The big bass started to come around in Rhode Island at the end of last week. Paul Criscione of Cranston caught a 44-inch, 35-pound striped bass when fishing between Prudence Island and Colt State Park Sunday.

Paul was fishing with Carol and Gary LaFrance of Foster on their boat Scurvy Dawg.  Carol LaFrance said, “We got a late start and did not make it our until about 8 a.m. We stopped one last time around 11 a.m. and put down our live Atlantic menhaden (poggies). There was plenty of bait around to snag.”

Carol said, “The fish hit and ran about 200 yards. We were afraid it would spool us (take all the line) so we started the boat and backed down on the fish. Twenty minutes latter we brought the fish to the boat and could not believe our eyes the fish was massive.”

Doug, Carol and Paul were using the required circle hooks with their live bait and let the fish run applying only slight pressure to slow it a bit after it took off. They were using a Shimano conventional set up with 65 pound braid and a 30 pound leader. Hats off to Capt. Doug and crew of the Scurvy Dawg for landing a great fish, using circle hooks and then reviving and releasing it alive. The legal slot limit to keep striped bass is 28 to less than 35 inches. 

Trout bite on

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is stocking numerous ponds across Rhode Island with brook, rainbow and brown trout and landlocked (Sebago) Atlantic salmon in advance of Memorial Day weekend. There will be no daily reports of the stocking schedule in order to prevent crowding at fishing locations.  Visit www.dem.ri.gov/programs/fish-wildlife/freshwater-fisheries/troutwaters.php for a location map and list of stocked ponds. Supplemental stocking stared May 21.

Safe boating saves lives

Environmental Police Officers from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) teamed up this week with boating safety advocates to promote safe and responsible boating and consistent life jacket wearing during National Safe Boating Week.

"The key to safe boating is the life jacket,” said Lieutenant Michael Schipritt, boating safety coordinator for DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement. “A person who suffers swimming failure or loss of consciousness will stay afloat wearing a life jacket but will drown without one. There is no time to put a life jacket on before a boating accident – it’s no different than attempting to buckle your seat belt before a car crash."

National Safe Boating Week also is the official launch of the 2021 North American safe boating campaign. This year-long effort promotes safe and responsible boating and the value of voluntary life jacket wear by recreational boaters through the national theme, Wear It!  The campaign reminds boaters of the importance of boating safely, boating sober, knowing navigational rules, and having a proper lookout.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass/bluefish.

Mike Hallowell of the Tackle Box, Warwick said, “Customers are catching some keepers but mostly school bass as the reel big fish have not arrived in volume yet but the bluefish are slamming.” “Keeper size bass (28 to less than 35 inches) are being caught off Prudence Island to Conimicut with top water and swimming lures.  Others are using Atlantic menhaden (poggies).” said Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside, said, “Keeper bass are being caught off Kettle Point, East Providence with bluefish in the 6 to 8 pond range being taken trolling tube and worm.”

Tautog. “A customer caught a 27-inch tautog fishing off of India Point Park, Providence.  The fish looked to be about seven or eight pounds.” said John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle. Mike Hallowell of the Tackle Box said, “Customers are easily catching their lii of three fish and they are nice size in the 20-inch range.”  Minimum size for tautog is 16 inches.

“Scup  fishing in the lower Bay and all the way up to Colt Stare Park, Bristol and Barrington has been good. The scup bite north of those spots is not good yet,” said Littlefield of Archie’s.

Weakfish (squeteague).  Angler Dave Gordon said, “I was into the weakfish like nothing I've seen in a long, long time inside East Greenwich Bay. Pink and white jigs just along bottom. I caught a fish almost every drift. My best was 26 inches- 5 pounds.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait said, “A customer caught a 22-inch squeteague off the white church bridge in Barrington.” The Rhode Island regulation for squeteague is 18-inch minimum size and one fish/person/day.

Fluke (summer flounder) bite is mixed. Some anglers catching a keeper or two with a lot of shorts mixed in. Keeper fish this week were caught at the mouth of the Sakonnet River.

Freshwater. The freshwater bite for trout should be good this week in Rhode Island as DEM is restocking trout. Visit www.dem.ri.gov/programs/fish-wildlife/freshwater-fisheries/troutwaters.php for a location map and list of stocked ponds. John Littlefield said, “Shane Bettencourt of Riverside has been fishing the Slater’s Mil Pond and dong pretty good with largemouth bass and this week he caught a 27-pound carp.” Mike Hallowell of the Tackle Box said, “Customers are experiencing a good largemouth bass a Barbers Pond, South Kingstown and Carbuncle Pond, Coventry.”

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master 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.