No Fluke

NOAA releases report on 2018 Summit

Posted

Earlier this month the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a final report from their March 2018 Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit.

Summit input will be used to help NOAA Fisheries develop their strategic plan and regional action plans. The recreational fishing community including Regional Fishery Management Councils, interstate commissions and other stakeholders came together with the overarching goal of improving opportunity and stability in recreational fisheries.

The Summit’s four topic areas of discussion included innovative management alternatives, socioeconomics in recreational fisheries management, angler engagement in data collection and reporting, and expanding recreation fisher opportunity through conservation.

Each of these topics were discussed with panelists presenting their thoughts, followed by regional breakout groups to discuss topics.

Common discussion themes include:

Building trust among anglers, managers and scientists.

Data improvements in regard to accuracy, timely and useful data collection, reporting , analysis and application decision making with optimism expressed about electronic recording; collaboration between anglers, managers and scientists not only across sectors but across regions as well.

Pilot projects for innovative management approaches was seen as critical to test new ideas and alternative management measures at the Council level.

Discard mortality and understanding the causes and impact of discard morality to integrate more accurate estimates into fisheries management.

Read the full report at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/webdam/download/77852099.

Fishing the hot days of August

It’s mid-summer and the weather is hot. It’s that time in August when the water gets warm. Last week the water was 73 degrees at Narragansett Pier, 74 degrees in Buzzards Bay and in Narragansett Bay it was 76 degrees and a lot warmer in low water coves and estuaries.

When warm water occurs with poor flushing of particularly our north-facing coves, oxygen levels may lower, adding to fishing challenges in bays, coves and harbors.

Bait fish may leave the area to find more appealing habitat and the fish we like to catch (and eat) often leave the area with them for cooler, deeper water that is well oxygenated. Fish such as black sea bass, scup, summer founder, even bluefish and striped bass may be hard to find in places like Narragansett and Mt. Hope Bay.

So, how do you catch fish when it seems like there are no fish to be found? Here are some tips.

Fish where there are fish

The key to fishing the dog days of summer is water movement...when the water is hot you have to fish an area that gets flushed often and has structure or edges where water movement is brisk and often deep. This includes structure such as channel edges, under or near bridges, rock clusters, jetties, outcrops, points or peninsulas on land and wrecks.

For example, the shipping channel in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay from the southern tip of Prudence Island to Providence serves as a "fish highway," flushing that side of the bay and bringing bait and fish into the bay. Places such as Warwick Neck; Providence Point, Sandy Point and the T-Wharf on Prudence Island; Poppasquash Point, Bristol; and Sally’s Rock, Greenwich Cove; as well as Quonset Point, North Kingstown all serve as natural structure that can whip water around them along with bait fish and the fish we like to catch.

And, the Jamestown, Mt. Hope and Newport Bridges serve as manmade fish magnets, funneling water, bait and fish. So when the water is warm you have to take advantage of structure and fish where the fish are.

United Fly Tyers to start meetings

The United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island will begin its fly tying meetings on the first Wednesday of each month starting Sept. 5 and running through May 1, 2019. The meetings start 6:30 p.m. at the Knight of Columbus, 475 Sandy Lane, Warwick. All materials including vises and tools are supplied.

Visit www.uftri.org or call 401/741-0598 for information.

The United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to teaching fresh and salt water fly tying. The organization provides instruction for beginners, intermediate, and advanced fly tyers.

Where’s the bite

Summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and scup. John Hudson of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown said, “The fluke bite has been good along the southern coastal beaches, east of Sakonnet Point and out at Block Island.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle Riverside said, “Customers are caching some keeper fluke drifting along Dutch Island off Jamestown in about 40 feet of water.” Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, Warwick said, “Customers are catching large scup at Rocky Point, Conimicut and just about anywhere in the upper bay.”

Striped bass and bluefish. Tom Giddings said, “We have had a couple of nice schools of bluefish surfacing near Pawtuxet Village and in the Rocky Point area. The fish have been small but it is great to see them on the surface.” Hudson said “Striped bass fishing has been spotty, but the bite at Block Island has been good.” Littlefield said, “School bass are being caught at Nayatt Point with keepers mixed in. One customer fished there at night with Atlantic menhaden chucks and caught six bass and one of them was a keeper. The bite at Block Island is good. Customer Alfred Bettencourt caught a 40.4 pound fish last Friday night. Large bluefish to 13 pounds were there too.”
Bonito bite has been good with fish being caught off the East Wall of the Harbor of Refuge, South Kingstown by angler John Hudson and off Newport. Littlefield said, “I sold several green Deadly Dicks last week to customers that were targeting Bonito.”

Tautog fishing is producing for anglers that are targeting them. Giddings said, “Customers are catching fish at Coddington Cove.”

Freshwater. Littlefield said, “The trout bite at Only Pond at Lincoln Woods and at Stafford Pond, Tiverton is fairly good.” Giddings said, “The largemouth bass bite has been very good at Roger Williams Park, Johnston’s Pond and Lake Tiogue.”

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 www.noflukefishing.com.



Dave Monti

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