Fly-tying workshops; offshore dolphin show

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is hosting a series of free fly-tying workshops for novice and experienced fly-tiers this month.

Instruction on both fresh- and saltwater fly tying will be included, and all equipment and materials will be provided. Participants are welcome to bring their own materials, if they prefer. Children aged 10 and older are invited to participate.

Remaining sessions will be held 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, August 15 and 22 at Langworthy Public Library, 24 Spring Street, Hopkinton; Wednesday, August 17 and 24, North Smithfield Public Library, 20 Main Street, Saltersville; and Tuesday, August 16, 23, and 30 at the Riverside Sportsman’s Association, One Sportsman Drive, East Providence.     
                  
Space is limited and registration is required. To register, contact Scott Travers at Scott.travers@dem.ri.gov.

Dolphin show offshore

Richard Pastore fished offshore this weekend and ran into a spectacular school of dolphin. Dick said, “I see a lot of dolphins but we ran into a school the size of a football field south of the Dump. They ranged in size from babies to 600 pounds. They ran with the boat for 20 minutes putting on an aerial show better than something at Sea World, including synchronized three members proposing within five feet of the boat. Another 500 pound jumped thee feet out of the water, five feet from the boat parallel to our direction. This was an unbelievable performance.”
 
Where’s the bite

Black sea bass and summer flounder (fluke) fishing is holding up along the southern coastal shore. Mike Cardinal of Cardinal Bait & Tackle, Westerly said, “You have to pick through a lot of shorts to get some keepers but fluke fishing is holding up and good at Fishers Island and along Misquamicut Beach.” Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “The fluke bite is south of the Jamestown and Newport Bridges. The warm water has driven most fish south to the lower Bay off Jamestown and Newport.” “Customers have reported a good fluke bite in the Sakonnet area and off of Newport with a very hot bite off Block Island. The current out there is something else. I sold 18, 20 and 24 once sinkers to fishermen who planned to use them in the quick current out at Block Island.”, said Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “Some black sea bass are being caught at Colt State Park, Bristol and south, however, they very rarely come father north toward Providence.”

“Striped bass fishing is holding up at night off Block Island with customers finding success with eels,” said Cardinal. Christian Silvia of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly said, “Customers are killing the bass at Block Island trolling parachute jigs or tube & worm and eels are working well too. The bite is good in the day as well as at night. However, the beaches are very slow, no large bass being taken from the shore along the coast, however, some good sized school bass are being caught.” Littlefield said, “One of my customers caught a 24 pound bass from shore at the Mt. Hope Bridge this week. He was using clam tongue and was fishing early in the evening before it got dark. And, we have very small school striped bass in the mid and upper Bay that are 8, 10 and 12 inches long. We do have a ton of pogies (Atlantic menhaden) in the River all the way up to downtown Pawtucket. So we are ready when the weather cools and the bass start to move because we have the bait.”

Macedo said, “Customers fishing from shore at Water Street, Warren from docks and near the Mt. Hope Bridge are starting to catch keeper bass again. One customer cleaned his fish here and it was just 28 ½ inches. He was using clam bellies and was fishing during the day. He also caught two at 25” and one larger fish that got away.”
“Scup are huge along the costal shore. They really came on strong last week. Some of the largest scup we have ever seen, said Cardinal. “We have a good Tommy Cod and scup bite at the Wharf Tavern, the Barrington Bridge near the old police station and Colt State Park,” said Littlefield.

“Large bluefish are in the East Passage from Conimicut and East Providence all the way down to Half-way Rock (south of Prudence Island). I would fish for them at Barrington Beach and Bear Point, Prudence Island.” said Ferrara. “The bluefish have been very big, in the ten to fifteen pound range along the coast and off the beaches,” said Silvia. “Customers are catching large bluefish in the ten pound range on second beach, Middletown. We also have a large number of skipjack bluefish chasing bait in covers and bays. We have sold a ton of skipjack rigs as they are everywhere. The kids have a blast catching them,” said Littlefield.

Offshore, the bluefin bite continues to be red hot. “Customers have caught bluefin tuna in site of the Montague Light. So they are close,” said Silvia. Angler Chase Reilly of Narragansett caught a 57” bluefin tuna Thursday fishing on this grandfather Bill Catauro’s boat the Joka. Capt. B.J. Silvia, who fished on Capt. Eric Thomas’s boat Saturday, said “We caught a 60” wahoo just south of the Dump on an X-Rap lure.” “Guys are killing the tuna. I had to order more chum and Ballyhoo as guys are doing well and buying bait for tuna more so than ever before,” said Macedo. Offshore fishing expert Dick Pastore fished the northwest corner of the Dump for tuna last Friday with little success. Dick said, “We then picked up and ran down to the top of shipping lanes into 75 degree water at about 10:30 a.m. There was nothing to see when we arrived so I turned and ran back north. Half way between the lanes and the dump there were some high flyers. Some contained nothing however we got on one which probably had 50 mahi that I could see. Initially we used a small green deadly dick which the mahi frenzied to attack. When they got tired of that, we used chunks of squid on circle hooks, free spooled into the school. We boated about 15 fish the majority of which were 33-36”.
 
Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shellfishing for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. He is a RISAA board member, a member of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association and a member of the RI Marine Fisheries Council. Contact or forward fishing news and photos to Capt. Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net or visit his website at noflukefishing.com.