Projo Fishing: HotBytes

"Modest schools of skipjack tuna shattered the glassy surface 3 miles south of Point Judith early Friday morning," reports Capt. Brian Skeffington, skipper of Bird Dog. "The five-pound rockets were raising havoc with shoals of bait fish, shooting completely out of the water during their short-lived attacks.

"The savage attacks were over before the birds had a chance to join in on the excitement. I threw everything in the box with frustratingly poor results until I got a close look at a spray of the little herring. A diamond jig matched the hatch, and I was finally able to enjoy the rare treat of fighting and landing tuna from my 18-foot center console."

Joe Maslar of Fin & Feather Lodge reminds anglers that federal regulations require anglers to have a tuna permit to fish for bluefin tuna.

From Block Island, Capt. Chris Willi of Block Island Fishworks reports:

"The fishing has been solid around the Island with plenty of bass and blues, as well as other fish showing up to entertain us all.

"Bonito have been caught at Southeast Light and Charleston Beach. Scott Banerjee landed a 12-pound bonito two days ago.

"Guide Pete Farrell landed a 9-pound weakfish, a rare occurrence for Block Island waters. There was also a 36-inch Spanish mackerel landed at the Coast Guard Station.

"The Gladiator showed up in Old Harbor Friday evening with a blue marlin estimated at 1000 pounds. Don't know where they were yet, but there were several blue marlin tagged during the Tri-State Canyon Shootout last week.

"The Hula Girl reported several bass over 40 pounds caught without eels, yet another rarity recently. Southwest Corner, Black Rock, and North Light have been the usual haunts for bass. Pearl, black, and chartreuse soft plastics off the bottom have worked well.

The only bluefin tuna were last week and we had to travel to Newport for them - had BFT's, bonito, and BIG blues off Castle Hill. Haven't had a false albacore yet though."

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