Fishing Report
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Ed Lombardo, fly fishing expert and guide, with the 35.8 pound striped bass he caught with one of his flies in burgundy colors on Narrow River, Narragansett.
Striped bass still overfished, new measures on the way
Striped bass have been under a rebuilding plan since 2019. Although some of the conservation measures taken since then are working the most recent 2024 stock assessment update conducted by the … more
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Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle and K & M Coastal Charters, Warren with a 12 pound tautog caught with a jig off Beavertail.
Decommissioning your gear; reducing whale strikes
It is that time of year when the recreational fishing season is coming to an end. I have a routine for decommissioning my gear and have added in some tips from the experts on putting away your … more
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Maximus Namba of South Kingstown, a Brown University student, with the 8.9-pound tautog he caught last week on a R.I. Saltwater Anglers Francis Fleet fishing trip.
Taking care of your gear at season’s end
    It is that time of year when the recreational fishing season is coming to an end. I have a routine for decommissioning my gear and have added in some tips from the experts on … more
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Capt. Rob Taylor with charter customer Vinney Simms who broke the Rhode Island State tautog record last Monday with this 22 pound 5.28 ounce tautog.
New RI state tautog record; largemouth bass bite good
Last week Vinney Simms, Jr’s huge tautog made a total of four runs back down to the bottom. He managed to keep the fish off the bottom and got it into the boat, it was a record breaking 22 … more
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A Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries study says, “We found no significant difference in striped bass mortality between circle hooks and J-hooks.”
Study shows circle hooks not savings striped bass as thought
Fish managers thought that circle hooks would help save striped bass. That was the assumption when they created a rule in 2020 requiring anglers to use circle hooks when fishing with bait for striped … more
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Angler Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren with a six pound largemouth bass caught early Monday morning.
Tautog fishing on fire; Cape Cod Canal striper fishing still hot
Connor Swartz of Red Top Sporting Goods, Buzzard’s Bay, said, “We continue to have great top water action with a lot of bait still in the water with a great striped bass bite from slot … more
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Top Houde of West Warwick with a keeper striped bass he caught and took home for fish chowder last Friday at Brenton Reef off Newport.
Still time to register for the Tog Classic
I f you have not fished a tautog tournament, this is the one to enter. The AnglerCatch RI Tog Classic will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, from sunrise to 2 p.m. There are over $50,000 in prizes and … more
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Joe Klinger of South Kingstown with a 24” summer flounder (fluke) he caught off Jamestown in the West Passage last week. It was the only keeper caught.
Bluefin tuna bite explodes close to shore
The giant bluefin tuna fishing exploded last week. just as the commercial bluefin tuna fishery closed until new quota is available Oct. 1. Recreational permit holders are not impacted by the … more
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Fly fishing sharpie Ed Lombardo will lead an expert team of fly instructors at a workshop later this month.
Mixed reports from throughout the bay
The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council will hold its Shellfish Advisory Panel meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 4:30 p.m. Topics on the agenda include shellfish harvest seasons for Greenwich Bay, … more
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Mahi-mahi, caught by Flynn Jansen (14), is a warm water fish more prevalent now due to warming water.
Right whales still foraging in the area
Two voluntary Right Whale Slow Zones were put into effect by NOAA this week as whales were detected Southeast of Nantucket, Southeast of New York, NY and redetected by the New England Aquarium … more
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Black sea bass, like this 19” fish caught this weekend off Newport, are here in abundance due to climate change and warming water.
As the Earth and oceans warm, our fisheries change
This month the European-Union’s Climate Change Service, Copernicus, said that 2024 will likely end up being the warmest year on record. July 2024 had an average surface air temperature of 62.44 … more
Capt. Kurt Rivard of K & M Coastal Charters caught this 14-pound tautog last year with a jig when fishing off Newport, said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren.
The tautog bite has been outstanding this year
Fishing for tautog (also called black fish) has been outstanding for the past four to five years. The fish have been abundant and quite large. This year in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, … more
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Joe Klinger of South Kingstown with a 22” summer flounder (fluke) he caught off Jamestown in the West Passage this weekend.
NOAA makes progress on improving angler data
NOAA Fisheries and their Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) shared progress on two recreational fishing data collection initiatives , the Fishing Effort Survey study and the collaborative … more
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Whales off New York crash a school of Atlantic menhaden, a prime example of ecosystem-based fishery management in our region. Photo by Capt. John McMurray.
It’s time to put ecosystem-based management into practice
In 2015, the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association led the nation with an Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) themed Southern New England Recreational Fishing Symposium. The best … more
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Capt. Rob Taylor of Newport Sport Fishing Charters celebrates the 60-pound bluefin tuna his client Mark Battista caught last week.
Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament big success
The Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament ended Sunday, July 28, with a winning striped bass measuring 47.5” caught by Chris Benin of team ‘Vamoose.’   For the second year in … more
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Jonah Tracy of Barrington, with a striped bass caught fishing with his father Mark, using a Kastmaster lure in 20 feet of water off Bristol between Colt State Park and Poppasquash Point.
Lighten up to catch bonito and false albacore
It was great to hear Thursday that bonito had arrived.   Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren, said, “We now have bonito being caught off Newport, and I understand they are … more
Horseshoe crabs spawn on beaches. A new Massachusetts program is designed to bolster the population, though results may take years to come to fruition. Photo from DMF website.
Horseshoe crabs were here before the dinosaurs
“Horseshoe crabs have been around for 350 to 450 million years, long before the dinosaurs. And they have been so successful that they have remained largely unchanged for millennia,” said … more
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Angler Greg Vespe of Tiverton shows the 49-pound striped bass he caught off Newport last week trolling tube and worm.
Experienced or not, it’s a great time to fish
F ishing memories last a lifetime. And, the good news, you do not need a lot of money to start creating them for you, family members and friends. Fishing connects you with the environment, it is a … more
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Vito Marsico with a 28-pound striped bass he caught on the Cape Cod Canal. Photo by his father Vinnie Marsico.
NOAA re-envisioning how it estimates angler catch
NOAA’s recreational catch and effort program, the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), engaged a major effort to reinvent itself earlier this year with a re-envisioning process. … more
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Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren with the 44-pound striped bass he caught on the surface off Newport last week.
Anglers say the fishing is hot
F ishing has been outstanding for a number of anglers. Very impressive stories, from some very accomplished anglers, so I thought I would share some. East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal … more
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The Northern Quahog
Quahogs – Who, what, where, why and how?
A new report written for anglers by anglers serves as a call-to-arms to galvanize the angling community to demand action as climate change disrupts fishing experiences coast to coast. Last … more
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Jeff Sullivan with a monster fluke caught on light tackle with one of his squid rigs.
Follow these pro tips to find the big fluke
As the spring migration of striped bass starts to slow, anglers begin to focus their attention on catching summer flounder (fluke). This year, like the past three years, has gotten off to a slow … more
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Best 2023 Tournament Team Photo was awarded to team ‘Defiant,’ led by Eugene Burger, with some nice fluke caught by young anglers. This year, the Block Island Tournament is July 27 and 28.
Block Island fishing tourney is getting bigger every year
I t’s not too early to sign up for one of the summer’s most popular fishing events. “We are thrilled that the Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament keeps growing. Last year … more
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Adam Tam of Worcester with a monster bluefish he caught in Greenwich Bay this week.
Anglers report the stripers are everywhere
Where’s the bite? Anglers are reporting fish in freshwater ponds, and all the bays, with striped bass, bluefish and tautog all heating up. more
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Capt. Dave Monti with a spring striped bass. There are new fillet laws in Massachusetts and Rhode Island this year.
Three favorite ways to catch striped bass
The great news is that the striped bass are here on their spring migration north. I caught a 30” fish in Greenwich Bay Saturday in front of Buttonwoods, Warwick, with a Yo-Zuri Cystal minnow … more
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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.

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