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 fishing gear for the winter.

Line: Each year, replace used line. I do this throughout the season due to the high use of gear in season. But you can do a lot of prep work in the fall. It is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used. Braid line may still be OK to leave on the reel, however I usually take off line at the beginning of the reel that shows signs of wear. Experts say to cross braid line when spooling onto conventional reels to prevent the line from digging into the spool when a big fish is on.

I often fish with lead core line that is designed to sink in the water column when trolling for striped bass and bluefish in 20 to 35 feet of water in Narragansett Bay. I re-spool the lead core line, putting the used portion on the reel first, this way you use line that is new, as most anglers rarely use more than three to four colors (90’ to 120’) of line. You need to take the line off the spool to clean it thoroughly.

Reel maintenance starts by taking the reels off the rod, cleaning the spool of salt using mild soap, drying it and then rubbing a light oil, like W-D 40, all over the reel to help fend off harmful salt water.

“You can even clean and oil the reel seat on the rod,” said Dave Morton. Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off, and spool exposed. Grease where directed by the manufacturer. Often the reel is marked where to do this. If instructions are long gone, do not hesitate to stop by your local bait or tackle shop to ask where to grease.
Rods: Calvin Wilcox of Cal’s Custom Rods, Warwick said, “Clean rods with mild soap at the end of the season, check eyes for any chipping. Eyes are made of a variety of material, many with ceramic ring inserts that often crack or chip, snagging fishing line, wearing it out until it breaks.”

Dave Morton of Beavertail Rod & Reel, North Kingstown said, “Give your eyes the Q-Tip test; rub the inside with a Q-Tip; if it snags, hanging up a thread of cotton, you should replace that eye.”

Rollers and handles: Dave Morton said, “Make sure your line roller (on spinning reels) is rolling freely. Most have a screw which can be taken off and light oil applied. Do the same with handles so all turn freely. Reels can be put back on rod after cleaning, but do not lock it down tight, save that for the spring.”

North Atlantic Right Whale Seasonal Management Area

As of Friday, Nov. 1, vessels 65 feet or longer must slow to 10 knots or less in the North Atlantic Right Whale Seasonal Management Area. For Rhode Islanders this encompasses the area south of Block Island (for coordinates visit Reducing Vessel Strikes to North Atlantic Right Whales | NOAA Fisheries).

These areas are designed to protect whales in areas where they are migrating and calving. Right whales are highly endangered, with an estimated 340 individuals left. Although the enforcement of the Seasonal Management Area pertains to larger vessels, all vessels are encouraged to slow down to reduce the chances of a vessel strike. 
If Right Whales are observed at sea, please report sightings to RIDEM, US Coast Guard, NOAA, or the New England Aquarium. Photos of sightings are highly encouraged to assist in conservation and monitoring efforts.

Also, this week, new voluntary slow zones are in place. On November 4, the Maine Department of Marine Resources, Division of Marine Mammal Research aerial survey team detected the presence of right whales east of Bar Harbor, Maine. The right whale Slow Zone is in effect through November 19. And, there is a another slow zone SE of New York, NY, effective through November 22. On November 7, the New York Bight SE buoy operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution detected the presence of right whales southeast of New York, NY.

Locations and effective dates of mandatory and voluntary Slow Zones can be found at NOAA Fisheries: Reducing Vessel Strikes to North Atlantic Right Whales.

Shellfish Advisory Panel meetings

The Massachusetts Shellfish Advisory Panel (SAP) met last week at the Hanover public library to discuss reports from their Aquaculture License Transfer and Hatchery Seed Work Groups. The reclassification of growing areas due to wastewater discharges was also discussed. For information on these agenda items and others as well as a video recording of the meeting (when available) visit their website at https://www.mass.gov/orgs/shellfish-advisory-panel.

The SAP was formally established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2021. Its purpose is to provide enhanced communications between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and members of the shellfish community on matters of interest to shellfish resources and shellfish fisheries. It is chaired by the Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries (or his proxy) and includes a diverse mix of stakeholders throughout the state, including state government officials, recreational and commercial harvesters, seafood dealers and processors, aquaculturists, researchers, conservationists, and municipal shellfish officials. The Panel meets at least two times annually to address critical shellfish related issues.
If you wish to directly obtain future meeting notices and materials or have any questions about the Massachusetts SAP, please contact shellfishadvisorypanel@mass.gov.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass, bluefish, bonito. “Striped bass fishing has been outstanding at Montauk from the beaches and boats with a slower bite from Watch Hill to Pt. Judith along the beaches. Bonito and mackerel keep popping up and are keeping anglers busy too,” said Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly. Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown, said, “This past week a lot of small bait has been around from sand eels to various rain baits and anchovies. Shad, striper and bluefish continue to stick around and feed. Big fish have been coming into Ninigret pond amongst a lot of really small fish. By that I mean 10-18 inch fish. Bonito and mackerel are still out front especially around Block Island. The water is still pretty warm reports of water mostly 58-59 degrees.” East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “My gear is getting stowed away so this is my last report of the season. Enjoy the holidays, have a safe winter and God willing we’ll wet a line again in the spring! Fishing on the Canal can be spotty this time of year but the bite can continue into winter. On the mainland side in the middle of last week ‘Donny Donuts’ spotted a large school of big fish, probably stripers, breaking close to the rip rap stone bank on the Cape side. Long casters Ron Arra, Bob Dyer and “Bull” MacKinnon could have reached the fish, but us mere mortals couldn’t throw that far.”

Tautog. Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren, said, “Tog fishing out in front of Newport to the Sakonnet has been outstanding. Anglers continue to catch their limit. Last week we caught a 12 pound tautog caught with a jig off Beavertail." “Tautog fishing has still been good. You can even have a chance at Cod this time of year especially if you are fishing deeper water. With some bigger fish coming out of the bay,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle. Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters said, “Tautog fishing has been outstanding. This Friday we caught our limit off a Watch Hill Reef in no time in about 18 feet of water but the fish are moving deeper now. We then worked the humps and bumps for some great black sea bass.”

Freshwater fishing. Anglers are still catching trout from fall stockings and largemouth bass. Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters said, “Anglers have been targeting catfish but what is a bit unusual a couple started to target crappie this week.” Trout stocking locations in Massachusetts are updated daily, visit Trout stocking report | Mass.gov for an interactive map. Visit www.dem.ri.gov/fishing for ponds stocked in RI.

Dave Monti holds a master captain’s license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verison.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com.