Projo Fishing: HotBytes

Billy Silvia, skipper of the charter boat Can't Imagine, took Chuck Millard and his grandson, Nick, fishing out of Peekit Hill yesterday.

"We put our first bait in the water and within 20 seconds we hooked into a 69-inch, 174-pound bluefin tuna," the skipper said. "We fought it for a half hour and finally reeled it in.

"We are still going fishing and there are a few trips left this season before the tuna and Stripers move south."

Thanks to Nils Christensen of Ultimate Kayak Fishing for the report.

Pat Abate of Rivers End Tackle reports:

"The Rhode Island beaches from Watch Hill to Charlestown have schoolies just out of range feeding on small bait throughout the day with some occaisionally raiding into the surf. Its worth a shot if the seas don't build up too high."

There is no shortage of bluefish, he says. They are mixed in with schoolie bass along the beaches.

False albacore are still biting, too. " The action around Watch Hill and the inside of Fishers Island have been very good," he says. "Theres still a lot of bay anchovies and other small bait to hold them here. What this storm might do to the bait is questionable."

Mike Laptew, "The Diving Fisherman," sent this trailer for his next video:

Meanwhile, Capt. Frank Blount, skipper of the Frances Fleet, reports more hot cod fishing.

His report:

Capt. Rich has consistently been finding good to excellent numbers of mostly very good size cod fish. A nice mix of dark and green fish but more and bigger green fish have been filling in recently which is always what we like to see. Last Sunday saw a nice pick of fish to 30 pounds with most anglers walking off the boat with several good size cod apiece. Quite a few fish in the high teens and 20s.

Capt. Ray reports the local porgy fishing has continued like gangbusters with limits the norm and super scup in the 1.5- to 2-pound range. A few bigger specimen over 3 pounds most days. Just a few good size bluefish, an occasional triggerfish and even a couple nice fat cod this past week mixed in with the porgies. Porgy fishing ends Oct. 15th however another superb fall fishery will begin on Saturday, Oct. 17 on a daily basis at 6 a.m. for the crustacean crushing critters we call tatoug.

Narragansett Bay is a living organism that is changing, says charter boat skipper Jim White.

Because the Bay's fisheries are changing, too, anglers must change their approach, he says.

"If you look at what people [on the Internet] are saying about the Bay, it's disaster, death and destruction," he says. "They're saying that they went out and didn't catch any fish, didn't see any fish, so the Bay is dead.

"I'm certainly no going to deny that there are problems in the Bay, but I and others who are on the Bay full-time do not see the end-of-the-world scenario that is being portrayed by many people."

While many fishermen were complaining about poor fishing in the Bay this summer, White and his clients were taking large striped bass in shallow water in the middle of the Bay, the charter-boat skipper says. There were times when large concentrations of stripers were feeding on big balls of bait. The bass and the bait were visible on sonar devices, but there were no feeding frenzies on the water's surface, so some anglers assumed that there were no fish in the area.

White remembers one trip when those conditions were in place. As he directed his guests to tie on lures that would mimic the bait beneath the surface, another boat trolled that looked nothing like the natural prey. "He trolled all around us while we were catching fish," White recalls. "You would think that he'd change his technique, but he didn't. And he didn't catch anything."

For anglers aboard the White Ghost this year, spring fishing was very good, the guide said. "For bottom fishing, the summer was extraordinary," he said.

"Bass? You had to work for them, but they were there. I wouldn't call it great, but it wasn't bad. I would say the overall stock of striped bass is down everywhere. It has nothing to do with the Bay. You can't catch what isn't there."

The nature of the Bay's baitfish population changes this season, he says. There seemed to be fewer peanut bunker but more bay anchovies, silversides, and "more sand eels than I have ever seen."

Overall, the nature of Narragansett Bay is changing, and fishermen have to study the changes and adapt to them, he says.

He will bring that message with suggestions to the next meeting of East Bay Anglers Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Riverside Sportsmen's Club.

It's your turn to try saltwater fly fishing, says Kim Sullivan who runs the aquatic education program for the state Department of Environmental Management.

She has scheduled a day-long fly-fishing clinic for Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning at the Kettle Pond Visitors Center in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"From casting techniques and fly tying to fly fishing some of Charlestown's premier fishing area, this all day workshop will teach you the basics of fly fishing," she writes."So, bring your chest waders and a bagged lunch and learn to fly fish."

The day will end with fishing on Ninigret Pond, said Ed Lombardo, pictured above with a striper he took on a fly at the Narrow River.

Families with children 10 and over are welcome The fee: is $40 per person. Space is limited, so reservations are required. For more information and registration materials, please contact Kimberly Sullivan by phone at 789-0281 or by e-mail at kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov.

"While tautog fishing near Narragansetton Sunday, I decided to try jigging for sea bass," writes Brian Skeffington, skipper of the Judith Ann. "My first drop had barely reached bottom when I felt a solid bite. As the fish came to the surface, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when my son slid the net under a 2-foot codfish, solidly pinned to the lure.

"When's the last time you heard of anyone catching cod off Narragansett Beach!?"

Fly fisherman Joe Rovinsky writes:

I fished with Steve Denofa on Thursday with the rumor that the albies have made their appearance in the Stonington area. After searching the rips at sunrise, we found only small bluefish. Motoring over to Catumb Rock, there were plenty of diving birds and fish breaking on the surface. They were in fact false albacore, although they were not blasting like they usually do.

Bottom line: 17 albies and 6 bass over the two days, with Dave being top hook landing 11 false albacore and 6 bass. The tunny all were about the same size, with the largest being maybe 7 pounds. Sure looks like the false albacore are back in town.