Lake Stream, echoing through the courts to the canyons of Wall Street. It involves an undercover sting operation aimed at a popular fishing guide with an unblemished record, New York area investment advisers who combine wine tastings with fishing vacations, and allegations of abuse of power by the Maine Warden Service.

Fishing guide Randy Spencer spent two days on trial on a criminal charge that he helped a client keep one fish more than the legal limit. The trial ended in a hung jury in June, but a civil charge is pending, and the 56-year-old guide's well-heeled clients have planned a Manhattan dinner and concert to raise money to help defray his legal bills. Along the way, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and the Bloomberg financial network have reported on the case.

It all started last year, say Spencer and his supporters, when the new owner of the venerable Weatherby's lodge on Grand Lake Stream decided to get a liquor license. As a result, the lodge told investment adviser David Kotok that he and his fishing buddies would no longer be permitted to bring their own wines on their visits, so the group took their business and libations elsewhere. Spencer, who had been a guide for Kotok, helped with the switch, a move that they say stirred up hard feelings among Weatherby's guides. Weatherby's owner Jeff MacEvoy denied that there was any animosity and said he had nothing to do with any complaints against Spencer.

Two weeks later, according to Spencer, a man who identified himself as Al Begin of Waitsfield, Vt., called to hire him for two days. Over their two days together last summer, Spencer said the client caught and released about 50 fish each day. "It was a great two days," he recalled. Three weeks later, however, district warden Brad Richard and his supervisor delivered a summons to Spencer. At his arraignment, Spencer learned that he was accused of helping undercover officer Albert St. Saviour, who was posing as Begin, illegally take three smallmouth bass from Big Lake. Spencer admits that there were three fish on the stringer on their first day of fishing, and that he fileted and grilled them. But he maintains that he caught one of the bass himself and the client kept only his legal limit of two.

He could have pleaded guilty to the criminal charge and the companion civil charge of failing to report a violation, and paid $100 in fines. But he also would likely have lost his guide's license for a year. The jury deliberated for nearly four hours at the June trial but was unable to reach a verdict. Prosecutors and Col. Tom Santaguida, the head of the warden service, decided against retrying such a minor case. However, the state still plans to proceed with a Sept. 22 trial on the civil complaint.

Spencer's legal bills already have reached $15,000. The New York fundraising dinner for Spencer is set for Nov. 5. Spencer's supporters also want to learn why a guide they say has the ethics of a Boy Scout was singled out as a target.

"I see a young 20-something game warden trying to make a name for himself by taking down a community pillar, and some jealous competitors and a whisper campaign," said Kotok, the chairman of Cumberland Advisers of Vineland, N.J. "And now that they were caught in it, the game warden bureaucracy is trying to dig in its heels and protect its turf because it backfired on them and they're embarrassed." Santaguida said the vilification that the warden service has received from Kotok and others has been balanced by support from the public, and he has no regrets about launching the investigation. "We hold guides to a very high standard," Santaguida said. [org pub telegram.com by Jerry Harkavy]

Old Bridge, NJ Shore Fishing

2005-09-07T06:13:00.000-04:00

OLD BRIDGE — Fabio Dos Santos sat on the sandy shoreline in the northern corner of Old Bridge Waterfront Park Monday, surrounded by family and friends. While two fishing poles sat propped up in front of the 31-year-old Perth Amboy resident and the crew, the only thing they were catching were some Labor Day rays. But Dos Santos didn't seem to mind. He said they were having a good time on Raritan Bay, where they had the freedom to spread out as much as they wanted — something they said they wouldn't have at more popular Shore destinations. "We live close to here," said Dos Santos, who comes to the beach every other week. "It's always like this, not too crowded."

While most people opted for points farther south, Old Bridge Waterfront Park yesterday attracted a loyal following of sun worshippers and swimmers seeking to escape long drives to crowded shorelines. "I actually used to go to Sandy Hook, but gas is so expensive," said Edison resident Nellie Kanjo, as she sat on the beach with a magazine in her hand. "If you want to come and get some quick rays, it does the job." The 24-year-old Rutgers University graduate student said she doesn't have to contend with traffic to get here and, generally, feels more at ease.

It's quiet, isolated, it's unknown, and it's free. Near Morgan Bridge, where Cheesequake Creek empties into the bay, fishermen dotted the water's edge. Kids kicked soccer balls in the sand while adults sunbathed and listened to the distant drone of personal watercraft . Juan Valentin, 52, of Elizabeth, said this strip of county waterfront has come a long way. "

This beach was dirty before, but they fixed it up," Valentin said. "They used to have flies as big as bees. The water is cleaner." said Valentin and his wife, Sonia, said coming to Old Bridge does save them money on gas, but that isn't the reason they usually spend time here. "If gas was cheaper, I'd come here anyway because they fixed it up," he said, fishing pole at his feet.[org pub Asbury Park Press BY JOHN MAJESKI]

Montaukm 8/30/05

2005-09-07T06:07:00.000-04:00

During the week the offshore fishing was restricted a bit by the weather, but as the weekend approached, the winds moderated and the boats were able to get out to the vicinity of fifty fathoms, and they caught tuna. The tuna fishing is a bit frustrating though because of a lack of consistency. As one charter captain put it "one day a hero, and the next a zero" And, you can get back to the dock only to find out that you were only 6-7 miles away from a bonanza.

The shark fishing though is very consistent, if not spectacular. Big and medium bluesharks and small makos, with occasional nice sized ones. Just about every boat does the same, three or four sharks, and not very far out, fifteen to twenty miles max.

Inshore the fluke fishing continues to wind down. I remember years ago Labor Day weekend was the peak of the big fluke season. One trip stands out in my mind. We had spent the day slamming the Cartwright bluefish and on the way in made one drift for fluke. In that one drift we had four fluke of 10-1/2, 10, 9-1/2 and 7 pounds. Now most of the big fish are caught in the spring. You can still get occasional doormats now, but you have to have a lot of patience. The FLYING CLOUD is out of the fluke business for the rest of the year and now it’s all porgies all the time. LAZYBONES would probably like to switch over to diamond jigging except that it doesn’t seem like it would be very consistent yet.

Striped bass fishing seems to be slowly improving, plus there are good amounts of bluefish around at times, much to the dismay of those using the live porgies. [via email report]

Philadelphia & Suburbs

2005-09-06T19:34:00.000-04:00

Conditions great for holiday fishing

By STEVE CARPENTER
Burlington County Times

This Labor Day weekend should prove to be ideal for saltwater anglers working anywhere along the coast. Fluke and croakers have been pretty plentiful for those fishing off the beaches, with impressive black bass coming from the wrecks.

Weakfish catches have been improving the last two weeks, but many continue to be throwbacks, with the north end of Long Beach Island a popular area.

Boats working Myers Hole, Marchelder Channel and B1 Buoy report better-than-average catches, with clam or the popular squid and minnow combo doing the trick. Much of the croaker catches are coming right off the beaches in about 40 feet of water, with clam and squid a top bait choice. Surf anglers are also scoring with croakers with clam baited on top and bottom rigs.

To the south at Delaware Bay, boats continue to pickup fair numbers of croakers, weaks and fluke. In addition, tautog have been reported from several areas. Anglers are reminded the tog season is closed until Sept. 28 in Delaware waters.

Those fishing for weakfish and striped bass are finding sporadic results, with the incoming most productive. Bottom action continues to be focused on croaker, spot, flounder, bluefish and weaks, with 14-Foot Light, Miah Maul and Crossledge getting most of the attention.

On The Water, 9/3/05 Cape Cod

2005-09-03T23:45:00.000-04:00

The poor weather of the early part of this week and predictions of miserable weather over the weekend, combined with the end-of-summer, back-to-school lull in fishing activity, only put a temporary slowdown on what was apparently a pretty good bite over last weekend.
Jim at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown said the fluking was still pretty good in the Newport and Jamestown areas prior to the recent storms. Up inside the bay anglers were catching fluke, but on average they were smaller fish with many throw-backs. No doormats reported this week, but customers fishing the south shore were consistently taking fish up to five or six pounds.
Scup are thick in all the usual places. Ohio Ledge, Hope Island and other rock piles throughout the area are holding good numbers of these easy-to-catch fish for those looking for sure-fire fast fishing action and decent fillet material – should the fluke not cooperate.
Bluefish catches are improving lately up inside the bay, as well. Mostly small stuff, with those one- to three-pound “cocktail blues” dominating the fishery, but there are some 10-pounders ripping around. Jim believed that the late arrival of blues in the bay this year was due to the school bluefin tuna competing for food at the mouth of the bay, keeping them from entering on schedule a month ago.
Bass fishing is good if you put the time in after dark. We are in the summer doldrums and are lucky there are decent bass still around after all the miserable heat this summer. Jim feels that the bite is still a couple weeks away from breaking open for the fall. The striped bass normally leave the bay early in the fall. No big fish of any flavor to report this week, but the customers are happy with what is going on along the coast and in the bay in general.
Mike at Saltwater Edge, Newport told us that not much is going on other than some good fishing for bluefish up to about 10 pounds that are tearing up everyone’s expensive eels “out front” along the shore in Newport. The tuna are pretty much gone, with only one random report of a sighting on Sunday. But remember that was only a report and not a direct contact from any of the guys who work in the shop.
Bonito are showing up now in place of the bluefins, but no false albacore are mixed in quite yet. Normally, Mike noted, it’s the first or second week of September before they show up in catchable numbers. The bonito are ripping around from Lands End all the way down to Point Judith and east to Sakonnet Point. They (the guys who charter out of the shop) missed a few trips due to the bad weather midweek, so the information they could offer is at best three days old.
Captain Andy Dangelo of Maridee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, R.I., said he didn’t even fish on Wednesday because it was so rough. He’s still doing well with striped bass out around Block Island during the ebbing tide when he can get away from the crowds of boats that have been fishing in tight around the island. A regular customer caught a 30-pounder on eels off the beach Tuesday evening in all the wind, rain and turmoil that blew in as a result of Hurricane Katrina’s remnants.
Shark fishing has been good on his offshore outings, with many throw-back makos in the mix. He caught a 180-pounder a week back, his best in a while. The blue sharking has been good south of the gully for those interested in some fun fishing action.
The bluefins that were around Block Island have moved east to Chatham on the Cape as of last week. It’s odd this year because the normal places that hold schoolies such as the Mud Hole were barren a few weeks back when the fish were in along the surf break. However, the captain said the bait is coming back into these deep-water areas, and so will the bluefins. A few boats are fishing down around the 600 to 500 line and taking occasional albacore or yellowfin. But they are spotty.
Deep Hole at Matunuck and Five Cottages have been pretty productive for striped bass from dusk through dawn on eels. To the east, Stinky Beach and the other spots to the light are also producing nighttime fish.
Kevin at Breachway Tackle, Charlestown said the weather has kept people home pretty much all week, but the fish are still out there to catch. The Walls at Point Judith are O.K. during big blows, but the Charlestown Breachway has been too rough to cast from lately with the strong winds. Bass, blues, scup and fluke were coming into the shop in good numbers prior to this stormy week.
The fluke fishing has been slacking off as fall approaches. The best fluke in a local tournament was 11.3 caught back in July, but the best fish in the past three weeks have been under 8 pounds.
People are going out after tuna running offshore; the bluefin blitzes along his stretch of beach are over. Bluefish and snapper blues are abundant off the breachway and up in the salt pond as a source of bait and fun action for the kids.
Kevin noted a report of a big great white shark spotted not too far off Block Island late last week, for what it’s worth. As long as there isn’t a whale carcass or something like that to draw it in closer to the beaches, all should be well, but under the oddball conditions this season and the strong winds blowing onshore this week, I know I wouldn’t go swimming in the ocean for a while.
Bob at Wildwood Outfitters, Wakefield was not around when we called this week.
John Swienton, owner of Twin Maples Tackle out on Block Island, told us that live eels have been hard to find this week, so his personal fishing has been hindered along with his eel-fishing customers.
The bonito are still abundant up the entrance to New Harbor and Charlestown Beach. Good bluefish and bass catches are being made from the beach and boats off the north end of the island at Sandy Point. Anglers are trolling successfully off Black Rock with tube and worms in water less than 15 feet deep. Parachutes are still doing well off the Southwest Reef area, as always. There are no monsters to report this week, but the overall angler participation has been slow due to the back-to-school thing. Payne’s Dock was half-empty as of midweek, but will fill up over this holiday weekend for sure.
Captain Don of Captain Don’s Tackle, Charlestown, Rhode Island said the fish had lockjaw for a while during the big high-pressure system that blew into the region last week, but that came to an end on Friday. He said that that night they turned on big time, with Watch Hill and the Weekapaug overlook producing nice catches of bluefish by day and bass after dark on eels, yellow Mega Baits and Hab’s Parrot Green Needlefish.
Lots of nice sea bass and fluke have been coming in from the waters of the state beach, from the shallows on out to as much as 80 feet of water.
Tube-and-worming has been very consistent in 13 to 15 feet of water over the rocky hard bottom found to the left of Quonny Breachway, as well as up inside the pond itself. It’s been this way since June so don’t expect much to change other than for the fishing to get better as the fall progresses, if history holds true again this season.
Don saw bonito rolling around and pushing bait up inside the breachway earlier in the week when he checked his boat after one of the heavy rains.
Don at King Cove Marina, Stonington said that prior to the big blow (jibing nicely with Captain Don’s report), there were bass all over the reefs from the hill to Fishers Island. Anglers were catching them on everything prior to the winds this week.
Fluke fishermen are now working harder for their few keepers on what has been a slow pick for fluke, but sea bass are picking up nicely off Latimer Light and in the deeper waters off Wilderness Point. These fish are being caught mostly by accident. Look for small rock humps and ledges, and you will probably find sea bass.
Anglers are catching a few blackfish, as well. Some are targeting them on clam bellies, but no one is asking for crabs yet. These are some of the folks who have been catching sea bass in the process of targeting blackfish with clams for bait.
Porgies are a give-me everywhere, with some real giants to be caught when the tides are slowing out around those same reefs that are producing all the bass and bluefish. I caught my personal best scup years ago on a whole squid intended for stripers out near Catumb Rock. That tiderunner scup was 2.75 pounds and around 18 inches and looked like a dinner plate with a tail. We’ve caught them up to 17 inches while tubing along the south side of Fishers Island, both last summer and the one prior.

Newsday.com: Fishing Forecast

2005-09-02T20:23:00.000-04:00

1. Western Long Island Sound: The season slowed this week with blustery conditions, packing more than 30-mph winds, but the season's peak arrives when water conditions cool through September and October.

For now, the bigger bass and bluefish can be found outside of Manhasset Bay. Use fresh bunker for the bass, and bunker or poppers for the bluefish. Fluke have been sighted as big as 12 pounds. Another good spot for bluefish, Jack's Bait and Tackle on City Island reports, is between the Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges. Look off Sands Point for fluke.

Nancy LoCascio, who registered at R&G Bait and Tackle in Port Washington, won the WICC last weekend by catching a 15.67-pound bluefish right outside of the bay.

2. Huntington/Northport Bays: The fluke are still biting, particularly in the marsh field and Huntington Bay. Those who seek porgies should hang out in about 25-foot deep waters by the golf course of Smithtown Bay.

3. Smithtown Bay: John Lucas hooked a 36-inch, 20-pound bass using poppers. Chuck Bishop and Mike McCarrell teamed up to reel in an 18-pound bass off Stony Brook dock using warms. Jamie Bodie, 12, caught an 8-pound bluefish in the Nissequogue River using bunker chunks. Dave Ciotti picked up a 6 1/2-pound bluefish off Smithtown Bay's Long Beach using poppers. Bass, up to around 35 inches, can be found in the channel. The fluke are on the west side of Cranes Neck.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: The big fluke have been caught off Wading River. The bigger porgies are coming back closer to the shore, perhaps an indication that the scene is improving. The striper action is still slow. Night fishing produces best.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: Peconic Star captain Dave Brennan has battled the fierce wind, but found action in off-the-beaten-path patches. "I had to go hide," Brennan said, "but it paid off." Passenger Nick Monteleone of Commack caught porgies weighing as much as 3.1 pounds using clams.

Prime Time III captain Mike Boccio said the season remains strong for porgies, which can run up to 3 pounds and 19 1/2 inches. The limit increased to 60 - from 25 - yesterday. "It's the bad weather that makes the fishing really good," Boccio said. "It can turn it upside down for one day. It's like oil and vinegar. It makes it better when you mix it up."

Nighttime seems to be the right time for bass fishing. Novices should stick to the porgies.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Fluke action remains hot by Gardiners. The bay is loaded with blues, but the game has been small. Snappers by the docks are still the way to go.

7. Montauk Point: The best fluke fishing can be found between 60 and 70 feet deep. Porgies, most heavier than 2 pounds, remain abundant.

8. Shinnecock Bay: The wind gusts have created rough conditions. The fish are still there, but it requires a skilled angler to land them. The fall mixed bag should arrive soon.

9. Moriches Bay: The best time to land fluke will be three hours before and after high tide - especially from buoys 14 to 29 and into Harts Cove. The big snappers are around the bay and on the east side of buoy 31. Stay in the coves for crabbing. Some schools of striped bass have been sighted in the east and west cuts. Clams provide the best chance to reel them in. Bob Armbruster caught two 5-pound fluke in Harts Cove using squids and spearing.

10. Great South Bay/Fire Island Inlet: The bunker have made an entrance and bass should also soon arrive. The fluke action remains hot, particularly west of Fire Island Inlet in 70-foot depths. Those looking to conserve on gasoline, especially given its rising prices, can keep busy with snappers and crabs along the docks. Joey Pellegrino, 15, caught a 20-pounder on his first striper trip last week fishing with clam bellies and bunker chum between the Robert Moses Bridge and Fire Island Lighthouse.

11. Jones Inlet/Western Bays: Fluke, which range from 4 to 6 pounds, remains strong between the Hempstead reef and the steel rack south of Jones Inlet. Roam in waters between 55 and 70 feet deep. Some bluefish have been sighted at the middle grounds, between Cholera banks and the three sisters. Look off the dip of yellowfin and longfin tuna. Baldwin and Oceanside Bays are full of up to 6- to 8-inch snappers and blue claws around the docks. Larry Festa, aboard the Alphis, hooked a 118-pound swordfish in Hudson Canyon using squid at night.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: The deeper holes in Reynolds Channel have produced a few reports of weakfish, but they are on the small side. Up to 4-pounders can be found in the Long Beach bridge area. Reynolds Channel has also yielded a mix of bass and blues. No Time captain Nick Savene caught a mix of nine yellowfins and longfins that weighed up to 95 pounds using sardines in the canyon.

13. New York Bight: There should be plenty of action in Jamaica Bay. Flukes, blues and porgies are all there for the taking. [org pub NY Newsday, by Chris Antonacci]

Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.

Rhode Island, 9/2/05

2005-09-02T17:45:00.000-04:00

1. BAY: Unusually good fishing along the Warwick shore, north of Conimicut Point. "Big bass have also made a return in recent weeks. I believe it is due to favorable water temperatures and the amount of bait in the water."
2. Large bluefish are also biting off Goddard Park in Greenwich bay, Potter's Cove on Prudence Island and Ohio Ledge. Recommended Brenton Reef and Beavertail Point for large blues. Smaller, 5- to 6-pound fish are biting near Halfway Rock, Hope Island, and Conanicut Point. On the Sakonnet River, Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine, said, "Catching bluefish on topwater plugs is almost a given at Fogland and Sandy points. The fish are up and down all day long. Tide doesn't matter."
3. Fluke as large as 9 pounds have been biting in the waters off Sakonnet Point, said Latinville.
4. BEACHES AND SALT PONDS:Fishing off South Kingstown has slowed some. Bass have been taking eels at Watch Hill, plugs at the Weekapaug overlook at night, and ube-and-worm rigs inside Quonochontaug Pond.
5. Inside the Narrow River and Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds, fly fishing & catching stripers and hickory shad on the flood tide. "Peanut bunker and silversides are really abundant, and this can become a big problem," he writes. "With all of that bait around, your fly gets lost. Most of the bass are schoolies, anywhere from 15 to 20 inches, but there are occasional keepers. I'm fishing a No. 1 white Deceiver on a 12-foot leader with a 6-weight floating line. Another good fly is a black-and-white Clouser Minnow. Worm patterns also work, and for larger fish, I like to use a 4- to 5-inch-long squid pattern, all white with a little pink in the body."
6. Fluke remain at the Center Wall and also around the Charlestown Breachway in 40 feet of water, according to Neilson. To the west, the fluke have moved into much deeper water, said Cameron.
7. Scup are biting on the slack tides inside Quonochontaug Breachway and Stonington Harbor at high tide.
8. Sea-bass fishing is improving off Misquamicut, Cameron said.
9. Bonito appeared in Quonochontaug Breachway yesterday morning.
10. OFFSHORE:Swells and high winds have kept most boats at the dock this week, but before the blow, offshore anglers were catching a lot of mako sharks.
11. BLOCK ISLAND:"With the small bluefin tuna gone, we have focused our efforts on stripers," "The past few days have been slow, but fish have been around. Those of us who did have success were fishing the early morning hours coinciding with a good tide. Bubblegum, rainbow, and chartreuse Slug-Gos have worked. Black Rock, Dories Cove, and North Light produced.
12. "There is plenty of bait around -- loads of it. Great sea bass action on the wrecks."
13. FRESHWATER:Twin Rivers Reservoir in North Providence is the best spot to fish for bass and hornpout, says Rudy D'Agostino of the R&Y Shop. Largemouths as large as 4.5 pounds have been taking shiners, and hornpout have been biting nightcrawlers between 6 and 10 p.m.
14. BEST BITES: South side of Block Island:Striped bass, sea bass
15. Sakonnet River:Bluefish
16. Twin Rivers Reservoir:Largemouth bass, hornpout

NJ: With summer fading, September makes for better fishing

2005-09-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

Here we are into September after a summer that went all too fast. There are some interesting events that will take place plus the fact that the fishing during September has to be rated among the best of the year. The weather is great, with warm days and cool nights taking the place of the blistering heat of the past summer. We got off easy as Hurricane Katrina visited the United States. It only caused some days to be lost for fishermen as the brunt of Katrina's remains stayed well to the west of us.

This weekend looks great and there should be no damage done to the fishing prospects. If a major storm hits sometime when the fish are thinking about leaving, it will hasten their departure. For instance, as the weakfish school up in mid-October, prior to heading out, a major disturbance will see them get out in a hurry. At this time of year this scenario does not take place.

One upcoming event is the 2005 Kid's Fishing Contest, sponsored by the Gloucester County Parks and Recreation and the Sportsman's Outpost. The date is Saturday, Sept. 10, and the location is the Scotland Run Park/Wilson Lake. The fishing gets underway at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 11:30 a.m. This contest is for kids 18-years-of-age and younger and big trophies and prizes will be awarded to the winners. There will be two divisions, boating and non-boating, with three age categories in each division. Keep in mind that all anglers 16 and older must have a New Jersey Fishing License. According to Lou at the Outpost, previous registration is not needed, as you sign up the morning of the contest right at the lake.

As usual, the event will be of interest to all members of the sportsman's family, as all of the events of past years will be duplicated, including the fishing contest, black powder demonstrations, hunting dog demonstrations, plus a host of exhibits by sportsman's organizations and sport shops. And, all is free and will be held rain or shine, with shine preferred.

If you applied for your bonus tags in the lottery section of the New Jersey Striped Bass Trophy Program, you should have received yours by now. According to Karen Hershey, spokesperson for the DEP, the tags were mailed out last Friday and she predicts that if you have not received yours as yet, your chances of getting one are just about zero. These bonus cards are non-transferable, as each one has the persons name and number on it. These cards are good through the end of the year and what kind of a program, if any, in 2006 has not yet been determined, according to Hershey.

Talk about the luck of the draw, my wife, Rachel, and I both applied for permits in the lottery. She received hers but I lost out. That means that in order to get a bonus bass, Rachel must be on the trip.

Before Tuesday and Wednesday, when no boats were out in Delaware Bay, the croaker action was about the same as in past weeks but there was a definite upsurge on the weakfish action. Many of the marinas reported weakfish limits for small boaters and some of the charterboats did likewise.

The areas around the white stakes off Fortescue saw a lot of weakfish being hooked. In addition, the waters in the vicinity of the 6 buoy produced as did the locations near Bug Light and the Twenty-Foot-Slough.

Getting shedder crab has been a problem on occasion, so a call ahead, especially on weekends, is advisable. A fine substitute is spot. There are lots of spot throughout the bay and they can be caught by using a small (No. 8) hook with a tiny portion of bloodworms or squid. They are filleted and strips used either on a plain hook or on a floater. Many anglers report the use of a green floater not only gets more weakfish, but keeps it away from the horde of small smooth dogfish that are all over the bay.

Along the coast those visiting the Old Grounds are doing well on fluke, when the weather allows. Weaks and croakers are all along the beachfront from the surf to one mile out. Some seabass are on tap and their numbers should improve as the water cools.

Surf fishermen are still hitting lots of kingfish plus some croakers. Meanwhile, striped bass are hitting plugs and clams in the back waters. Blues are offshore as well and up north they are on tap both day and night, seven days a week for the party boat crowd. [org pub nj.com by Ralph Knisell]

Rhode Island, 8/27/05

2005-08-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

BAY: Conimicut Point offers the best fluke fishing in the Bay, said Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle. The waters off Newport and Warwick Light also hold fluke, but Conimicut is the place to be, he said. The waters off Dutch Island also have fine fluke fishing, especially for anglers using live mummichogs, said John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle.
Surf fisherman John Lisi has been catching 30- to 35-pound bass nightly at Beavertail Point, said David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. Lisi casts eels and plugs between 1 and 7 a.m. Small bass are biting in the waters around Patience and Prudence islands, and there should be larger fish striking tube-and-worm rigs off Annawan Cliffs, Rose Island and Goat Island, where Ferrara planned to fish yesterday afternoon. In the upper Bay, bass are taking clam worms off Crescent Park in Riverside and the White Church Bridge in Barrington, said Littlefield. Schoolies have been nailing poppers at India Point and Collier Park in Providence, said Henault.
He recommended Sabin Point and Wickford Town Beach for catching blues between 3 and 5 pounds. Snapper blues are biting in the Providence River. The limit is 10 fish per day.
BEACHES AND SALT PONDS: Fishing a mile off Newport this week, Mike Macaulay caught an 8-pound mahi on a small Kastmaster.
Bass fishing has improved for boaters on the reefs off Washington County, said Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle, but you have to get your bait past all the big bluefish that have moved inshore. Al Stockton fished with Mouchon on Wednesday morning and took two bass, including a 33-pounder, as well as several large blues. They were fishing the reefs off Charlestown. For fly fishermen, the bass bite is almost a guarantee early in the morning at Napatree and Sandy points in Little Narragansett Bay, said Bill McEvoy of King Cove Outfitters. He also said that bass are herding baitfish in Cemetery Cove on the Pawcatuck River.
Tuesday, Mark Stockton took a bonito during a bluefish blitz just outside the Charlestown Breachway. Beardy Brown has been catching bonito on Deadly Dicks and other small metal lures off South County's beaches, said Bob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters. "The avenues in Narragansett are holding fish, especially bluefish, during the day," Neilson said.
Fluke fishing is consistent, but relatively slow. Neilson has been catching them on whole squid with a live minnow in 40 to 50 feet of water off the center wall of the Harbor of Refuge. The sea-bass bite there is improving. Fluke fishing is getting better off the Pink House in Misquamicut, said McEvoy.
Scup fishing is excellent from Narragansett to Stonington, Conn., but the fluke fishing has slowed.
OFFSHORE: Anglers fishing aboard Fred Bowman's charter boat, Bottom Line, caught two mako sharks Tuesday. Bowman said he started the day trolling, but caught the fish after establishing a chum slick near the 750 line. Bill Sousa, fishing aboard Big Boy II, caught a 60-pound wahoo on the south side of the Dump this week, according to Elisa Jackman of Snug Harbor Marina. She said that mahi are biting in the same area.
Offshore fishing has been inconsistent generally, Jackman said, although the Fish Tails and Hudson Canyon have produced some yellowfin tuna and swordfish. Anglers have been catching yellowfin in the 500 square, Jackman said. Tuesday, Craig Snow of Block Island Fishworks covered about 600 square miles of water in a small airplane and didn't see any fish. Bowman said there is plenty of bait and clean water offshore, but gamefish are scarce, and when you do find them, they're concentrated in very small pods.
BLOCK ISLAND:Fishing with JM Swienton and John Swienton of Twin Maples Tuesday evening, Lauren Sheehan of Lincoln caught one striper after another on poppers right off Black Rock. "They would not touch an eel," John Swienton said, "but you'd throw a popper, and as soon as it hit the water, they were all over it." His son, JM, caught one fish that measured 50 inches. They were fishing over 17 to 24 feet of water, starting at about 6:45 p.m. "It was phenomenal fishing," the elder Swienton said, "and there was not another boat out there."
Bass fishing is great one day, but slow the next, said Snow at Block Island Fishworks. Surf fishermen have been casting pencil poppers and walking plugs to catch fish between 30 and 40 pounds off the south side of the island. Charter boats were catching bass on Southwest Ledge yesterday, said Henault, but they had to work for the fish.
Fluke fishing has been pretty good off Charlestown Beach and inside the Coast Guard channel when the boat traffic subsides, and bonito are beginning to appear inside the channel.
BEST BITES:Narragansett to Stonington by boat: Bass, bluefish, bonito, fluke, scup & Block Island: Striped bass, fluke

Boston Waters, 8/25/05

2005-08-26T15:38:00.000-04:00

Cooler days make for hotter fishing - The Boston Globe

Do Me a Favor, Protect my property value, make my stream "ecologically significant"

2005-08-19T23:17:00.000-04:00

Of the seven streams that Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell has protected from developers by identifying them as "ecologically significant," at least four abut land owned by people with ties to the Democratic Party or to Campbell himself. In one case, Campbell's department banned developers from a stream running through the valley where former U.S. Sen. Robert G. Torricelli owns a circa-1730 Hunterdon County farm. In another case, environmental protections went up along a stream below the home and farm pond owned by Carla Katz, president of Communications Workers of America Local 1034, which represents about 9,000 state workers, including 2,379 of the DEP's 3,450 employees. The DEP also granted Katz an exemption from Highlands Act restrictions to expand and upgrade the 205-year-old farmhouse.

Katz, who earns about $90,000 a year, has been in the news lately after it was disclosed that her former sweetheart, U.S. Sen. Jon S. Corzine, D-N.J., forgave a $470,000 loan to pay off a mortgage on her property. Corzine is running for governor against Republican Doug Forrester and eight third-party or independent candidates, and, should the senator win, would have to negotiate salaries and benefits with his former lover, among others. A top aide to Katz is married to a DEP deputy. They live by a stream in Frenchtown that is also off-limits to developers. In a fourth case, an environmental activist who is a friend of Campbell's wife resides in Stockton. A stream at the north end of town won state protections, helping preserve the town's bucolic image.

A scientific basis. In an interview Tuesday, Campbell stressed that neither politics nor friendships figured in the decisions by his department to protect these streams. He said it was all based on science. "We don't decide whether to include or exclude based on who lives nearby," Campbell stressed. He later added, "This has been a program based very clearly on environmental criteria and science, and not any other consideration." The commissioner, appointed in 2002 by former Gov. James E. McGreevey, said it would make sense that people connected with state government would get to enjoy environmental protections on their Hunterdon County land. Campbell reasoned that the hill country north of Trenton is a DEP priority and is also favored as a place to reside by managers in state government. "Our priority has been to protect the upper reaches of the Delaware. We have protected just about every tributary. . . . And yes, because it is close to Trenton, you can always find state employees who are in that area," said Campbell, who lives in Lambertville.

Willow Pond Farm, with its long driveway and restored stone structures, sits on a forested hillside upcountry from Stockton and Lambertville, sloping down toward the Lockatong Creek, a few hundred yards from where the waterway empties into the Delaware. With the stream's DEP classification as "Category One," it means that Torricelli, who left the Senate amid ethical questions, can look out from his pastoral home there with the assurance his natural vista will be unchanged by any noisy bloom of suburbia. Torricelli did not respond to a request for an interview. Campbell said he never had a single discussion with Torricelli about the Lockatong or its status.

One of the ways a stream can win so-called C1 protections — which under state storm water rules means no new development is allowed within 300 feet of its banks — is to be a healthy habitat for trout. The state says the Lockatong is just that and stocks it with hatchery-raised fish. Mark Dettmar, who operates Delaware River Outfitters, a fly-fishing store and fishing-guide guide service in Pennington, disagrees. "At one time it was a wild trout stream. It had wild trout. It no longer does. It does get stocked. The problem with the Lockatong is it doesn't hold water any more. It dries up," said Dettmar.

Creeks rise to C1 status: Miles to the north, the meandering Harihokake Creek wanders down a leafy valley from a headwaters 100 yards or so beneath Katz's farm pond. Downstream, it flows through the center of Milford, where people feed the flock of ducks. Then, the stream enters the Delaware. "I am completely unaware of this stream. This is news," Katz said Wednesday. South of Milford in Frenchtown is Nishisakawick Creek. Jeff Scott and his wife, Jeanne Herb, have a home and barn on a sort of peninsula where the creek enters the Delaware. Scott is the political director of Katz's union. Herb is Campbell's assistant commissioner for policy, planning and science. A CWA receptionist said Wednesday that Scott is on vacation and unavailable for comment. Until McGreevey quit a year ago, Scott had been in line to become his deputy chief of staff. The Stockton stream is Wickecheoke Creek. Alison Mitchell, policy director for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, advocated for its C1 status. Campbell said that decision had nothing to do with Mitchell's friendship with Campbell's wife. They married last year. A spokesman for the Conservation Foundation refused Wednesday to pass along requests to Mitchell seeking her comment, saying he first had to know the nature of the story in which she was to be mentioned. Said Campbell of Mitchell, "People aren't disqualified on an issue on the basis of where they live." Environmentalists such as Jeff Tittel of the Sierra Club and David Pringle of the New Jersey Environmental Federation said they are glad to see streams protected.

But Tittel said other stretches of water are at least as worthy of safeguards. "They take care of their friends," said Tittel of DEP. "I'm more concerned with waterways where developers are going to be allowed in," said Pringle. Tittel cited stretches of the Ramapo and Musconetcong rivers. "We asked for about 300 to be protected," he said. Since taking charge at DEP, Campbell has protected stretches of 17 other streams for reasons other than ecological significance. These are because the streams are an "exceptional water supply," such as the Shark River; or because they are labeled just "water supply," such as the Manasquan and Metedeconk rivers. [org pub Asbury Park Press, by Tom Baldwiw]

Rhode Island, 8/15/05

2005-08-19T15:01:00.000-04:00

BAY

Schools of skipjack bluefish and immature weakfish have moved into Greenwich Bay, reports Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle. To catch large blues, visit the waters around Halfway Rock and Gould Island in the lower Bay. From "Little" Gould Island to Nannaquaket Pond, there was a huge school of bluefish Wednesday. "It was the biggest school of blues that I've seen since I was a kid," said Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine. There are pods of blues off Barrington, too, but they're too far away for shore fishermen.

In the upper Bay, fluke are biting in the waters off Warwick Light and Conimicut Light where Pam and Frank Tameo are catching large fish on most mornings. John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle said the bite off Dutch Island is also good, but it's important to use live mummichogs as bait. Large fluke are also biting in the waters near Elbow Ledge and off Sakonnet Point as long as the tide and the breeze are flowing in the same direction. There have been a few reports of good fluke fishing in the mooring field off East Ferry in Jamestown, too.

Small stripers, with an occasional keeper, have been taking clamworms in the morning near the carousel in Riverside and the White Church Bridge in Barrington, said Littlefield. In the lower Bay, bass are taking tube-and-worm rigs off Rose and Goat islands, and on the reefs off Newport.

Scup fishing is good one day and poor the next throughout the Bay. Boaters have the edge over shore fishermen. Among the better spots are General Rock and Plum Point Light off North Kingstown, and Halfway Rock in the East Passage, Ferrara said.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

The big blitz of small bluefin tuna peaked on Tuesday and died Wednesday. "With the coming of the full moon, it's hard to predict what those fish will do," said Ferrara. "Some times the moon will turn them on, and other times, it will shut them off." Dean Hoxie and Steve Jordan found the fish off Scarborough Beach Tuesday, according to Don Cameron of Captain Don's Bait & Tackle.

Little tunny have arrived, according to Joe Latinville.

Surf-fishing was slow early this week, but it has been improving with the waxing moon. After fishing the Narragansett surf with Steve McKenna Wednesday night, Bill Nolan sent this report: "Steve and I had seven bass tonight and one bluefish. All the bass were 12 to 15 pounds and all were taken on eels. Things are on the upswing! There are just loads of very small peanut bunker everywhere along with silversides." Cameron said hot surf plugs are yellow Super Strike Darters and Mega Baits.

The bass are still biting for boaters fishing live bait on the reefs from Point Judith in Rhode Island to Fishers Island, N.Y. The reefs are clearly marked on nautical charts; on the water, lobster pots mark many of them.

Fluke fishing is good in the waters off the carousel in Watch Hill to the pink house in Misquamicut, said Don Michaud of King Cove Outfitters. "Fishing 30 to 60 feet of water is the ticket," he said. The bite is also good inside Quonochontaug Pond, said Cameron.

Scup fishing is solid on the reefs off South County and Stonington.

The charter boat Castafly is catching bonito on Zara Spooks off South County.

OFFSHORE

Dave Fewster took a 250-pound mako shark at the south side of the Mud Hole this week, said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina. There have been more sharks near the wreck of the Suffolk.

Anglers have been catching albacore and yellowfin tuna at the Fish Tails, Conti said, but there have been more yellowfin over the east side of Atlantis Canyon.

BLOCK ISLAND

The bass bite on Southwest Ledge continues to be steady, Conti said, and the action is improving in the North Rip at night. The charter boat Hula Girl is routinely catching fish between 30 and 40 pounds from Southeast Light to Southwest Light.

When the small bluefin tuna are around, they have been taking Mushmouths and Rays Angels, both big flashy flies, says Chris Willi of Block Island Fishworks.

The fishing vessel Rooster is catching fluke and sea bass on the wrecks around the island, Willi said. Yesterday morning, Susan Estabrook was catching sea bass just off Southwest Light before a dogfish broke her line.

FRESHWATER

The water is so low on the Wood River that stealthy wading is essential, said Ed Lombardo. "The good news is that the water temperature is a healthy 66 degrees," he said. He has been catching trout on imitation wasps, hoppers and beetles. Midges and Blue-Wing Olive mayflies are beginning to appear

BEST BITES

South County Reefs:

Bass, bluefish, possibly bonito and tuna

Block Island:

Bass, fluke, sea bass, possibly tuna

Lower West Passage:

Bass, bluefish, scup

THE TIDES

The moon causes tides and affects the activity of saltwater and freshwater fish as well as animals on land. Anglers generally find the best fishing two hours before and after a high tide, but fish and other animals also become active around the time of low tide. This table shows the height of tides in feet at Castle Hill near the mouth of Narragansett Bay. Recreational shellfishermen prefer to dig for clams when the tides are lowest, shown on the chart as "minus tides."

Boston Waters, 8/19/05

2005-08-19T14:59:00.000-04:00

After all that infernal heat, the nights have cooled down, and many old salts attribute the improved fishing in the Northeast to the cooler water. But in some areas, the bait has also improved and, generally speaking, the best fishing in midsummer is still at night, and still using live eels. There's plenty of evidence that striped bass forage for eels at night, sometimes close to docks, rivermouths, and in shallows over flats. Bluefish also continue to hit and miss, often early morning near shore, heralded by wheeling terns and gulls.

Area A: Much of the previously hot striper water in Maine and New Hampshire has slowed precipitously in the last week or so. But some stripers still come up at night around Saco Bay and the rivermouth, and the offshore ledges are still producing cod and haddock. Bluefin tuna is still the fascination offshore at Stellwagen. Piscataqua River and Great Bay are slow, and live eels at night account for most of the action. Out over the Canyons, big-time sport boats are doing well with southern migrants such as yellowfin tuna and white marlin.

Area B: Salem and the Parker and Danvers rivers have some small fish, and one angler off Singing Beach (a quarter-mile offshore) took a 38-inch striper this week. Some fluke at Point of Pines with bluefish showing lately off the B-buoy. Also, better action at Faun Bar and Great Brewster. A couple of big striper catches around the outer harbor at Boston Light, down at Bumpkin. A few smelts starting to show up in Boston and Hull, and they will be pursued. Across at Stellwagen, the bluefin (football) tuna action is still on, with a few small bluefish.

Area C: Relatively slow on the previously red-hot ledgewater along the South Shore, but nighttime anglers with live eels are doing well around Minots and Grampus, the Glades, and the Scituate beaches to the North River mouth. Action in Duxbury Bay to Plymouth and Kingston has picked up, with good, steady action on fish in the mid-20s. One guy hooked a 4-foot tiger shark off the Powder Point Bridge.

Area D: The Canal has improved for medium striped bass and some small blues providing topwater action. At the Buzzards end, the scup are holding strong with fluke at Mashnee, and a mix of small blues. The Elizabeths have some of the best striper fishing -- live eels again. One sailing friend reports seeing a sea turtle the size of his 9-foot inflatable dinghy -- a reminder that many visitors from the tropics abound in our waters, including false albacore and bonito.

Area E: The south Cape beaches are not too hot, but the water just offshore in Nantucket Sound -- especially the banks -- has a mix of small to medium game fish. Decent action at Wasque and the waters to Tuckernuck Shoals. Also check out Nomans on the other side.

Area F: Some decent bluefishing off the National Seashore, from Nauset to Newcomb Hollow and Cahoon Hollow. Some small blues inside off First Encounter and Kingsbury beaches, Pamet Harbor at Truro, Long Point Light, and Wood End.

Staten Island Striper Hotspots

2005-08-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

Here's the hotspots from the article:

1) Old Orchard Lighthouse: Open bottom area around Old Orchard Lighthouse (GPS coordinates 40.51170/74.100000) east of Great Kills Harbor. This historic lighthouse is about three miles off the beach and is visible from the shoreline of Gateway National Park, which is adjacent to Great Kills. The 50- foot conical, white steel structure was built in 1893 and still has an active beacon, according to the National Lighthouse Museum. This hotspot can only be fished by boat. The best way to get there is to launch at Great Kills Park, head out of the inlet and travel southeast. The lighthouse will be visible on the horizon.
2) Lemon Creek & Great Kills: offshore of the beach houses, areas around Lemon Creek and entrance to Great Kills harbor at Great Kills Park.
3) Prince's Bay, the small cove that Lemon Creek empties into.
4) Round Shoal: look for small dropoffs over open bottoms. Round Shoal is across Reach Channel from Prince's Bay. From Lemon Creek, bear left into Prince's Bay heading south, cross the Reach Channel (buoy marker 33) and you're on Round Shoal.
5) Prince's Bay: The area is known as the Mount Loretto Unique Area (located off Hyland Blvd. close to Verrazona Bridge).
6) Great Kills Harbor area: including the back and the mouth. Bunker gather at the moth and can be snagged for bait. The sandbar along the mouth, the narrow channel leading into the harbor. From the beach, cast plugs and cut bunker, also try, jelly worms tipped with live sandworms.
7) Ocean Breeze Fishing Pier at Midland Beach is at Father Capodanno Boulevard and Seaview Avenue. Follow Hylan Boulevard to Midland Avenue. Turn right on Midland and then turn left at Father Capodanno Boulevard, then make a quick right, which leads to a well-marked sign for the pier and parking, according to DeBenedetto. Free.
8) Pier One on the east side of the Ferry Terminal. The deep shipping channels nearby attract big stripers. Take the Staten Island Expressway to Bay Street and follow it to the Staten Island Ferry. Park at the public parking lot for the ferry, where a nominal fee is charged.

The two public boat launches:
- The free Lemon Creek ramp can be reached by taking Hylan Boulevard to Sharrots Road.
- Great Kills Park launching is free, but you have to pay for parking.

Rhode Island

2005-08-12T22:33:00.000-04:00

BAY
Striped bass and bluefish have been biting in the waters off Conimicut Point, says David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. The action peaks between 4:30 and 6:30 a.m. Otherwise, it's dead in the heat of the day. John Lisi caught stripers up to 42 inches between midnight and 4 a.m. Tuesday at Beavertail Point. He was casting eels.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS
"The big news continues to be the inshore bluefin tuna," writes Bob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters. "Twenty- to 40-pounders are the norm with larger fish mixed in. They are chasing small fish, so metal lures -- such as Deadly Dicks, Kastmasters, Crippled Herring and l-Jacks -- are working. The fish are all over the place from Scarborough to Westerly. Just a reminder that permits are needed. The penalties for not having one are a fine up to $10,000 fine and your boat." Mike Neto caught 12 of the little bluefin about four miles off Newport, said Henault. He was using jigs and Tsunami plugs.

"Fluking has been hot right off the Center Wall of the Harbor of Refuge with fish up to 12 pounds being caught," said Neilson. "Mike McVeigh was out fluking and caught many skates which, he says, are surprisingly good table fare." Fluke fishing is also good off the Pink House in Misquamicut, says Bill McEvoy of King Cove Outfitters. Off Isabella Beach on Fishers Island, an angler caught two big fluke; one weighed 8.75 pounds and the other 9.5 pounds, McEvoy said. Wading anglers are catching fluke in the channel of Quonochontaug Pond, says Cameron. They're using small jigs with live mummichogs on the ebb tide.

Janice Lachance caught a 54-pound striped bass this week, according to Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle. Dan Lacroix caught his limit of stripers in 20 minutes Wednesday; he was fishing live bait at the one of the reefs off Charlestown with Mouchon. Keeper-size bass are biting in Quonochontaug Breachway and off the Weekapaug Fire District very early in the morning, said Don Cameron of Captain Don's Bait & Tackle. Here's an odd one: Angela Kelly caught a 20-pound striper on a tube-and-worm rig that she was casting in the surf. Tube rigs are made for trolling.

Mouchon reports that "acres and acres" of 4-pound bluefish have moved into the waters off Washington County's beaches. Scup are scarce off Point Judith, but they abound off Westerly and Stonington, Conn., according to McEvoy.

OFFSHORE
Ray Lasky and Steve Tezner had a 30-pound albacore on the line at the Fish Tales this week. The fish was almost close enough to the boat to grab the leader when a 600-pound blue marlin surfaced and inhaled the tuna. "They were still shaking the next day," said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.

Not much is happening until you get 60 miles offshore, he said. Then the action is spotty with yellowfin, albacore and marlin on the bite.

BLOCK ISLAND
The North Rip has been producing a lot of striped bass for anglers fishing eels, said Neilson. The action on Southwest Ledge is still strong, according to Conti.

Aboard Wayward Sun, Mike Arsenault is catching mahi-mahi south of the island.

TUNA TALK
Three readers criticized last week's Fishing Report for saying that fishing for the small bluefin tuna is a catch-and-release proposition unless you have a federal permit. The readers noted that a federal regulation says it is illegal to even target bluefins without a permit. It's one of those rules created by bureaucrats who expect enforcement agents to be mind readers: If you're casting a Deadly Dick, Kastmaster or Crippled Herring, who is to say that you're targeting bluefins? At this time of year, metal lures are popular for catching bluefish, bonito, little tunny, and striped bass. If you do want a permit, it is available for $22 online at www.nmfspermits.com.

FRESHWATER
Jim Allen caught a 26-inch carp at Roger Williams Park in Providence this week, said David Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Tom Babbitt landed a 5-pound largemouth at Canada Pond, the pond alongside Route 146 in Providence. On Stump Pond in Smithfield, bass as large as 4 pounds have been striking shiners.

BEST BITES
South County reefs:
Bass, bluefin tuna, bluefish
Block Island:
Striped bass, fluke
Providence County ponds:
Largemouth bass

Gear up for football bluefins

2005-08-12T22:14:00.000-04:00

Because of all the lore about the giant bluefin tuna of decades past, the fish pushing weights of half a ton, inshore and coastal anglers sometimes exclude themselves from the fairly new excitement in our waters of schoolie ''football" bluefins, which often fall in the sub-hundred-pound range. No, your regular striper and bluefish gear is not quite enough to handle these powerful swimmers (picture an 80-pound striped bass on the gear you've got), but it's certainly not hard to gear up and get into the fun.

For example, you'll want at least 50-pound mono (or braid) and 100-pound shock leaders. Fast trolling lures and wet flies and even popping plugs work when you find footballs in a surface feeding frenzy.

Area A: In northern waters, the chase for footballs is going on from around Isle of Shoals out to Jeffrey's Ledge, Tantas and Platt's Ledges, and Cape Porpoise. The ledges have also been hanging in with the usual variety of groundfish -- cod, haddock, and pollock -- still going strong. Though there's not much bait around, the Piscataqua River has some decent striper catches lately. The bluefish concentration has been around Saco River to the islands of Casco Bay.

Area B: Stripers have picked up just a bit this week, though most local anglers are still heading offshore, across to Stellwagen. North of the city, around Point of Pines, the fluke fishing has been steady. Stripers found in the Mystic River responding to chunk bait. Stripers also at Faun Bar and taken mostly at night around the outer islands.

Area C: As reported in recent weeks, the bass and blue fishing has been tepid at best, with blues hitting intermittently and bass remaining deep and rather finicky. Yours truly did run into some decent fluke yesterday around Duxbury and Plymouth Bays. The channel in front of Saquish heading down the beach has some response of late, as does the east side of the channel leading past Clarks Island.

Area D: Not much action from the east end of the canal. The west end has some scup, with fluke out at Mashnee, and some small false albacore in the mix. Some action in Buzzards Bay, but anglers fishing nights and mornings are doing best.

Area E: Bonito have shown up in these waters, and, with false albacore, change the whole cast of fishing -- as usually happens from midsummer on. Use light gear and, of course, on leaders for bonito and just hope your lure doesn't get bagged by a stray bluefish.

Area F: A few bluefish blitz reported along the back beaches in the early morning calms. Marconi Beach and Newcomb's Hollow had a fair amount of fishing this midweek. P-town and Herring Cove are still the best bets in this region. [The Boston Globe, by Tony Chamberlain]

Surf Fishing at Sunset & Sunrise

2005-08-12T16:18:00.000-04:00

Magic hours fishing has all the advantages associated with fishing at sunrise, with a lot fewer anglers on the beach. The low light levels make the surf an active feeding zone for all types of predators.

Fishing the surf is always an adventure. The variables involved and the challenges that anglers must overcome are simply overwhelming. One of the many decisions that anglers have to make is when to fish.

Although fish can be caught at any time of the day or night, the consensus among surf anglers is that certain times provide the optimum opportunities to succeed. If surfcasters were polled as to their favorite time of day to fish, no doubt the results would show a definite preference for the early morning hours around sunrise.

Low-light conditions around dawn provide great feeding opportunities for predators that like to ambush unwary prey before the rising sunlight drives them into deeper water.

As an angler, it is also nice to get your licks in early and then have the rest of the day to do whatever else has to be done in our busy lives today.

Of course, fishing the surf at dawn has a built-in bonus: viewing spectacular sunrises. Even when the fish are not cooperative, the sight of the sun rising above the eastern horizon is an impressive sight that even the most veteran surfcasters never tire of seeing.

Many surf anglers are either unaware of or fail to take advantage of another opportune time of day to ply their trade: dusk. The conditions found along the shoreline at dawn reappear around sunset — but in reverse order. Instead of sunlight coming up, daylight gradually degrades into full darkness.

The hour before dawn and the two hours afterward are the most popular with anglers working the early morning shift. Later in the day, the two hours before dusk and the hour afterward (before complete darkness takes over) are prime time. I have found that there is something magical about fishing as the sun is going down, when predators dare to come into the surf to begin their overnight feeding on the abundant bait found in the wash.

Most surfcasters I know love to work the surf in relative solitude, with as few anglers on the beach squeezing their space as possible. If you fit this profile, then the magic hours of fishing around sunset are for you. You will find lots of elbow room and plenty of action under conditions that are very similar to those found at the same shoreline spots around the cherished sunrise hours.

Magic hours fishing is an option for the three seasons of the year that state anglers are able to work our saltwater waterways. During the spring striped bass run (when the fishing begins back in the rivers and bays), fishing later in the day is a decided advantage over early morning fishing. Water temperature often decides whether sluggish striped bass feed or remain inactive in this early season fishery. After a sunny day, the warmth generated on the shallow flats from the rays of the sun often spikes marginal water temperatures upward and in so doing energize stripers to eat. If you can match magic hours fishing with the time of high tide, expect good results.

One of the reasons the summer is not the best season for surf fishing is because the high water temperatures found along our coasts at that time tend to keep predators off their feed and in deeper water during the daylight hours. If you factor in all the bathers competing for shoreline space during the summer months, even gaining access to favorite fishing spots is tough during the daytime.

Except for fluke, sea robins, and shots of small bluefish, the daytime surf is relatively quiet all summer anyway.

Focus your efforts on fishing dawn and dusk, however, and your odds of encountering bigger bluefish, striped bass, an occasional weakfish, and even sporadic shots of such exotic species as Spanish mackerel, cow-nosed rays, bonito and false albacore are significantly increased.

As bathers leave the beaches late in the day, anglers regain access to the shoreline. With fading light levels and with diminishing winds, the surf often becomes very settled — on the surface. Underwater activity, however, can be hectic.

As daylight fades, bathing areas again become feeding zones for predators who return to the surf shallows to feast upon the baitfish hugging the shoreline and those seeking shelter around any underwater structure. Most species — especially the southern exotics like false albacore — are sight feeders so they use these low light conditions to their hunting advantage. Bluefish and bass can feed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but still find low-light conditions favorable to their ambush tactics.

Given a choice, I prefer to fish lures rather than bait. Still, I use whatever catches fish. In the springtime, I fish bait almost exclusively. During the summer and fall, I feel lures give me the best chance to hook up with some nice fish. Magic hours angling around dusk (two hours before sunset, one hour after) provides some great opportunities during the summer months to present my lures.

My best surf success during the first half of the summer is with bluefish and striped bass. They respond well in low-light situations to metal jigs, surface poppers and even swimming plugs. If a northeast chop is pounding the shoreline, I'll even revert to fishing clams in hopes of picking up an aggressive striper the roiled surf has stirred into action.

With the arrival of August, surf action begins to heat up around dawn and dusk. The species mix now includes the ever-present bluefish and stripers as well as Spanish mackerel. High water temperature and lots of bait in the wash also begin to draw false albacore into the surf from offshore waters.

An impressive false albacore run beginning in late August and lasting until mid-October in recent years has really spiced up late summer surf fishing. It is very difficult to get these southern speedsters to strike metal lures because of their extraordinary eyesight, but anglers have the best odds of doing so in the low-light conditions found around dawn and dusk.

Lots of anglers like to work the late August shoreline for fluke during the evening hours. The fluke they encounter are looking for that last meal before moving out into deeper water after fattening up all summer in inland waters. Using bucktail jigs or flutter baits, they do well as the fluke use the failing light to their advantage in ambushing prey right in the wash.

The best surf fishing of the season begins after Labor Day. As the daylight hours get shorter and nights get chillier, baitfish instinctively begin to school up and move out onto the oceanfront where they hug the shoreline on their long southern journey. The presence of these forage fish in the wash is the magnet that draws all kinds of predators into the surf during the fall run.

As the autumn migration gets under way, terrific blitzes of bluefish can take place at almost anytime but dawn and dusk seem to be the most common times for such spectacles to take place. These blitzes can attract crowds of anglers who lose all sense of reason as they try to get in on the action and maximize their catch. With all the lures and hooks flying about, caution must be exercised so as to avoid getting hurt. At the very least, anglers frequently get their lines tangled up with other surfcasters — an all-too-common annoyance along a crowded shoreline when the blues are blitzing.

With a lot fewer anglers on the beach in the hours late in the day, you can fish even a full-blown bluefish blitz in relative safety and with plenty of room to fight your fish. Fishing a blitz under these ideal conditions hardly ever happens around sunrise, or even during the midday hours.

When working lures in the late summer/early fall surf, I have a pattern I follow as the light level falls. I begin with metal jigs like Luhr Jensen's Crippled Herring and their Krocodile spoon, the Gibbs Minnow, the A17 diamond jig, and O.B. Fish Company's Brandy's Minnow. While the light is still up, I also like to work surface popping plugs like MegaBait's Bubble Pop, Tsunami Lures' Talkin Popper, and Atom's Striper Swiper.

Once the light gets low, I switch to surface swimming plugs like Mann's Super Stretch 1-Minus, Bomber's A-Salt and Luhr Jensen's Javelin Shallow Runner.

With the sun setting in the west, you do not need sunglasses while fishing the summer's magic hours. You can also skip the sunscreen as the sun's rays are not as penetrating as they are during the heat of the day. Do bring bug repellent, though, as flies and mosquitoes can be a problem.

Once all the other species (except for an occasional bluefish) have departed for southern waters, striped bass close out the surf season. Beginning in early November, these glorious fish can be caught around dawn, dusk and during the overnight hours until sometime in late December.

Magic hours fishing is a great time to tangle with these fish but different tactics are used from when they opened the fishing season way back in March. Lures, rather than bait, are the way to go.

Most of my late-season striper fishing is done with swimming plugs. My most effective plug colors late in the season range from bright shades in daylight to black in complete darkness.

For example, as dusk approaches I first use a yellow Javelin Shallow Runner, later switch to a school bus (black back/yellow body) color A-Salt, and finish with a black Super Stretch 1-Minus. It is important to retrieve your plugs very slowly since these end-of-the-season bass respond best to slow-moving targets in the late season cold water.

Conditions during this final stage of the season are pretty harsh for even veteran surfcasters. It is at this time that surf fishing closely resembles the personal satisfaction of finishing a marathon: just trying to catch striped bass and surviving the elements are almost as important as actually landing any.

Depending on the season when you fish the magic hours, always dress for the conditions you will encounter. Waders keep you warm as well as dry. A slicker, warm clothes and gloves are often the difference between fishing and giving up. It is a good idea to have some kind of small flashlight (or head light) to assist you when darkness takes over.

Always observe posted parking restrictions; have any nighttime fishing passes required (such as at Sandy Hook and other parks statewide) affixed to your vehicle.

Magic hours fishing is a great time to catch fish in the surf throughout the long fishing season. You won't find lots of other anglers vying for space on beaches, jetties, and sea walls; you will find the fishing to be at least as good as that found around sunrise, or at any other time.

There's nothing magical about catching fish during this special time. You simply have to be there within the prescribed time frame. Your fishing instincts will take care of the rest. [Org Pub. Asbury Park Press, by Allen D. Riley]

Fishing off Pier A in Hoboken, NJ

2005-08-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

On the north side of Hoboken's Pier A, a few miles south of the traffic-soaked George Washington Bridge, stands Herbie. He's facing toward midtown Manhattan, with the Empire State Building still reflecting summer sun even though it's near 7 p.m. Orientation is important to Herbie while he's fishing. "This spot's good," Herbie says, glancing side to side to ensure no other angler is within hearing range. "Got a 33 inch blue fish last week," Herbie adds with a conspiratorial whisper. "Right here."

Fishing life Just yards away, a disheveled man curses at a semi-submerged baseball cap floating along the Hudson's incoming western tide. He utters his last lurid oath at the drowning hat and trudges off. Herbie chuckles and shakes his head. He has coal black eyes, a wispy tuft of a black mustache, and a soft, inviting, well-tanned face. He's 64, lives in Patterson, New Jersey, and travels to Pier A to fish whenever he can get the free time. He comes in the evening, around dusk, when the fishing is best.

Herbie jams the butt of his thick, fiberglass fishing pole under his right underarm and deftly ties a red and white colored plastic bobber, a triangular metal sinker, and a gruesomely curved hook at the end of the almost transparent line. Herbie pulls a curled slab of bloody fish out of a shallow white bucket near his feet. He jabs it on the hook, wheels back the rod, and lets loose with a cast that propels the bait far enough into the water that one can barely make out the splash.

"You got to get it out there where they're swimming," Herbie says. According to Herbie, he hasn't caught many blues off the pier, but he caught a 35-inch striped bass a few weeks ago that was delicious. "The big ones come in from the ocean," says Herbie. "They're just passing through, so they're clean. I made steaks out of it and put it on the barbeque."

Bait Herbie and most of the other fishermen use bunker for bait. According to Ronald and Robert Loehwing, Hoboken residents, Moe's Bait & Tackle in Jersey City is the best place for bait. Ronald, a lifetime resident of Hoboken, has been fishing for 25 years. He fishes for recreation several nights a week after work and on the weekend. According to Ronald, the summer months are slow for fishing, with an average of a fish a day. However, in September and October, the number jumps to four or five fish a day. Ronald said most nights, there at least six or seven fishermen, but on weekends there can be as many as 150 rods in the water. He has caught striped bass, blue fish, fluke, and flounder. Recently Ronald caught a 3-foot striped bass; yet, that isn't the biggest he's caught off the pier.

Robert, Ronald's brother, has caught several bass that were tagged from the Hudson River Foundation. The tags are worth $5 to $1,000, with one for $100,000. Robert's tags were worth $10. According to him, some guys fish just to try to find $100,000 bass.

According to the brothers, they eat most of what they catch, but they wouldn't eat the crabs because they feed from the bottom. There are clear lines between the fishermen and the guys who crab. "I would never eat crabs from here," said Herbie. "They eat everything that's on the bottom. No way would I eat those. But people do. They eat them right up."

Crabbing Further down on the pier, away from the fishermen there was a man crabbing with three traps in the water, each affixed to a white piece of rope knotted to the pier's railing. He stands next to two companions. One has slits for eyes and a careless swath of thick silver hair, and looks quite inebriated. They're each wearing worn football jerseys and soiled jeans shorts. The taller one is missing a row of front teeth. The short one is barefoot. The men are crabbing for blue claw crabs. The barefoot man says he doesn't eat the crabs they catch, but his buddy does.

"They're good," says the toothless man. He smiles wide, his gums shining in the still strong light. "Nothing wrong with them crabs." Apparently, crabs aren't as particular as fish; they will eat an assortment of items. "Anything that's gone rotten - bunker, chicken necks, calamari," says the toothless man. The drunk nudges his head back in and says, "You a game warden? We ain't taking no short crabs."

At the end of the pier, there's a man lounging in a folding chair, his sandaled feet up on the rail, and a fishing rod to his immediate right. When asked if he had any luck, the man tilted his head, smiled and said "yup." "What did you catch?" I ask. "Blues, stripers, crabs maybe." "Not a thing," he answers. "Oh, I thought you said you had some luck." He smiles wider and says, "I did. My wife let me go fishing tonight."

Rhode Island 7/18-7/24/05

2005-08-10T23:34:00.000-04:00

Week of July 18 through July 24
It's been quite a week on the Rhode Island fishing scene. Offshore the schoolie bluefin tuna have been pleasing anglers trolling all sorts of small lures. They are hitting almost everything you care to put in the water, as long as it's in the three- to five-inch range. Fish are mostly in the 30- to 35-pound range but there have been some much bigger fish taken. Shark fishing is very good with lots of blue sharks around and a surprising amount of threshers for this time of year. Some small makos are also keeping anglers on their toes.
Inshore, the fluke fishing is really pretty good, but you have to plan your trips according to the tide charts. It seems that there are plenty of fish around, but they only really decide to feed on the incoming tide. This weekend we had great fluke fishing on the incoming tide only to see the bite die as soon as the high water mark was reached. You can pick a fish here and there on the ebbing tide, but the action is on the incoming tide.
The big news this week is the 65-pound plus striper that was caught by Ray DaPente who was fishing with Captain Mike Neto. Lots of stripers in the forties were also weighed in this week.
Captain Don's Bait and Tackle tell me that during the week Fred Voight from Philadelphia, PA caught a 44-pound bass fishing live eels with Captain Ben DeMarco. Bill Wilson came up with somewhat surprising catch fishing off of East Beach. It was a 32-inch lone weakfish. Don says that the striped bass fishing is still good off of the Quonny and Weekapaug breachways as well as on the Watch Hill reef. Bluefish are raiding the beaches at first light almost every morning and they are willing to take almost anything you throw at them. Scup are thick in the breachways and most of them are a very nice size. Most anglers are limiting out in a short period of time.
Over at Breachway Bait and Tackle they tell me that there are still plenty of stripers around. Scup fishing is great around the breachway, but fluke fishing locally isn't all that great. The good news is that its only a short run to the east to get in on the good fluking going on around there.
Weekapaug Bait and tackle says that there are plenty of striped bass and bluefish around. The striped bass fishing is really good on the local reefs, like Watch Hill Reef, as well as some of the lesser known reefs. Fluke fishing picked up this week off the south shore beaches. They weighed in several fluke in the 7 to 9-pound range. Scup fishing is very good right in the breachways.
The Frances Fleet is reporting a good week of fishing, with lots of striped bass and jumbo fluke. Both the full and half day boats are banging the fluke with a good percentage of sea bass mixed in on the all day boat. Night bass fishing has been a little spotty. Some nights they really do a job on the fish and other nights it can best be described as a slow pick. They started running bluefish trips recently and the boat, which sails on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, was doing well on bluefish to ten pounds. Last week, Captain Don ran one of the boats over to the mud hole, where they found bluefin tuna to 300 pounds.
Kenport Marina is talking about little Ben Hastad, who caught his first striped bass this week. The fish weighed in at 24 pounds. Ronnie Castelone really had quite a trip to Block Island recently. He managed to catch four fish for himself and his buddy. the fish weighed 44, 43, and two tipped the scales at 38 pounds. Quite a day of striped bass fishing.
There are some really big scup to be had over by the west wall. Lots of fish to two pounds plus are bring taken on sea worms. In addition to the scup, there are also some sea bass and tautog mixed in. The surf guys have been doing well at Deep Hole soaking menhaden chunks. They have been catching bass in the teens and bluefish to ten pounds. Jack Demers on the Sea Busy trolled around the Suffolk wreck for a pair of nice bluefins and then trolled over to the Thirty-one Fathom Hole where he picked up another pair. All fish were released. Rhone Enrich caught five bluefins in the 30-pound class by starting at the acid barge and trolling east.
Over at Snug Harbor Marina they tell me that the fluke fishing along the beaches is holding up nicely. There are some big bass around Block Island falling for live eels. On the offshore side, there are plenty of small bluefin starting at the acid barge and heading east, to the 31 Fathom Hole and all the way to the dump. The shark fishermen are doing well with lots of blue sharks around and a surprising number of threshers. They had weighed three thresher sharks this weekend when I talked to them on Sunday afternoon.
Quaker Lane Outfitters is talking about Brad's 55-pound striper caught last week. Striped bass fishing is steady in the bay. Fluke fishing is good with fish to six pounds. There are lots of really big scup around.
Archie's Bait and Tackle tells me of some really good striped bass fishing in the Providence River. The fish aren't big, but what they lack in size they make up in numbers. Last week saw a nice run of weakfish at the white church bridge, along with some stripers mixed in. Bluefish are raiding Barrington Beach on a regular basis. Most of the fish are in the 5 to 7-pound range and they aren't fussy about what they will eat. Scup fishing is really good for the guys who can get after them from a boat, but the shore fishermen are struggling. It not that there aren't plenty of fish around, but they tend to move and move quickly, often to spots the shore based guys can't reach. Fluke fishing picked up this week dramatically, Warwick Light, Coniquot Light and Oakland Beach are said to be the hot spots.
Dave, over at Ocean State Tackle weighed in a huge striped bass (pictured on the cover) that went 65.2-pounds on the scale. The angler was Ray DaPente who was fishing with Captain Mike Neto. Dave also said that there are plenty of big stripers waiting around the southwest and southeast corners of Block Island. Live eels are the ticket and you have to stay in relatively shallow water to avoid the dogfish. Scup fishing is very good with Sally Rock in Greenwich Bay being one of the spots that are really producing scup to two pounds plus. Fluke fishing is good under the Jamestown Bridge, at Austin Hollow and off of Oakland Beach.
Edward's Bait and Tackle weighed in a few good-sized stripers over the past week. Fluke fishing is picking up and the scup are everywhere, with jumbo scup hitting almost anything you use for bait. Offshore everyone is chasing those little bluefins and once in a while some not-so-little ones show up. Shark fishing is great with loads of blue sharks around ,along with some threshers.
Erickson's Bait and Tackle says that the scup are really thick around Dutch Island with a few sea bass mixed in. Fluke fishing is good from Oakland Beach to under the Jamestown Bridge. The offshore guys have been having a ball with the schoolie bluefin action. Shark fishing is also good and a lot of guys are combining the two.
Lucky Bait says that there are plenty of fluke and stripers behind Hog Island. There are scup and bluefish almost anywhere you would want to cast a line. The fluke fishing is good in Jamestown and Newport.
The Tackle Box is saying that Brenton Reef is a good bet for striped bass. The blue fishing is good in the bay, and Block Island is the place to be if you are looking for really big striped bass. Fluke fishing is good, there are not a lot of fish but what they are catching are good ones.
Peter over at the Saltwater Edge Tackle Shop is all excited about the school bluefin tuna. He says that they are about ten miles off the beach, and if you want to bait them sandeels seem to be one of the baits that is working
Sam's Bait and Tackle is reporting plenty of bluefin tuna, in the fifty to sixty pound class can be found anywhere from the Mud Hole east to Cox's Ledge and on into the dump. The shark guys have plenty of blue dogs to play with and the occasional thresher wander by, just to keep things interesting.
Some small yellowfin tuna as well as a few albacore have been caught in the shipping lanes. Peanut bunker showed up locally and the bluefish are thick chasing after them.
Scup fishing is excellent and some black sea bass are starting to show up on the deeper water reefs. The fluke fishing is holding up very well.

Weekly Fishing Update From Noreast.com

2005-08-10T21:02:00.000-04:00

Bobby at Causeway Bait & Tackle in Wantagh called the fluking "decent" in 50 feet of water off Gilgo. Bay fluke fishing is best at the Big M and back up in Merrick. Sea bass and porgies can now be targeted at the bridges, fun fishing for the family and especially the kids. Crabbing is starting to peak right now and snappers are taking bait and very small tins. Some stripers are being plugged at dawn and dusk. The beach was dead this week. Clam chumming for bass has been picky due to the warm bay water. Robert at Sea Isle Sports Center said the fluking was good in the bay with a lot of shorts and better in the ocean from 30 to 70 feet of water both east and west of the inlet. Porgies have arrived at Guy Lombardo Marina, some going 13 inches. The bass fishing on the West Bar is called a "pick." Some schoolies and shorts are being reported. In Point Lookout, Ted at Ted’s Fishing

Station told me that some bunker pods turned up off Long Beach again early in the week. Cocktail blues have been running up on the flats at the top of the tide and sea bass have moved into the bay with some keepers coming from Reynold’s Channel. Bass can still be bellied at the drains in the bay. Mike Lapham took an 18-pounder Wednes-day. Fluking has "a ton of action" in the bay with a 1/30 keeper ratio. The best Ted saw this week was George Hearnwith four keepers from 30 feet of water east of the Tower. Mordy at West End Bait said the bass fishing was "pretty good" this week. Nick

Parini clam chummed a 32-inch fish Thursday, and Friday one angler live-lined a kingfish for a 45-inch bass. Lots of short bass are showing with some schoolies mixed in. Kingfish and croaker to 3.5 pounds are being taken on the beach with small hooks and clams or worms for bait. Fluking continues to be a ton of shorts with a decent amount of keepers. There is a load of bait on the beach and some false albacore have been sighted off Long Beach.

Tom Jr. at Kwak’s Tackle Shop in Bellmore said the fluke at Fire Island were concentrated in small pods and chasing bait. Anglers catching one day would return to the same spot and find nothing the next. Lot’s of snappers, cocktail bluefish and crabs in the bay and at the docks. Bay fluking is still primarily shorts with some keepers if you work hard. No surf action this week and the bay stripers are mostly shorts now that the water inside has heated up. Sea bass and porgies on the inshore

wrecks and reefs from 40 to 60 feet of water are "phenomenal". Good catches of 2 to 3 pound sea bass have been coming from both the Atlantic Beach and Hempstead Reefs. Linda of Lindenhurst Bait and Tackle reported that Ezra Brezina fished the Watch Hill area with his buddy, Ronnie.

They had 9 keeper fluke to 7.9 pounds on Smokey’s large local spearing. PaulMikolich fished the Robert Moses Bridge on the incoming tide and was rewarded with porgies to 14 inches and fluke to 24 inches. Those were big fluke considering the overall trend towards shorts on the inside this summer. Irwin Wallach piloted the Lady Mary 3 miles east of Ocean Beach and took 15 fluke to 20 inches.

Dogfish inundated the area on Wednesday past the 65-foot depth. Anglers who returned to shallow water faired better. Matt and Val Kennedy of K&K fished the Moriches area and managed several good fluke. Val kept Matt busy taking skates off her line over the course of the day. The Fire Island Reef produced porgies to 15 inches and sea bass to 3.5 pounds. Bluefish fell for fresh clams and squid in conjunction with a good chum slick. Kismet Reef produced keeper porgies, sea bass, and blowfish for anglers using sandworms, clams, and bunker chunks. Anglers who chummed the West Bar used clams to score a pick of stripers. "Spanky" fished the front of Demo for two stripers to 30 pounds. Both fish were released. Snappers and blue claw crabs have arrived in a big way. Crabbers working the Wellwood Avenue dock do not need a license. Those working the Babylon dock must have one. John Miranda and Lucy Staminos each had a great catch of a different sort when they won $50.00 reels in Smokey’s quarter dunk. Bob’s Bait and Tackle had lots of anglers scoring fluke east of the Fire Island Inlet in 60 to 70 feet of water. Fluke bullets, squid and spearing did the trick. Daytime striper chasers livelined porgies; whereas, nighttime anglers favored bunker and eels. Snappers and crabs were all over the local docks providing lots of fun for kids and families. J and J Sports saw most of their fish come in as a result of the efforts of seagoing anglers. The Ocean Beach area near the Moriches produced lots of short fluke. Those able to catch a decent drift made their limit of fish from 20 to 24 inches at a depth of 60 to75 feet. Moriches Inlet anglers used peanut bunker to attract their quarries. J and J reinforced the trend by reporting that snappers were swarming all over the bays and docks.

Scallops return to Barnegat Bay

2005-08-08T22:49:00.000-04:00

Research professor Michael Kennish: This is really exciting. Scallops were totally decimated years ago, and now they're coming back. "Around 50 years ago, these things were really plentiful." The scallops' reappearance is one bright spot in the troubled modern history of Barnegat Bay, years that have seen native fish and plant species fade away, and even a near-disappearance of the bay's once mighty clam resources.

Using such high technology as robotic submarines along with old-fashioned hand sampling, they aim to document how pollution affects coastal bays and the natural communities that live there. Their findings have enormous implications for New Jersey's coastal communities and their quality of life because contamination coming from the bay watersheds and air pollution fallout "affects the entire structure and function of the ecosystem," said Kennish, who lives in Dover Township not far from the bay. "Usually the organisms that like it are the kind of things people don't want to see."

Most studies of coastal ecosystems focus on the "water column," scientists' shorthand for top-to-bottom chemical conditions in the water, Kennish explained. The Rutgers research goal is to connect water conditions with the state of animals and plants on the bottom, and thus develop a "biological indicator index" that will document the connections between life and the water.

"The bottom community is critical for that because these organisms aren't mobile. They can't swim away like fin fish when the conditions change," Kennish said. "It hasn't been done before in New Jersey, and this particular method hasn't been tried anywhere before."

What eelgrass shows: There's a long-held notion that bay ecosystems will bounce back with improving water conditions, but that assumption has been alarmingly wrong in the Barnegat region. For most of the 1990s, state environmental officials could announce water quality improvements that allowed more and more areas of the bay to be reopened for shellfishing. But even as seasonal bacteria counts went down, so did the numbers of clams in the bay. One state survey estimated that clam resources in Little Egg Harbor, at the southern end of the Barnegat estuary, plunged by two-thirds between the late 1980s and 2001, and show no sign of regaining their former numbers.

From the university's Institute of Marine and Coastal Studies field station in Little Egg Harbor Township, field researchers ride out to conduct an array of projects, from mapping the bay bottom with autonomous submersibles, to studying its eelgrass meadows. That's where researchers Haag and Greg Sackowicz find the scallops, just one of a whole suite of animals that shelter and feed among the long fronds of underwater grass.

Stormwater runoff carries pollution from parking lots and housing developments to bay tributaries: nitrogen compounds from excess lawn fertilizer and animal waste, pesticides, oil from car engines. Some of that material acts as plant nutrients and feeds persistent outbreaks of microscopic algae that reduce the sunlight reaching eelgrass, Kennish said.

So "sea grass is a good indicator because it's very sensitive to the amount of light in the water," explained Lathrop, who's director of the Rutgers center for remote sensing and spatial analysis. He oversees the matching of data and geographic locations, techniques that "follow what's happening in the watershed all the way down to the bay."

"When damage is happening from nutrient levels, it starts at the microscopic level," said Kennish, who has warned for some years that consequences of nonpoint-source pollution have been underestimated. Nutrients also feed mats of macroalgae, large expanses of simple plants such as sea lettuce that have overrun eelgrass beds and other areas of the bay, Kennish said.

"It's like a quilt. There's patches of sea lettuce all over," he said. "It kills the benthic community (organisms that live on the bay bottom). The organisms can't deal with it. It also damages the exchange of gases between the bottom sediments and the water column. So it's affecting the basic chemistry."

The work that's being done in Barnegat Bay will help uncover water pollution and natural resource problems all along the state's 127-mile seacoast and in its coastal bays and estuaries, Kennish said. The ultimate goal, he said, is to "develop indicators of ecosystem health for the sea-floor communities in the near-shore and estuary waters of New Jersey." [org pub Asbury Park Press, written by Kirk Moore]

Strange fish parade seen in Englewood

2005-08-06T00:05:00.000-04:00

ENGLEWOOD -- A bizarre freeway of fish swimming by the thousands along the shore of Englewood Beach Thursday morning left crowds of beach-goers agog and marine biologists bewildered.

"I've lived her for 10 years, and I've never seen anything like this. It's incredible," said Bob Ricci of Englewood.

Beach-goers reported that a wide variety of sea creatures came swimming south in a narrow band close to the beach at mid-morning.

Included in the swarm were clouds of shrimp, crab, grouper, snapper, red fish and flounder. They were joined by more usual species, including sea robins, needlefish and eels.

Ten-year Manasota Key resident Nick Neidlinger spotted the commotion from his condominium shortly before 9 a.m.

The fish were moving in a narrow band in about 18 inches of water, he said. They were headed south, and, so far as he could tell, the moving mass of sea life stretched a good mile long.

"We're talking thousands and thousands of them," Neidlinger said. "It was so thick we couldn't walk out."

Some fish washed ashore on the Gulf's small waves, he said. The stranded fish flipped and struggled until they flopped back into the water to rejoin the piscatorial parade south.

"There were blue crabs the size of a dinner plate," Neidlinger said. "You name the species of fish and they were there."

Neidlinger said more than 100 pelicans bombarded the fish, but he saw no sharks or other predators, nor did he detect any signs of red tide.

He said all the species "were swimming amongst each other. They weren't attacking each other."

Neidlinger added, "I have never seen anything like that in my life. This was not a fish kill."

Beach-goers were grabbing crabs and fish as they swam by, Thursday. One observer thought the fish might have been weakened by some sort of toxin -- perhaps red tide -- because they could be scooped up easily by people. The event lasted until late morning, although the parade had thinned out by 11 a.m.

A few scientists contacted Thursday were surprised to hear of the unusual fish behavior in Englewood that morning. It was not typical schooling, they said, because many varied species were involved.

Scientists -- usually by nature and always by training -- are reluctant to speculate about the causes of natural phenomena without the benefit of observation and concrete data. However, they did offer some broad possibilities for what they agreed was a highly unusual event, one they had never encountered before.

It might have been predator avoidance, said one, but that was unlikely since there were no signs of predators and the species were varied.

The Gulf waters have currents that might have swept many fish along in an unusual pattern, one speculated.

Or it could have been caused by red tide that could not be detected by beach-goers.

Dr. Richard Pierce, director of ectotoxicology at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, said he had discussed the occurrence with Dr. Cindy Heil, the director of biotoxin research at the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in St. Petersburg, after a reporter's phone call Thursday.

"We agree this could be that they were trying to get away from red tide, maybe offshore or in the deeper parts offshore," Pierce said.

He said red tide flows in higher or lower concentrations at various levels of the Gulf. It also follows currents, which move at varying levels and speeds.

"Sometimes, we have found it in higher concentration along the bottom. This could be what you're looking at," Pierce said.

Red tide has been lingering in the Gulf for the past couple of months, but it has been detected primarily in an area stretching from northern Sarasota County north to Hernando County.

It's possible, Pierce said, that a stealth red tide could be moving south, flowing with an offshore current along the bottom, "and they're moving ahead of it."

Key to that theory is that the fish reported Thursday included many bottom feeders. "Sea robins, flounder, grouper are indications that something is moving along the bottom," Pierce said.

"Unfortunately, this might be a phenomenon of red tide creeping in, but we'll have to wait until we get some samples," he said.

Mote recently installed two red tide detectors in Boca Grande, and Pierce said there was some indication Thursday that red tide might have been moving in that direction.

But, he added, it was all simply speculation until tests could be conducted.

"We just don't know what's happening," he said. "That's a lot of maybes and what-ifs. I know the state is working on that and some other reports, so maybe by next week we'll have some answers." [org pub Sun Herald, by Gavin Off and STEPHEN BAUMANN]

Eel Grass seeds planted in Chesapeake Bay

2005-08-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Quality habitat is the key to life in every aquatic ecosystem. Researchers are trying a new approach to improve the habitat in Chesapeake Bay by scattering freshly cut eelgrass in parts of this massive estuary, hoping that seeds from the stalks will grow new grassbeds.

In the past, efforts have centered around the labor-intensive harvest of mature grasses and physically transplanting individual stems.

This past June, managers seeded roughly 120 acres, an area six times larger than any area covered with transplanted grasses. If this method works, they plan to spread seeds over even more acreage next year.

Known for its oysters, blue crabs and stripers, as well as its largemouth bass, Chesapeake Bay now has 65,000 acres of grassbeds, and individual states in the watershed have established a goal of 185,000 acres by 2010.

"This may be a better method. We don't know, but we're trying to evaluate it," said Tom Parham of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR).

The MDNR and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) are working together to find new and better ways to replenish grassbeds that constantly struggle for survival against smothering pollution that washes in from the bay's vast watershed. Grasses were at an all-time high last year, but heavy rains pushed in even more nutrients and that sediment wiped out a third of the established beds.

Aquatic vegetation provides nursery grounds and hiding places for shellfish and finfish, as well as food for fish and waterfowl. Its health serves as a "barometer of the health of the bay," said Bob Orth of VIMS.

"We hope that it is going to take off and expand. If you don't replace the resource, you're out of business," added Tommy Zinn, a crabber who helped spread the seeds.

Until October, when the seeds start to germinate, scientists, anglers, crabbers and others will be anxiously waiting, hoping that the seeds will not be eaten, buried by pollution or carried away. "You could get a good storm and wash out all of these bags," Orth said.

Researchers also are keeping a close eye on water quality in Chesapeake Bay.

"We can demonstrate we can plant lots of grasses. That's not a problem," Orth said. "It's making sure these plants survive. If you don't have the water quality, forget it." [org pub ESPN, By Robert Montgomery]

More subway cars heading for artificial reefs

2005-08-05T23:53:00.000-04:00

NYC transit officials are again considering a unique disposal method of old subway cars: Donating the large stripped down metal cabs as material for artificial reefs to states along the East Coast.

Previously 1,261 Redbird NYC subway cars were stripped down and sunk off of New Jersey's coast. The blood-red painted subway cars almost immediately become inhabited by plankton and other fish food, which is then followed by fish looking for food.

Sandy Hook,A 30 minute ferry ride from Manhattan

2005-08-05T23:50:00.000-04:00

SOMETIMES getting to the beach takes so much energy that it hardly seems worth the trip. Not so when the goal is Sandy Hook, a seven-mile stretch of paradise that's accessible from Manhattan with a ferry ride of about 30 minutes.

The speedy trip across New York Harbor is thrilling; the pristine ocean beaches are dune-swept and wide. Best of all, the charms of Sandy Hook, the narrow barrier peninsula that juts northeast from New Jersey to form the harbor's eastern border, don't stop with its coastline. It's a diverse national park, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, with thriving bird sanctuaries, a dense maritime holly forest laced with hiking trails, fishing spots brimming with striped bass and bluefish, the oldest operating lighthouse in America and a historic military fort with ghostly abandoned barracks and gun batteries.

The seaside adventure begins in Manhattan, where two companies - SeaStreak and New York Waterway - offer beach-bound ferry service on weekends. (Although the service to Sandy Hook itself continues only through Labor Day, SeaStreak, which is geared toward commuters, also has year-round rides to the Highlands, allowing another approach to the peninsula.)

If You Go

SANDY HOOK is 30 to 45 minutes from Manhattan by ferry. SeaStreak (800-262-8743; www.seastreak.com) and New York Waterway (800-533-3779; www.nywaterway.com) go to Sandy Hook weekends through Labor Day. SeaStreak goes to Highlands, daily and year-round. Fares: about $30 round-trip adults, $15 children; bikes extra.

Sandy Hook is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area (732-872-5970, www.nps.gov/gate). The visitor center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Fort Hancock Museum is open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily in summer and weekends the rest of the year; admission is free. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is open for tours, which are free, in July and August 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. weekends.

The multiuse path is 5.5 miles long.

The New Jersey Audubon Society Sandy Hook Bird Observatory (732-872-2500; www.njaudubon.org/centers/shbo) is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.

The Twin Lights Historic Site (732-872-1814) is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Memorial Day through Labor Day and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday September through May. Admission is free.
[org pub NYTimes, by Beth Greenfield. Above article is edited]

Boston Globe Fishing Rep 8/5/05

2005-08-05T23:27:00.000-04:00

With ocean water reaching its seasonal high temperature, the fishing activity is at its low point. But that doesn't mean there are no fish being caught, just that the numbers are lower. One obvious change is that the topwater action -- or anything close -- has diminished a lot, but every rule has its exception, and in this case it's the burst of bluefish along the shore and near rivermouths, most likely in early morning.

Area A: Northern waters, of course, are cooler and the fishing activity closer to prime. The ledges are producing for party boats and there are big bass strikes in the waters of the Penobscot and Casco bays. Along with the mix of bass and bluefish in places such as Saco and York, you can hook some large pollack, cod, and haddock feeding deep. Livelining small pollack is an excellent draw for big bass. Haddock and cod are still in abundance on the eastern slope of Stellwagen Bank. Plenty of bluefin tuna activity the entire length of Stellwagen. The Merrimack is alive with feeding bluefish, and anglers fishing off Plum Island are doing fairly well. Salem Harbor has bait and early-morning action with blues.

Area B: Again, off Boston the bluefin tuna activity is pretty warm, but the onshore action has been frustrating. Some blues deep around the outer harbor. The channel between Thompson Island and the UMass breakwater had some early action, as did the Fore River and Hull Gut.

Area C: Cohasset offshore has plenty of football bluefin action, but the big bassin' around Minots and among the ledges is slow. A few bluefish flurries are seen, often announced by the noisy wheeling of terns. Peggoty Beach was the scene of such fishing yesterday morning, and the North River mouth is still worth checking out, as is the South River toward Humarock. After some pretty decent action last weekend, Duxbury and Kingston bays have quieted.

Area D: The Canal blows hot and cold, with blues working the length, usually early. Some decent fluke activity in the Buzzards end, Wareham, and Pocasset, and big scup are in the mix. Scup to Clevelands Ledge and well over toward West Island. Best fishing action is still in the Elizabeths, Robinsons the hottest. Livelined eels are the way to go. Cuttyhunk nights have some bass action on the reefs, especially in the full moon. Early-morning fishing there is also active. Most boat guys are heading out toward the Hooter and around Nomans.

Area E: The patterns have also changed on the Vineyard, as Wasque is too warm, yet the fish still move along this shore -- just deeper. Blues are feeding here and there in the Nantucket Shoals, and on the Squibnocket side, as well.

Area F: Mung is present on these beaches, and the fishing has been pretty bad because of it. Inside, the action has slowed around Billingsgate, but there are still some bass to the Race. Again, the big game in Cape Cod Bay and farther offshore is bluefin tuna. [org. pub. Boston.com By Tony Chamberlain]

The art of the marlin

2005-08-05T22:21:00.000-04:00

This time of year, white and blue marlin begin to show up in the canyons offthe New Jersey coast. But to catch one takes time, practice and plenty ofpatience.
Most of the encounters that boats from Monmouth and Ocean counties have with marlin are by chance, during the pursuit of tuna in the offshore canyons, primarily the Hudson Canyon.

In the northern canyons, where most boats from the Shore area fish, the marlin are more sporadic.

But in the southern canyons, which are more accessible to the more southerly inlets such as Absecon, Cape May and Ocean City, Md., marlin are a more common occurrence because the water is warmer. But every season is different.

Some of it is dependent on water temperature, which can be affected by the path of the Gulf Stream current. This season, the water seems to be warmer. As a result, Lanzerotti said, there have been more marlin encountered closer to shore, in places such as the Chicken Canyon and the Glory Hole, noting that one was caught on the Joanna in the Glory Hole just a couple of weeks ago.

Because white marlin are a highly migratory species, they travel great distances, dictated by water temperature and food availability. But they have a fairly wide temperature range in which they feed actively, Lanzerotti said, noting he has caught whites in water as cold as 73 degrees. "But some of my best white marlin fishing has been in the 80s," he added.

In addition, captains look for a temperature break — a place where there's a significant change in temperature, of a couple of degrees or more. The temperature breaks tend to draw bait and, in the process, marlin.

Like anything with fishing, there are a lot of opinions on how it should be done. Lanzerotti uses a dredge, which is similar to an umbrella rig but holds many more baits. Actually, he uses a pair of dredges, one with ballyhoo, the other with split-tail mullet, each with eight arms and holding 30 baits.

The idea is to create the appearance of a school of fish, he said. Other captains will troll using daisy chains or squid chains he said, adding that most of the teams that win billfish tournaments use one of these two methods.

Boats trolling daisy chains or squid may troll at 7 1/2 or 8 knots, whereas he trolls at 3 1/2 to 4 knots, and while he can't cover as much water as quickly as someone trolling a chain, he's had success with it and "it's just a personal preference," Lanzerotti said.

The purpose, in both cases, is to get the attention of the marlin to begin with. Once that is accomplished, the frenzy — and the fun — begin. "The most important thing is to keep an eye on the spread," where and how the baits are that are being trolled, he said, because when a white marlin hits, the timing of the angler's reaction can make a difference between a fish being hooked and one losing interest and swimming away.

"White marlin are pretty finicky," Lanzerotti said. "They will come up behind a bait and whack it with their bill a couple of times before they try to eat it." In the marlin's world, he said, it hits the bait with its bill to disable it. And that's why the timing is critical; if the angler doesn't respond by letting out line — dropping the bait back to the marlin, so that it appears it is disabled — the marlin may move on. [org pub Asbury Park Press by Karen E. Wall]

Feds may reduce Fluke catch by 20-30%

2005-08-05T22:14:00.000-04:00

The recent announcement that the National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking a 20- to 30-percent cutback in the fluke harvest next year has anglers asking where the biologists are coming from.

Obviously the biomass must be in good shape if landings are up and there is a huge abundance of small fish that cannot be retained.

Thomas P. Fote, legislative chairman of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association, believes that the answer lies in the system.

"They say that we're overfishing when everyone knows that there are more fluke around than we've seen in years," he said. "We expected to go to a 32-million-pound quota next year, instead, they want to cut us back."

Fote, who until a few weeks ago was one of New Jersey's representatives on the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission, said the system was created to reach a goal that may not be possible.

"They're talking about rebuilding to the levels of the 1920s and 1930s," he said. "That may be unrealistic given the fact that we no longer have the wetlands, the natural environment that the juvenile fluke need when they are inshore in the summer."

Fote reminded that the wetlands have been filled and developed, pollution has increased enormously, and the entire ecosystem has been vastly altered since the '20s and '30s.

"We're no longer able to build the stocks to the point they were at 60 or 70 years ago," he said. "The National Marine Fisheries Service is adhering to a rebuilding schedule that may be unattainable, and further restrictions are going to be a hardship on anglers and the party and charter boat industry."

Fote is not optimistic about the chances of fishermen persuading NMFS to ease off on draconian measures in 2006.

"We can scream and yell — and we will — but they are going to defend their decision based on the biological reference points of their system," he said. [Published in the Asbury Park Press 08/5/05
BY JOHN GEISER]

Crustacean comeback?

2005-08-04T22:43:00.000-04:00

George Mueller and his partner caught just 20 or so legal-sized lobsters during a recent hot day of pulling up lobster traps, but despite the meager catch, they saw the good news that others are seeing throughout Long Island Sound.

The lobsters were a good size for the area — a pound and a half or more — and they were healthy. What's more, while they were pulling up the traps, they found creatures — such as worms and small crabs — thriving in muck that used to be barren.

"There's life in the mud," Mueller, 43, said after docking his boat at Harbor Island Park by the Mamaroneck Bait & Tackle shop, which he owns.

With the legal lobsters, they caught about 10 that were too small to keep. But Mueller and his partner were not counting on a large catch. They pulled just 100 traps, a small number, more to gauge the crustacean population than to make a killing.

"You can't make a living out there — definitely not," he said.

With the catch too meager to be profitable, they threw back even the larger ones, all but five that Mueller kept to bring home for his wife.

"She'll eat them all week long," Mueller said.

Some lobster fishers who have hung onto their chosen line of work throughout the devastating die-off of 1999 say they are seeing larger, healthy lobsters in the Sound.

Roger Frate, a longtime lobsterman from Connecticut, said his son, who also fishes for the coveted creatures, found some success last fall and in the spring.

"So far, we've had a couple of good, decent weeks, and there seem to be more lobsters from one end of the Sound to the other," said Frate, 59, who also owns Darien Seafood Market. He said the creatures they are pulling up weigh 1 1/2 or 2 pounds and sometimes up to 3 pounds.

Penny Howell, a marine fisheries biologist with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, said recent trawls of the Sound showed another year with few lobsters.

While numbers have not been refined, they appear to be little better than last year's trawls, which showed it to be the third worst year of the 21 years the agency has been doing the survey. By taking an average number of lobsters caught in the trawls, then adjusting the numbers to weed out anomalies, they showed an average of 2.5 lobsters in 2004, down from the record, 18.5 in 1998. The numbers had averaged about 7 in the late 1990s before reaching the record. Since 1998, the numbers have dropped off severely and steadily.

This year's number will be slightly higher than last year's, but still will be less than 3, Howell said.

"The catches have not been terrible," she said. "Early on, a lot of the guys were reporting large animals, and that's always good news."

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation will conduct a survey at the end of the summer, said agency spokeswoman Gabrielle Done.

"But we are hearing some favorable reports from the docks that good catches are coming in," she said.

The agencies are tightening restrictions on the size of lobsters that can be taken, angering some lobster fishers. Lobsters now must measure 3 1/4 inches from the eye socket to the end of the carapace, or back piece. Next month, the minimum will increase to 3 and 9/32 inches in both the Connecticut and New York sections of the Sound.

The increase, just one thirty-second of an inch, will have an impact. Nick Crismale, president of the Connecticut Lobstermen's Association, said it will further hurt lobster fishers already struggling.

"We've been brought to our knees, and now they're hitting us with the hammer," he said.

Howell said the agency officials understood the fishers' problems, and that fishing was not the cause of the lobsters' troubles. Still, she said, the agency has to protect the lobster population.

"We have to protect the resource," she said. "That's our first job, and our resource numbers are frighteningly low."

Ideally, she said, they would tighten the restrictions even more, "but we're aware of the economic situation and that the (fishing) is not the cause of this issue. Nevertheless, if they want a resource, which I know they do, they have to be part of the solution."

Three years of research by scientists, funded mostly by the federal government, zeroed in on climate change as the reason for the die-off. Many lobster fishers disagree. They are certain the lobsters were killed by pesticides sprayed to kill West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes. Research showed the pesticides are harmful to lobsters, but one study also indicated that not enough of the chemicals would have made it to the Sound to do serious harm to the lobster population.

Still, two pesticide manufacturers reached a $3.75 million settlement with the lobster fishers late last year over claims that the chemicals devastated their livelihood.

Frate and Crismale, like some other lobster fishers, have turned to clamming for income.

Crismale is skeptical of claims that more lobsters are out there. He said people may mistakenly get that idea because so few lobster fishers are left that the lack of competition allows them to make more from a smaller lobster population.

"They appear to be healthy right now, and everything looks just fine, but the biomass is just not there," he said.

The number of lobster fishers has declined, although Howell said that came about from several causes. In Connecticut, it had been declining since 1985, when 776 licenses were issued. In 1999, there were 520 licenses issued; that declined to 309 last year. In New York, the number of resident commercial licenses issued declined to 477 last year from 746 in 1999.

Mueller said before the die-off, it was typical to see 20 or more lobster boats pulling in 150 pounds or more of lobsters in a day.

And despite the good signs, there were none left in the area around the Bronx-Westchester border, which is filled with deep holes where lobsters once sought shelter, making it the best spot in the region for seeking the delicacies.

"There's nothing from New Rochelle to City Island," Mueller said. "There's not a lobster to be found." [Original publication The Journal News, Ken Valenti]

NJ's artifical reef gets a new old ferryboat

2005-08-04T22:36:00.000-04:00

Another ship sunk, and divers cheer

There's a less-famous underworld in New Jersey, one where people swim with the fish instead of "sleeping" with them.

This underworld features ships, barges and even subway cars. But the real stars are the more than 200 species of fish and invertebrates that populate the 25 miles of artificial material purposely dumped on the ocean bottom to provide homes for them.

On Wednesday, state officials added to the scenery by scuttling a ferryboat about eight miles off Cape May at one of 14 artificial reef sites established along the Jersey Shore.

The boat, like the 135 sent to the bottom before it, is intended to take the place of rock formations, which don't exist in the flat, sandy bottom of the continental shelf. Such solid structures provide habitats for crustaceans and microorganisms that fish eat. More food means more fish, and that makes the ocean more lucrative for fishermen and more interesting for divers.

"There's nothing divers love to look at more than an intact sunken ship," said Steve Nagiewicz, who runs a dive boat company and operates a Web site - njscuba.com - that lists New Jersey's popular dive locations.

The 120-foot-long ferryboat Elizabeth was built in 1901 and originally plied the Hudson between Jersey City and lower Manhattan. It was the last steam ferry on that route. It had been docked in Philadelphia for many years and was used most recently as a restaurant.

The boat was cleaned and stripped of its pilot houses before a hole cut in one of its watertight compartments sent it to Davy Jones' locker.

The artificial reefs have been credited with making fish and lobster more plentiful, and that makes diving more interesting. Their well-mapped locations in New Jersey's cold and cloudy gray waters also make diving easier.

In addition to decommissioned ships, boats, tankers and barges, the state Department of Environmental Protection - in partnership with diving and fishing groups - has tossed chunks of steel and concrete, known as "reef balls," and various other material over the side since the program began in 1984. The program was largely uncontroversial until the sinking two years ago of 250 former New York City subway cars.

The subway car dumping prompted some fishing and diving groups to break ranks with environmental groups, which tried to block the sea bottom express because of concerns that the asbestos floor tiles would deteriorate and contaminate the waters.

Divers now say the subway cars are far from must-see locations.

"It's a one-dive-only trip," said Glenn Arthur, chairman of the New Jersey Council of Diving Organizations. "Once you get down there to see them, all there is to look at are subway cars."

The cars probably will deteriorate into "lumps of steel" in another decade, but what will be left behind is "a whole column of marine life that will be amazing to see," Nagiewicz said. "Fish moved in the day they went down."

The artificial reef sites - while lacking the history and lore of sunken freighters, galleons and cruise ships - are great for novice divers and others not familiar with the locations of the thousands of historic wrecks along the coast, Nagiewicz said.

But funding to buy and sink decommissioned ships is hard to come by. The ferryboat sunk Wednesday was one of three bought with a $100,000 DEP appropriation. In May, a Navy tanker was sunk at a different location and another Navy tanker will be scuttled later this summer, officials said. [originially published by Northjersey.com, Colleen Diskin writer].

A Plan to Protect Trout Upstate Fails to Meet Its Promise - New York Times

2005-08-03T23:32:00.000-04:00

HANCOCK, N.Y. - When New York City agreed last year to release more water from its upstate reservoirs to protect wild trout in the Delaware River, people in this one-stoplight village were skeptical, but they hoped for the best.

As fly-fishing season opened in the spring, the local diner, the Circle E, featured a hearty "Sportsman's Breakfast" aimed directly at anglers, and the Grand Union hung a big banner over its entrance saying "Welcome Fishermen."

But almost no anglers are buying beer or frozen burgers at the supermarket, and the owners of the diner say business is down about 20 percent. At Jim Costolnick's Border Water Outfitters fly and tackle shop on East Front Street the other day, local businessmen gathered to complain about the same thing: the new plan is not working. Despite promises, there is still not enough water in the Delaware to keep the river from becoming as warm as bath water, which is bad for fish, and bad for Hancock, too.

Nearly every shop in this Delaware County village of 1,200 wrapped in a bearhug by the East and West Branches of the Delaware is suffering. When temperatures rise above 70 degrees, trout begin crowding into cooler parts of the river, fighting among themselves and even dying. Low water in the river this summer has consistently pushed the Delaware's temperature above 80.

The problem is not drought. There's plenty of water in the city's reservoirs, which are around 90 percent full. The fishermen claim the city is hoarding water. And that, they say, is wrecking the new plan, which they doubt would have worked anyway.

"We've been pointing out to them all along that the plan wasn't going to work, and it isn't working," said Craig Findley, the president of the Friends of the Upper Delaware River, which represents sportsmen on the river. "This is an emergency."

Mr. Findley's group has proposed several alternative plans that would use far more water than is now being released from New York City's mammoth reservoirs at the head of the Delaware. But officials have rejected them all, saying that although the city's upstate reservoirs are close to full, they are slightly below normal and there's still a lot of summer left.

Besides, they point out, releasing water is not up to them, but is governed by a complicated formula established by the United States Supreme Court more than 50 years ago.

Any tinkering with that formula requires the consent of all parties involved. That includes the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, the City of New York and the Delaware River Basin Commission, an interstate agency that oversees the river.

All the parties did agree last year to an experimental three-year plan to increase the water in the reservoirs in case of drought, while also expanding separate banks of water that the State of New York can use to protect the trout and their river habitat.

This is the second year of the interim plan, and it seems apparent that changes are going to have to be made.

As part of the plan, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation can order New York City to release cold water from the special banks to keep the river at an average of no more than 72 degrees according to a temperature gauge at Hankins, N.Y., about 15 miles downriver of Hancock . But by the second week of June, the state had already used more than a third of the water in the special banks trying to meet that target, and it feared that the supply would run out before summer ended.

Gerry A. Barnhart, director of the New York State Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, said that on June 10 he gave the order to abandon the Hankins temperature target altogether. Instead, he said, the state would concentrate on cooling the East and West Branches of the Delaware, and the Neversink River, which runs into the Delaware and is part of the New York City water system.

Mr. Barnhart said that abandoning the Hankins target will have a substantial impact on the Delaware, "but it's not going to be, in my judgment, catastrophic. It is something that the river system can recover from in better water years." While fishermen say that New York is hoarding water, officials say that it was an historic excess of water that set off this year's crisis. Snowpack melt and early spring rains produced the highest water levels on the Delaware in half a century.

The heavy rains damaged a dam at the Swinging Bridge Reservoir, in Sullivan County. It is owned by the Mirant Corporation, an energy company, and is used to generate hydroelectric power. Vast amounts of water had to be released from the reservoir so the dam could be repaired.

Here's where it gets really complicated. The Supreme Court ruling, established in 1954, ensures that a certain amount of water -1,750 cubic feet per second - always flows past a monitoring gauge in Montague, N.J. This protects the water supplies of Trenton, Philadelphia and other cities downriver that draw drinking water from the Delaware.

While the extra water from Swinging Bridge helped meet the target at Montague, New York State was not directed to release water from its reservoirs to compensate for the water flushed from Swinging Bridge. As a result, the upper Delaware dropped, and water temperatures rose.

The Delaware River Basin Commission recently considered another proposal by the Friends of the Upper Delaware River for a constant release of 482 cubic feet of water per second from one of the city's reservoirs throughout the summer. Mr. Findley, the group's president, said doing so would stabilize temperatures without endangering the city's drinking water.

But Fred Nuffer, assistant director of the New York State Division of Water, said computer models run by the state showed that the Friends' proposal would use far too much water. Smaller releases, down to 160 cubic feet per second, were also analyzed, but the states represented by the commission unanimously rejected the proposal.

Mr. Nuffer said there were concerns that changing the three-year experimental program "in midstream" would invalidate the data already collected.

Still, river conditions have improved lately. With Swinging Bridge stabilized, New York City was directed last week to release water above Hancock, raising the level of the Delaware and lowering water temperatures, at least temporarily.

And New York City has agreed in principle to expand the cold water banks so there would be enough water to control temperatures in the East and West Branches of the Delaware and the Neversink through the end of September. All the states in the commission would have to approve that as well.

Michael A. Principe, director of New York City's Bureau of Water Supply , said that including the Hankins temperature targets in the interim plan had been overly optimistic, and that efforts to regulate the river's temperature might need to be scaled back in any long-term management strategy.

"You have to make a decision about how much of the river you can manage," Mr. Principe said. "Are you looking to control temperatures all the way down to Hankins? If not, you've got to step back and make a decision about what you can actually manage."

New York Times by By ANTHONY DePALMA 8/3/2005

Survey targets 15-pound destructive rodents - Delaware

2005-08-03T23:29:00.000-04:00

Survey targets 15-pound destructive rodents

By Laren Hughes
Staff Reporter

Delaware and Maryland residents living near the water may soon have to deal with more than mosquitos and annoying insects -- 15 pound rat-like creatures known to live near marshlands.

"I saw one the other day," said Bob Schaller a resident of Muskrat Town Road in Bishopville, Md. "I could see the entire thing. It looked like a big, fat rat from a monster movie."

And he is not the only Eastern Shore resident who has sighted a nutria. The large rodents -- which hail from South America -- have been spotted near the shore in both Maryland and Delaware.

Verena Chase, from Berlin, Md., is an environmental engineer who has headed-up a nutria detection study in Worcester County, Md. through a grant from the Maryland Coastal Bays.

Chase received a $3,000 grant Coastal Bays Program for her nutria survey project, an on-foot hunt for markings, droppings and sightings of the animal itself, which blends the physical features of a rat, a squirrel and a hamster. Chase says she and volunteers will canvas several areas close to the coastal bays.

In an attempt to caution residents and locate these creatures, she distributed a survey throughout the county on July 25 -- a move that caused some concern among residents.

The Survey

It was through that study and her own observations that she concluded nutria are not a problem at the present time but a close eye should be kept on area marshlands.

The survey spanned Worcester County and because these creatures are semi-aquatic, her study focused on water-lined areas.

"I walked every shoreline or ditch that I could find," Chase said. "The creeks, I surveyed by kayaks, looking for habitat changes."

Although Chase did not detect any nutria during her four-month long study, she said she is confident they will overpopulate the area if the situation is not monitored.

The Origin

According to Steve Kenbrot, district supervisor for the United States Department of Agriculture and Wildlife Services, nutria were brought to the United States from South America in the 1930's to establish an alternative fur market.

"The muskrat population was going through a down cycle and they thought they could replace the muskrat," Kenbrot said.

Unfortunately, they created a monster. Since that time, the nutria population has increased dramatically, creating a major problem for the environment and the economy.

An encroaching threat

Nutria recently wreaked havoc on wetlands at the Blackwater Refuge in Dorchester County, Md.

Nutria devour the roots of marsh plants, exposing the mudflats to erosion and robbing smaller animals of places to hide from predators. Implications ripple up and down the food chain, affecting eagles and other species on the Eastern Shore.

Kenbrot said the county started an eradication project in September 2002 in an effort to save those wetlands.

"We've covered 75 to 100 thousand acres of federal state and private land," he said. "We've taken 9,500 nutria in the process."

He said Dorchester County has lost up to 8,000 acres of marshland because of te rodents.

He said $1 million of the state's budget is allocated towards this effort. Seventeen full-time employees track the infested areas.

"We have a recurring monitoring program where we go and look back at areas that we have already depopulated.

Residents voice concerns

Many residents -- especially pet-owners -- are disturbed by the thought of these creatures making a home in their back yards.

Schaller said he had not seen a nutria until recently.

"The grass was deep and it stuck its nose out and I got a good look at it," he said. "Four days after I saw it, I got the flyer in the mail.

Schaller, an avid cat lover, said nutria increase the danger his cats already face outdoors.

"Most of the time they won't bite off more than they can chew," he said. "Cats usually keep rodents away but I worry about the outdoor cats with these things running around."

According to Chase, these animals will not attack unless they are cornered. She said they are not harmful to humans or their pets.

Environmental Impacts

Nutria may not pose a threat to domesticated animals, but they do create problems for those in the wild.

Nutria make their homes on shorelines and are competing with muskrats for territory, officials said.

In addition, they also displace stationary and migratory birds.

"They change the habitat a great deal because they feed on marsh grasses and that causes erosion," Chase said. "The destroy the habitat of blue crabs, clams and some fish that are getting their young in the marshes."

Economic Impacts

According to Chase, an overpopulation of nutria will negatively affect the economy.

She projects the overall losses could exceed $35 million dollars annually.

As the nutria create their habitat, marsh land is destroyed, making it difficult for area waterman to make a living.

"Blue crabs are dependent on marsh lands," Chase said. "They live there and spawn there and if the marsh is gone because of erosion, you can't get them anymore."

John Fabryka, a commercial fisherman in Ocean View, said he is worried that nutria could negatively impact his livelihood.

"The bank is being eaten away at the head of White's Creek," he said. "That is the first I've ever run into them."

Fabryka said he was not aware nutria were in the Delaware area until recently. "It's going to affect navigational things mostly for me because it would make it hard to get around," he said. "If they come here in large numbers they could be a problem."

Solutions

Jonathan Schafler, a refuge manager at Primehook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton, said nutria aren't a problem in Delaware yet but officials are keeping close tabs on the situation.

"We do have several but it's not a problem over here," he said.

Schafler said precautions are being taken to prevent this invasive species from taking over the wetlands.

"A team came in with specially trained dogs to find nutria," he said. "They found none but we do the study annually."

Chase said when nutria are found, they are trapped and killed.

According to Chase, most residents were unaware that nutria existed.

She said she hopes the survey has opened eyes and encouraged residents to report future sightings before these animals take over ecosystem.

Boston and regions Fishing

2005-08-03T11:53:00.000-04:00

Season has gone to the dogs

By Tony Chamberlain, Globe Staff | July 29, 2005

This is the time of year when, if you took vacation for some gangbuster saltwater fishing action, one only hopes you learn from your mistake. Just as surely as the game fish show up in June, hungry from their migratory run and ready to munch on the plentiful bait, by the midsummer doldrums -- mid-July on -- the action quiets down drastically. Which does not mean there aren't fish to catch, but except for some action up north, our waters are pretty quiet. The most excited species is dogfish. Yuck.

Area A: Go north and you'll be rewarded with stripers and bluefish, smalls to mediums for both species. Some lovely stripers have been feeding in the waters from New Harbor and Pemaquid up to Muscungus Bay. Biddeford Pool and Higgins Beach have good catches of bass in the evenings, best livelined on eels and small pollack. Bluefish in Saco Bay and Piscataqua River into Great Bay. Some fish showing up at night around the jetties at Plum Island, but few on the oceanfront.

Area B: Slow fishing along the Salem-Lynn waters, but a few big bass have been reported in the north approaches to Boston Harbor, taking live eels. Harbor catches have been fairly light, and the dogs are thick. Drift around the harbor islands -- north end of Thompson to Spectacle. Cod, haddock, and pollack have also been caught this week.

Area C: Perhaps the most consistent fishing in the Boston waters has been the southern approach -- Minots Ledge, where good-size bass can be counted on settling in for the season and never moving until fall. Getting them to wake up to bait is another matter, but many anglers are livelining eels and using chunk mackerel. The rocky Glades and the waters between Peggoty Beach and the North River are worth fishing -- again, better night and early morning. Fluke season is still lagging in Duxbury. Offshore, bluefin tuna fishing is the only thing that has some anglers excited.

Area D: The Canal has some bluefish at both ends -- and presumably in the middle, though that's not where the reports are coming from. A couple of decent stripers came up from the west end this week, and also in Buzzards Bay, where the small blues are suddenly active in many harbors from Wareham to Mattapoisett to Quisset, on the Falmouth shore. Also, striper anglers are becoming interested in the Elizabeth holes, from Woods Hole along the Hadley side to Robinsons and Quicks. Cuttyhunk reef is active these nights as well. Westport has blues working.

Area E: The shoal water in Nantucket Sound is likely to have small blues and scup deep. Nantucket Blues in the rips and the Vineyard guys are finding Lobsterville to Menemsha Bight in pretty good shape, along with an occasional good catch off Gay Head Light.

Area F: Race Point is surprisingly active, early and late. Not much action reported on the Seashore side. Billingsgate is always worth a look.

Rock Harbor Fishing Report Cape Cod

2005-08-03T11:51:00.000-04:00

Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By Capt. Hap Farrell

The bass are starting to make their move. They started up on top of Billingsgate Shoals, mainly on the west end. This is a good sign. They will be easier to keep track of and we'll be able to use different methods of fishing to hook up on them. I'm hoping we'll be able to use the hootchie with success and also single swimming plugs on mono. At least we won't have to use 400 feet of wire much more.
A number of people have asked me why the tube and worm has not been working very well this season. Well, in some cases it has worked, in deep water, sometimes in the inside hole, but for the most part there has not been much activity when using it. The reason is there has not been much of a worm hatch in the Bay. If there has been one it didn't amount to a hill of beans. Hopefully when the main body of bass move into the grass on the east end of the shoals this will change.

Not all of the bass have moved out of the deep water yet. Up off Great Island in 50 feet of water there are a number of good sized schools of mixed fish. Both bass and bluefish of all sizes can be found in these bunches. Jigging with extra long wire is the best method; however, a few big bass have taken single swimming plugs on mono mainly in the outriggers. I'm sure if you had the time you could do quite well trolling around with just hootchies or plugs on mono.
The Path hasn't had much attention. Not many of the charter boats have been up there. The last time I was up there was a month ago and I found a fair amount of bluefish and a few bass out in 25 feet of water. The umbrella rig worked for me but I'm sure jigging would work and probably hootchies on the mono. At any rate, the area is worth a look see. There are plenty of bluefish in the Sunken Meadow area, so that's a safe bet.
Where will the bass be during the next week? My guess would be on the shoals. I'd look in the middle and to the west end to start with. Next, I'd work the edge, around 20 feet of water, up to the northeast. If not there, in the grass on the east end of the shoals. Try jigging.

NJ Fluke catches come in bunches

2005-08-02T22:13:00.000-04:00

Fluke catches come in bunches
Published in the Asbury Park Press 08/2/05

There must be an awesome number of fluke out there this summer when one considers the catches being put together on a daily basis.

Capt. Ed Bunting Jr., Sea Horse, Atlantic Highlands, said he goes back to the grounds day after day and comes in with good catches.

"We had another good week catching fluke in Ambrose and Sandy Hook channels," he said. "Plenty of limits every day, and lots of shorts for action."

Jay Warford of Rumson was the angler to watch on the Sea Horse the other day when he bounced a bucktail on slack water, and picked up an 11 1/2-pound pool winner and a 9-pounder for good measure.

"He is one of the premier fluke fishermen on the Sea Horse," said Bunting.

George Waked, Cranford, had an 8-pounder; Alida Wright, Toms River, had a 6-pounder; and Harry Jenkins, North Arlington, had a 6-pounder.

Bunting said sand eels and squid strips have been hot baits, but a number of big fluke have been caught on live snappers.

Capt. Steve Spinelli, Skylarker, Belmar, said he is impressed with the response to the new Berkley Gulp bait for fluke.

"I cannot believe the number of fluke caught on it," he said. "Either crab scent or herring scent, they both work."

Capt. Bob Bogan Jr., Gambler, Inlet Basin, Point Pleasant Beach, said he continues to drift the hills and rough bottom south of Manasquan Inlet, and he found a lot of action off Seaside Park.

"Seventy-five percent of the fish were throwbacks, but we had a decent amount of keepers," he said. "We found them in 50 to 55 feet of water."

Bogan said he had been catching some big fluke in 60 to 65 feet of water farther north off Lavallette and Mantoloking, but there were not enough of them to keep everyone satisfied.

Capt. Mike Bogan reported good fishing for bluefish that ranged from 5 to 10 pounds over the weekend at Monster Ledge.

Capt. Joe Bogan, Jamaica II, Brielle, said the last seven days of fluke fishing have been good overall with only a couple of slow trips due to either a drift that was too fast or too slow.

"Not many throwbacks," he said. "A nice sprinkling of 3- to 5-pounders with 6- to 8-pounders winning most pools."

Fred Morris of Bristol, Pa., led the Jamaica II's monthly pool with an 8-pound, 1-ounce fluke until the final day when Larry Quattrone of Hightstown caught a 9-pound, 5-ounce fluke.

Monthly pool winners on the Jamaica II are rewarded with one year of unlimited fishing free.

John West of Trenton had seven fluke to 5 pounds Sunday morning, and Charlie Harris, Philadelphia, had six fluke to 4 pounds and eight sea bass.

Capt. Marc Vitolo, Skipper, Belmar, had good fluke fishing over the weekend on the grounds north of Asbury Park.

Gordon Farris of Miltop, Pa., had six keeper fluke to 8 pounds; Tom Dudek, Wall, had his limit to 7 pounds, and Jeff Collins, Bradley Beach, had his limit to 6 pounds.

Tom Flanagan, Perkiomen Ville, Pa., topped his catch of fluke with one that weighed 7 1/4 pounds and another that went 6 pounds, 9 ounces.

Dave Arbeitman, co-owner of The Reel Seat, Brielle, said Capt. Jerry Melia and mate Jerry Melia Jr. had the Hard Eight out fluke fishing with a party made up of Arman DeLaughter and Jennifer Burke, Dallas; Brandon Gentry, also of Texas; Capt. Tim Burke, Puerto Rico; Mailen Kent, Birmingham, Ala.; and Jack Frick, Dover Township.

They drifted off Monmouth Beach, and caught 35 fluke up to 3 1/2 pounds.

Tom Grasso, Sea Girt, fished the rail at Manasquan Inlet, and stopped at The Reel Seat to report a catch of several keeper fluke up to 19 inches, a number of sea robins and a 6-pound star gazer.

LakeChamplainAngler.com

2005-08-01T00:23:00.000-04:00

Website is devoted to fishing in Lake Champlain.

The Cape Codder -7/15/05

2005-07-15T08:04:00.000-04:00

We didn't have our famous fourth of July bass blitz, but it was decent fishing. The bass are sticking to the deep water on the north edge of the shoals and up toward the Path. We've had to jig for them with extra-long wires, 350 feet or longer, or umbrella rigs with a little weight.I have no idea how long this will last. Right now the tides are on the smaller side, so this may be one of the reasons.
The bluefishing is still fairly good. There is a good amount up in the Sunken Meadow area, which can be taken by trolling hootchies or swimming plugs. Those who like to cast can find fish up in the meadow itself. Any popping plug will work, but any plug that's blue and white seems to work the best so far.
There's lots of bluefish out in the deep water along with the bass. They are hitting the umbrella rig as well as plugs in the outriggers on the surface. It does not seem that this good bluefishing will change anytime soon. In fact, it should improve as the water warms up.
I mentioned that one of the reasons the bass fishing may have slowed a little is the fact that the tides are getting smaller. Without going into a long explanation on the differences in the sizes of tides, it's simply put that the phase of the moon produces different tide sizes.
The sizes range from as little as an 8.2-foot rise and fall to as much as a 12-foot rise and fall. To give you an idea of the size, today it's a 10.1-foot tide at high tide at 12:58 this morning and a 8.9-foot tide at 1:38 during the afternoon tide. During the daylight, the tide does not move much, so the fish and bait move more easily and are therefore harder to find. As in all things in New England, wait a while and things will change.
On July 4, I took a new mate out to get him some practice on the light tackle I use. We put out the 2-pound test gear up in the Sunken Meadow area, and it wasn't long before we hooked up on a fish. After 55 minutes, Dave Koppel of Brewster landed a nice 7-pound bluefish. This is not an easy accomplishment.

Providence RI 7/15/05

2005-07-15T07:59:00.000-04:00

BAY

Bass and bluefish are still biting throughout the Bay. Schools of menhaden are holding the game fish in the upper reaches of the Bay: in the channel of the Providence River, the Pawtuxet shore, and the east side of Patience Island, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. There are schoolies along Poppasquash, says Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle. For larger fish, he recommends trolling a tube-and-worm rig in the lower Bay, tight against Goat Island, Rose Island and Hope Island where the fish tend to range between 32 and 38 inches long. Off Beavertail and Annawan, they're a little larger.

Bluefish are everywhere, from the Providence River to Jamestown; they're especially abundant in Greenwich Bay, Ferrara says.

Fluke fishing has been good in the waters off Shepley's Dock at Oakland Beach, where fish as large as 6 pounds were biting Wednesday, Ferrara says. To the south, fluke have been biting in the waters off Austin Hollow.

Scup and seabass are taking bait along the shore of Newport and Jamestown, Hope Island and around General Rock off North Kingstown.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

Striper fishing continues to be extraordinary on the reefs from the West Wall in Jerusalem to Stonington. Newport angler Susan Estabrook, fishing with Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle, took bass to 24 pounds on the reef next to the fish trap off the West Wall and the rockpile directly off the Charlestown Breachway on an outgoing tide. Mouchon recommends fishing with eels, but his cousin, Thom Pelletier of Quaker Lane Outfitters, says that live hickory shad are more effective. To the west, the bite is busy from Quonochontaug to the Connecticut Reefs. Sugar Reef is especially active, according to Kevin McCarthy of King Cove Outfitters.

Off Aquidneck Island, larger bass are appearing on the reefs of Rhode Island Sound even though there are a lot of dogfish there, says Sam Toland of Sam's Bait & Tackle. He recommends deep trolling a tube-and-worm rig.

Scup are biting on all the rockpiles from Newport to Stonington, and the bite will continue to improve as the water warms, says Toland. For shore fishermen in South County, good bets include Monahan's Dock in Narragansett, the breachways, and the waters behind Joyce's Pub in Matunuck.

Fluke fishing is improving off Bailey's and Second Beaches, says Toland, but Mouchon reports that the bite has been an on-and-off affair off Washington County. Bob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters recommends fishing with a chartreuse fluke rig tipped with squid or spearing. Fluke have moved into Quonochontaug Pond, where they're nailing small jigs tipped with squid strips and live mummichogs, says Don Cameron of Captain Don's Bait & Tackle.

Bluefish are scattered all along the coast, but the action has been particularly consistent at Charlestown Breachway as the tide spills out. Inside the salt ponds, where the blues are smaller, the limit is still 10 fish per day.

NJ Coastal 7/15/05

2005-07-15T06:43:00.000-04:00

Atlantic City to Wildwood and Cape May to Del Mar

ATLANTIC CITY TO WILDWOOD: The weather over the holiday weekend wasn't the best, but anglers found time to catch some nice fluke and tuna.

Striped bass are still making headlines this far into the summer. Usually the stripers are gone, but varying water temperatures are keeping them around and the surf anglers aren't complaining.
Ray at Absecon Bay Sportsman said the eels are flying out of the store faster than they can stock them. Ray said that if the water temperature at the beaches and inlets gets to 70 degrees or above the kingfish move in thick. If the water temperature stays below the 70-degree mark, the bass are very active and the kings disappear, comfort zone fishing at its finest.
Getting back to the eels, anglers are livelining them in the evenings under the bridges and around the inlets and catching plenty of bass. The fish are ranging from slot fish up to 40 inches.
One customer came into the store with a 40-pound striper that he caught while anchored up within a mile of the beach in Atlantic City. The big bass ate fresh clam on the bottom.
Ray did some evening plugging over the weekend and caught two bass in the 25-inch range and a 20-inch fluke. The fluke came up and ate a plug, believe or not. The action has been steady around 10 p.m.
Plenty of fluke are in the back bays, but you have to pick through a lot of shorts to get your limit. Plan on throwing back 30 shorts to catch five nice ones. Bluefin tuna are taking trolled baits and lures around the 28-Mile Wreck and some big dusky and brown sharks are providing action close to the beach.
The kingfish are providing the dependable action off the Ocean City beaches according to Finatic's Bait & Tackle. Bloodworms, Fish Bite bloodworm alternative and the Berkely Gulps are taking plenty of the tasty kings. Kings usually stack up in the trough just beyond the first breakers and are easy to catch. A spinning rod rigged with a kingfish rig is an easy way to put dinner on the table. Have a stringer to hold your catch and a pouch or fanny pack to hold some tackle and bait and you can enjoy the action."
Big fluke were caught from the back bays this week. Jim Ryan from Ocean City wrestled a 9.3-pound fluke to the net Sunday. Bass returned to the surf this week and made 10-year-old Justin Burner's day. Justin, from Roxboro, Pa., dunked a mackerel bait off the beach and caught a 38-inch, 14-pound striper.
Kevin McGlocklin of Ocean City got in on the action with a 16.10-pound bass taken from the suds on clam. Bill Oar from Seaville weighed the only weakfish, an 8 1/2-pounder.
Bigger fluke are out in the ocean hanging around the lumps and wrecks. Wes at Gibson's in Sea Isle City had a 7.3-pound fluke weighed in by Phil Waznuck from Ocean View.
He also mentioned that the fluke were active in 65- to 70-foot depths in the ocean. The back has been sporadic at best for fluke.
Nice stripers are still around the inlets and jetties. Bunker and clam is the best bait. Plugging at dusk and dawn is catching some nice bass as well.
Plenty of kingfish are being caught off the surf and rockpiles; bloods and any bloodworm alternative will work. Wildwood anglers are sticking to the reef plan as long as the weather allows.
Big fluke were taken from the Wildwood Reef and Cape May Reef this weekend. The back bays and creeks around the Wildwood area are active with school-size bass and some trout, but the action is best at night or at first light. Watch for surface activity during low traffic times and cast artificials.

CAPE MAY TO DEL. MEM. BRIDGE:

Despite the crowded conditions at many of the more popular bay locations, anglers seemed to find enough room to get their bait in the water.
Reports from the lower bay wrecks, reefs and rock piles indicated excellent catches of blackfish for most fishermen, with several fish over 5 pounds in the mix.
Most of the action was on green crabs, followed by sandfleas and bait shrimp. Trout reports continued to be relatively slow for most fishermen, especially those fishing during the day with peelers, squid and shedder oil-scented chicken strips.
Night fishing reports have been a little better, but not what could be considered good. The most productive baits for weakies between sunset and sunrise have been Storms, Sassy Shads and Bass Assassins. Some fishermen also are reporting trout on the jumbo saltwater Rat-L-Traps fished around the lighthouses, walls and rock piles.
While trout action has been relatively slow, fluke reports seem to get a little better every week, with more and more keeper fish being caught. During the past week, fishermen have scored on legal flatties at Brown Shoal, Broadkill Slough, 34 Buoy, 14-Foot Light, the Anchorage, the Crossover buoys, the stakes off Fortescue, No. 1 Buoy, Miah Maul, Flounder Alley, the Elbow and Crossledge.
Anglers fishing Aqua Clear rigs baited with bluefish or croaker belly strips have had the best luck, with fluke reports also showing good catches on frozen or fresh spearing, squid strips and live bullhead minnows.
Catches of 15 to 30 croaker per trip are fairly common for mid- and lower-bay fishermen.
The upper end of Broadkill Slough has been especially hot for fishermen targeting hardheads, with some of the fish in the 2- to 3-pound range going into the cooler. There also have been reports of good croaker fishing from the Punk Grounds, Anchorage, Horseshoe and Crossledge.
Top-and-bottom rigs with small, No. 6 or 8 hooks are the best choice for fishermen trying for hardheads.
Bait with small squid strips that have been soaked in shedder oil, bloodworms or the bloodworm-flavored Fish Bites.
Bluefish in the 1- to-3-pound range also are providing good action up and down the bay, with most being caught by anglers bouncing the bottom for croaker, trout or flounder.
Fishermen who are actually targeting blues will increase their odds if they bait with chunks of fresh bunker.
Reports from anglers fishing the Delaware River off Augustine Beach and Reedy Point for channel catfish included a number of fish over the 6-pound mark during the past week.
Reports from the Delaware River also included snapper bluefish, croaker and short fluke. - Gannett New Jersey

Paderewski Park, CT Trout stocking

2005-04-06T00:23:00.000-04:00

Clean-up at Tomasso Park

PLAINVILLE -- Earth Day comes but once a year, and this year it arrived on April 22. Towns and communities across the country recognized this holiday with nature walks, celebrations and clean-ups of local open spaces.
On Sunday afternoon the local Conservation Commission carried this spirit of environmental benevolence into Tomasso Nature Park, located off of Granger Lane. For the entire afternoon commission volunteers turned out in force to help ensure that this piece of nature retains its spirit and vitality.
Eight volunteers showed up for the event, the entire Conservation Commission as it currently stands, some with families in tow.
The group worked over the course of the day at two concurrent projects, according to comission member Lawson Taylor, who headed the afternoon’s activities.
Primarily, the volunteers worked on a cleanup effort, clearing out both man-made and natural clutter from as much of the park’s grounds as they could tend to in the time allowed. In addition members of the commission gave guided tours through the park, explaining the history behind one of Plainville’s treasured open spaces, and describing the nature of wildlife encountered on the trip.
"It’s a whole commission effort when we come out here and do anything like this," Taylor said. "We’re trying to promote Earth Day. Ruth Hummel, she’s taking a couple of people around, she’s the town naturalist."
The park encompasses 11 acres of land, with approximately four of these labeled as wetlands.
The town constructed the park in 1987 with cooperation from Tilcon, according to David Niedzwiecki, commission chair.
Tilcon wanted to extend the runway for its local landing strips at Robertson Airport, he explained.
Officials therefore created Tomasso Park as a preserved habitat for migration sites for animals dislocated by this construction project.
According to Taylor, this wildlife is at the heart of what makes a space like this worthwhile.
"There’s so much to see in this park," he said.
"There’s things you don’t normally see in your back yard."
While the commission is able to tend to Tomasso only once or twice a year, its membership remains very active in other projects throughout the town.
Taylor described two upcoming projects which will take place on May 1 and May 8.
"Next week we’re doing a trout stocking," he said.
"We have 250 fish coming to town to put into Paderewski Pond.
"The Sunday after that, we have a river cleanup ..We average anywhere from 60 to about 100 people at that."
The river cleanup, which will clean a section of the Quinnipiac River which runs behind the local Dick’s and Lowe’s stores, tends to provide some interesting discoveries, Taylor explained.
One year, he said, the volunteers pulled an engine block from the water.
Another once netted a fully legible driver’s license from the 1970’s.
"It’s always interesting to see what you’re going to pull out of the river," Taylor said.