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First tuna landed

Fishing aboard Big Game, Pete and Brian Bacon steamed to the offshore area known as "The Horns" Saturday to catch the first bluefin tuna landed this season, said Elisa Jackman of Snug Harbor Marina.

The fish weighed 97 pounds.

"There were tons of blue sharks there, and some threshers," she said.

Earlier in the week, her brother, Matt Conti, said yellowfin tuna had been spotted near Southwest Ledge.

Posted by Tom Meade  at 5:35 PM | Permalink

Fishing fractions

Ounces and an inch separated the top anglers competing in the June Moon Madness Striper Tournament at Snug Harbor Marina and at the Kayak Fishing Rodeo at King Cove Outfitters this weekend.

Mike Lundholm of Plymouth, Mass. won the Snug Harbor event with a 43.9-pound fish. Mike Lanni of Narragansett was second with a 43.2-pounder, Ben Ewing of Kingston was third with a 43.1-pound bass, and Sean Clark of Old Lyme, Conn. finished fourth with a 42.6 pounder.

Most anglers fished near the Southwest Ledge, said Elisa Jackman, but she noted that some anglers also fished tight to the rocks near Southeast Light.

Sue Blackburn of Wakefield caught a 27.7-pound bass to win the ladies division, and Sam Clark of Old Lyme won the junior division with a 36.6-pound bass.

Anglers in the Kayak Fishing Rodeo had "beautiful, perfect weather all Saturday night and Sunday morning," said Nils Christensen of Ultimate Kayak Fishing, organizer of the event. One angler started fishing yesterday an 6 a.m., fished until 11 p.m., got a bite to eat, and was back on the water at midnight this morning, said Nils.

Jack Hanecack, a Connecticut fisherman, won the event with a 40-inch bass; Mark Nelson, a Massachusetts angler, caught a 39-inch bass for second place, and John Kaczynski, a New York paddler-angler, caught a 38-incher for third place.

Live eels were the best bets in Little Narragansett Bay, Stonington Harbor, and off Pleasure Beach near the Millstone nuclear power plant, according to Nils.

Two teenage anglers, Adrian Pelletier and Justin Blaze, caught some large bass, too, Nils said.

Posted by Tom Meade  at 5:01 PM | Permalink