First Trout of the Year

This week has been kind of disappointing for fishing. After catching the carp on March 19 I have gone fishing a couple of times with no luck. I've been baiting up the areas pretty well. The fish just aren't biting.

Yesterday, I thought I'd try some trout fishing. The trout are in many ponds now in Massachusetts. I hit Falls Pond, mostly because it is just a half mile from my house. The main area to fish is on Reservoir Street. There is parking for a couple cars, but enough room for 20 people to fish. I tried my luck yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, there is a house being built right near the water. The hammers banging and the nailing down of planks was extremely loud. If I were a fish, I'd have been long gone from that area. They must think like me, because I did not get a hit. I then tried the conservation area up Wild Acre Rd. The place I normally would fish was occupied so I tried a small spot a little further up without any luck. Adding to the misery is the north wind that has been here for ten days that won't let up!!

I would prefer to fish for " real" trout, meaning wild unstocked fish. Unfortunately. there are not a lot of wild fish in the area, so I make do with stockies. A poodle can not help that it is not a real dog. It was just born that way. Stocked trout can't help they were born in a hatchery. So I fish for them in the spring as a substitute for wild trout.

Today, I was going to carp fish but thought I'd give the trout another try. I guessed they would be more active,especially with Friday's storm coming. I drove by Reservoir Street, but the carpenters were at the house, so I turned around and drove up Wild Acre Road. The little beach area was unoccupied. I grabbed my two poles and tackle box and headed down the short path.

I baited one pole with powerbait. Let me say right off, using powerbait is my LEAST favorite way to catch trout. It can be an effective bait so I use it one rod, while I cast lures with the other one. I enjoy catching trout on lures and flies a lot more than with powerbait or worms. With the other rod I first tried a fly and casting bubble combo. I didn't have any luck with that. Yesterday I used a spoon for the majority of my time fishing. I didn't get a hit so I didn't go to that again today. Today was overcast so I switched the fly/casting bubble to a 1/8 oz. brown roostertail spinner with a gold blade ( see photo). The wind was blowing so I could not use a smaller spinner and expect to cast it very far.

Long story short. I caught 4 trout today, all on the roostertail. I did not get one hit on the powerbait. I tried 2 different kinds of powerbait, but they would not touch it. All the trout were recently stocked rainbows. All were about 11 inches. I kept two and released two. I will say this about the fish, they were really brightly colored. Sometimes stocked fish are kind of " blah" but these were beautiful. The photos do not do justice to there bright colors.

I only fished about 2 hours, so I'm not complaining. I had one other hit, but he didn't get hooked. The wind was cold, as it kept switching from north to northeast. I was happy to go home and warm up.

I hope this report helps any of you wanting to catch some trout.

Stripers on the Brink !!!

As I've said many times the fishing in Rhode Island for striped bass is not what it was 5 years ago. This is a very legitimate concern for everyone that fishes for them. I'd like to spend some time writing about causes of the decline and possible solutions. For whatever reason, the welfare of striped bass has become a political issue. I can not understand why. It would seem to me that the success of a fish species would have nothing to do with politics but it does.

The problem with writing about a delicate subject and giving my opinion is, it is very hard not to push statistics in a way to strengthen your argument. It is true that statistics can be twisted. You would think numbers are cold hard facts. The truth is polls can be manipulated and surveys can become biased based on who fills them out. With this in mind I give you the facts I have researched.

According to Stripers Forever ( a group trying to make stripers a gamefish and stop it from being sold commercially) the recreational catch of striped bass is down 71% since 2006. This means fishermen are catching only about 29% of what they used too. For every three stripers you caught in 2010 you caught ten in 2006. As for me, and looking at these numbers I would agree with these numbers. That said and to be fair, I fished far less for stripers in 09 and 2010 than I used too. The reason for fishing less is because there are far less stripers. Once I've gotten skunked a couple times in a row, I would stop fishing for them. I am also far more selective in my dates I fish. I always try to fish the new moon of June and October. I have a couple of great high tide spots for May.

In the old days ( 5 years ago ) I did not have to be so selective. There were so many more fish around. I did not have to wait for the optimal moon or tide. As long as there wasn't a nor'easter blowing in off the ocean, I knew I had a great chance of catching fish. Now, wasting the $ 20 dollars on the drive down to Narragansett, is hardly worth the effort. The first year I learned to striper fish and everything was new to me, I had a streak of 14 consecutive nights catching a keeper. That's right, FOURTEEN. This was a guy who knew virtually nothing about striper fishing. I was ignorant of so many things at the beginning. Basically I knew how to sling eels and stand on slippery rocks. I was using a $30 dollar saltwater combo and catching fish.Now that I know what I'm doing, and would compare my skills with ( almost) anyone, catching a keeper 2 nights in a row, means fishing is fantastic.

I am not the only one. I know of a guy that takes his vacation last week of October ( fall migration) who went fishless for the whole week, fishing mornings and nights. My friend Dave reports terrible fishing also.

There are people reading this on the Cape that will tell you they catch a ton of keepers. They will tell you they hardly catch a schoolie. Those people can be believed. The dominate year classes right now are from 1996 and 2002. So the fish people are catching are about 10 years old or older. Those same people who catch these large fish are not catching many small ones. This sounds wonderful if your after trophies. Unfortunately as we all no, small fish grow into big fish. This is especially true with striped bass. We need a lot of schoolies to have a healthy population in the future. There are no hatcheries dumping full grown striped bass in the Atlantic Ocean.

Now for the controversial aspect of this blog.
Commercial fishermen:

Stripers are not gamefish. They can be caught and sold to fish markets by fishermen with a commercial permit. The commercial quota is " supposedly" tightly monitored. Once a state reaches there quota the season stops. Each state has different regulations. I won't get into everyone. Just a couple of examples. In Rhode Island the keeper size for recreational fishermen is 28" for commercial guys it is 34". Theory being the smaller fish get to spawn before the commercial guys catch them. Again it sounds great in theory, but the bigger the bass the more eggs she will lay. Where as a just legal striper might lay 800,00 eggs a fifty pounder will lay over 4 MILLION! Not only will the giant lay more eggs, but they will have the genetics to produce more trophy size fish. Taking large numbers of big female stripers, has two negative consequences. You are removing large fish that are trophies or will be within a couple years and of course removing the large breeding females hurts the number of fish in the next generation.

Another and much more disgusting fishery is the winter commercial fishery in North Carolina. The rules state the fishermen can keep the biggest 50 stripers they catch in a day. Notice I said biggest. This means, as a fishing boat you've caught 50 keepers but its still early. You keep fishing. You catch some fish bigger than you've already caught. What do you do? You throw the smaller DEAD stripers overboard. They died for nothing and they will go to waste. This rule definitely encourages culling. It is a disgusting and wasteful rule.

The truth about commercial fishing for stripers in MA and Rhode Island is there is really no reason for it. MUCH more money is spent on stripers by rec fishermen than by commercial guys. Some tackle shops could get by just with the revenue made from stripers alone.
Quite a few guys with permits are retires that are fishing everyday anyway. They figure they may as well make some money while they are out there.
Many of the commercial fishermen are fishing guides and charters. ( This is a touchy subject). They make there living taking out clients. The fish they sell at the market is extra money. Maybe there are some people that depend on the sale of stripers to put food on the table for their family. The season is short so I honestly doubt many people rely on stripers for their annual income in New England.

More perplexing to me, is why would a guide or charter boat captain want to hurt the population of big stripers by selling them off at the market. In the long term, they are only hurting themselves. The guiding season runs spring through the fall. The more fish in the water, the more happy clients, the more repeat customers. The extra couple hundred dollars made by selling fish does not seem worth it to me at all. If the stocks crash they loose their livelyhood!

I could go on and on about the negative aspects of commercial fishermen. It really boils down to this, the less fish in the water now, the less there will be in the future.

Another overlooked problem with the fishery is poaching. As much as I complain about commercial anglers, recreational anglers are not by any means entirely faultless in the population decline. I have seen people keeping undersized stripers a few times. I've seen fish kept as small as 14 inches. When I see this I do call the Environmental Police. I don't know if anyone I have ever called on has gotten caught. Unfortunately, people do catch undersized fish all the time. Its heartbreaking but it happens.

The other thing recreational anglers can be guilty of is keeping fish they do not need. One guy who seemed to keep all the legal fish he was allowed was asked by another fisherman " Do you ever throw any of them back? " His reply was " They call 'em keepers for a reason"
This attitude has to stop. There is no place for " meat hunters " anymore. Its okay to keep the occasional fish. It is not my place to say what is to many, but to keep every keeper everytime out seems excessive to me.


Ok: How to Fix the Problem

Now that I have made everyone see how critical the problem is, it is time for solutions. Here are mine.

1. Protect the baitfish. Make it illegal for commercial taking of menhaden. These large baitfish are like striper candy. If there are a lot of menhaden around there will be a lot of HEALTHY stripers.

Keep the ban on the taking of herring. Guys used to line up at dawn at the Canal for the herring warden to give them the daily allotment. Before that, guys would catch herring by the barrel full. Times have changed, the stripers need the herring more than the striper fisherman.

2. Obvious, but make stripers a GAMEFISH. If stripers were a gamefish 5 years ago, we would litterally have MILLIONS more breeders in the population right now. Sorry commercial guys but if you keep killing the breeders, we all loose. I am sensative to jobs in this economy. I do not believe many people rely on striped bass as a large chunk of there income. Also, many ( possibly thousands) people rely on recreational fishermen as income directly ( tackle shops, guide services, charter boats, marinas, rental houses) and indirectly ( everytime I go to Narragansett I stop at a 24 hour gas station for a pint of milk and a candy bar on my ride home). So much more money is generated by recreational fishermen than commercial, its not even a debate. If the population crashes many people will loose income or jobs.

3. Eels are one of the best striper baits. There is very little data on how much they are eaten naturally. Unfortunately, eels are very close to being put on the endangered species list. They should also be banned from being used as bait for the next 10 years. Populations will need to be studied.

4. Enforcement- In my years fishing, I have seen one game warden. We need to crack down on undersized fish being kept. Now that we have to pay for a saltwater license there is NO reason not to hire game wardens and find poachers. We need to stop the taking of to small and to many.

5. Up the minimum size limit. In the 1980's the legal size was 36 inches. In the very old days the legal size was 16 inches. Right now there is a 2 fish limit and the size in most states is 28 inches.
Each state regulates as they see fit.

A 36 inch striper is a big fish. If its healthy it probably weighs around 18 pounds. I think that is a bit extreme in a healthy population. I would up the size limit to 34 inches, that 2 inch difference is about 4 pounds. My reason for choosing 34 inches is, at that size a female striper is probably 9 years old, giving it multiple opportunities to spawn. It seems like a good compromise size from a trophy and multiple times breeding. I would have that up and down the coast in all states except Maine. Maine gets many fewer large fish than the rest of the Atlantic states. I would allow a 24 inch limit for them. If you don't, Maine residents may go years without tasting a striper, and they pay for licenses too.

6. One fish limit /day. No debate

7. Tournaments- There are a lot of tournaments out there for striped bass. Most ( not all ) are kill tournaments. Take the Striper Cup which is one of the biggest tournaments in the northeast. There are weekly and monthly prizes for the biggest fish weighed. A prize to the angler that weighs the THREE biggest fish of the year. There is a prize to the club that weighs in the 10 heaviest fish. It is hard to argue with commercial guys when rec guys are killing fish to win tournaments.

We need more catch and release tournaments. We need to get rid of club vs. club tournaments. Guys are going to weigh in big fish just to help there club. We don't need that, If there are month long or season long tournaments, no fish should qualify UNLESS it is bigger than the leader. None of this, three largest or ten largest bullshit. Lets keep the kills to a minimum.

7. There is a way to measure if there was a good or bad spawning year for striped bass. It is called the young of the year index. Basically to keep it simple, its based on how many baby bass are caught in a sampling. There has not been a good year class since 2002. We need good year classes every few years. Luckily stripers are long lived. We do not need every year to be great. Natural influences like to much rain, not enough rain, cold water all factor in. We need to control the things we can control. Clean water in the Chesapeake Bay being the number one thing. Pollutants will kill eggs and larvae.

8. Self control- There is no need to keep a fish for food if you already have fish in your freezer. It sounds preachy. It is not my place to say how much a person should keep if they are harvesting fish legally. If laws are not broken, than it becomes a moral issue. Everyone has to answer the question "How much is enough? " individually. Its tough to complain about the lack of fish if your a contributor to the problem. I do keep a couple fish a year. I do give some to my aunt.

This year, I will only keep one fish for the table. My rule that I live by is I only keep fish if I don't have any in the freezer OR it is bigger than my largest I've ever caught. ( 33 pounds as of now). This year, I will cut back and only keep one fish.

Also, I will not buy or use eels for bait. I will only enter catch and release tournaments.
Lets hope its not to late to save this great fish.

Caught First and Second Carp of the Year Today

Went fishing today at Hopping Hill Reservoir today in search of my first carp of the year.

Last year I had my worst year ever carp fishing. As I've said before, I can remember every carp I caught last year. That goes to show, I didn't catch a hell of a lot. It was so bad that I felt like a Jonah to myself and to whoever I fished with. I fished with Dave at a place that he had never gone fishless in the five years he'd fished there. After 7 hours fishing each we caught a whole lot of nothing. Jinx does not begin to explain how bad it was. Luckily, me being a Jonah was only limited to carp fishing. Although I couldn't get a carp to save my life unless I went to an Asian fish market, I had a great year with trout.

Not only did I have a bad year, but I started off absolutely terrible. Think of a major league hitter starting off the regular season 0 for 14. Well, I didn't catch my first carp until I'd fished for them for 14 hours. You might wonder why I would keep track of that, but when you have that much time just sitting there, you have a lot of time to think of such things. I didn't catch my first carp until after Easter.

I was REALLY hoping not to go through such a streak this year. I wanted to get off to a good start. I wanted to start the year with confidence and break the curse.

Luckily for me 45 minutes into todays fishing I had my first fish of the year.It was a common carp about 11 pounds. In the next hour I had two more pick ups and another run and drop.

Things slowed down after that then I got another run. After a 5 minute battle I landed another carp. This one was a little bigger. I weighed it and it ended up being 16 pounds. Not too shabby.

I had pre baited the area I fished for the last couple days with sweet corn. When I got to my spot today I threw out a couple handfuls of corn to get the fish feeding. For bait I used sweet corn ( Green Giant) on one pole, on the other I used sweet corn that I had soaked in Skyy Pineapple Vodka. Flavored corn is very commonly used by us carp guys. Pineapple Vodka was become a very popular flavor over the last couple years. Sometimes flavored corn will outfish plain old sweet corn. Other days carp won't touch the flavorings.

Today Pineapple Vodka 2 Sweet Corn 0

More importantly, Confidence is back!!!

You guys can fish with me again!!!

SPRING is HERE! GET READY

I just went outside to check my mail. I was wearing sandals, shorts and a t-shirt. When I stepped outside, it was almost as warm as my house. When I got down my steps I stepped into the sun. I could actually feel it on my back. I came inside and checked the weather. It is to my surprise only 46 degrees. With the bright sun it feels a hell of a lot warmer.
The ice has melted off the ponds in most of Rhode Island. In North Attleboro, the ponds are melting rapidly and there is basically a skim of ice on the surface. The ice could be completely gone by the time I write this, I'm not the worlds fastest typer. I will start fishing when the ice is completely off the ponds. I can't drive to Rhode Island to fish because my car is in the shop over the weekend until possibly Wednesday. It blew a fuel pump at 4 pm Friday, I had it towed to my mechanic. Unfortunately, the needed fuel pump, has to be ordered from the midwest, so I sit in front of the computer to do this while I am on hiatus.

I am going to start fishing as soon as I get my car back. Maybe sooner if I ride my bike or walk to Falls Pond. I know many of you will wait until it gets really warm to start fishing. The bug will hit you in April when we get that first 70 degree weekend. Maybe your kid will ask you to take them fishing, and of course you will decide better to spend some quality time with them and put off raking leaves and brush until next weekend.

I use the winter organizing my tackle, making repairs and planning for the upcoming season. I know most of you reading this are not so obsessed with fishing. I doubt any of you laid in bed until 2:30 am last night tossing and turning thinking about the best way to fish Hopping Hill Reservoir. I may or may not have, you can't prove anything!

However, (not really sure you can start a paragraph with "however", but oh well, its my blog) even if you are not as obsessed as me, if you are a fisherman or woman there are some important things you should do before the season starts. I've done most of these things in November, For those of you that haven't thought about taking a rod out of your garage since August, lets call this a friendly reminder.

Get your fishing license. Many times I have put off getting my license until I wanted to go fishing. I'm sure many of you have also. The problem with doing this is your going to get your license when you could be fishing. What a waste of time to drive to Walmart on a beautiful Saturday morning in April. The store is crowded and your gonna waste an hour. After dealing with Walmart customers and the parking lot, your not going to be as enthusiastic about fishing. Get your license before hand. Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods and most tackle shops sell them. Get it before you plan on going fishing. I buy a Massachusetts and Rhode Island freshwater license and also a Mass Saltwater Fisheries permit.

Change your old fishing line. I change my line on my reels during the winter. Fishing line does deteriorate. The sun and heat WILL weaken your line. Also the more you use it, the friction from rocks, seaweed, tree branches and possibly even your rod guides will have a negative effect. You do not want to find out your line is weak when you have a decent fish on. I change my line on all the reels I used the previous year. It only takes a few minutes. Even with all my reels it only takes a little over than an hour. The most boring part is definitely stripping off the old line. During the season I will sometimes put on fresh line on my surf rod. I am determined never to loose a 30 pound striper due to bad line. I am partial to Berkley line. I use Berkley extra limp for my lighter freshwater reels and Berkley Big Game for anything 12 pound or over. Any line that is quality and not cheap is fine, just make sure you actually change it.

Go through your tackle box. I doubt any of you thinks about this.Your gonna take your tackle box out of the garage and go. I recommend taking a minute organizing it and making a list of anything you will need. When I am fishing I am terrible at keeping my boxes organized. After three trips, my tackle box has a close resemblance to my son's bedroom ( without the hidden candy wrappers under the bed). During the winter, I reorganize my box and neaten it up. Theres more reason for this than so it can be ashetically pleasing.
I have a tackle box or bag for each species I fish for. I have a huge box for bas fishing, a box for carp, one for trout, a shoulder bag for saltwater fishing and a box for the canoe striper fishing. It can get a little confusing. Without good organization, I may have forgotten that I lost my favorite lure the last time I went fishing in the fall. I might need to buy hooks for carp. I may have left the cover to my powerbait open and it dried out. I want to know these things BEFORE I go fishing!

Buy your needed supplies now. This goes hand in hand with organizing your box. After you've organized your tackle box, you will almost certainly need to buy at least some supplies. You can never have to many hooks, sinkers, or your favorite color rubber worm. You might find some great sales on these supplies if you buy them at your own leisure instead of the Saturday morning you want to fish. Also, if you need to make any rigs, I strongly suggest you do so now. I make leaders for carp, using eels for stripers, and florocarbon leaders for trout. I make them on cold winter days. If you haven't made them already, better get on it.

Non Fishing supplies. To fish you need a rod a reel a tackle box full of species specific hooks, sinkers or lures. There are other supplies you may need to have a successful trip. Here are some things I carry.

Pliers, Measuring tape, flashlight- Each of my tackle boxes have these three things. I consider these 3 three things as important as anything else in my box

Bug Spray- Some people do not use bug spray. If you do its always a good idea to keep a can in your car. Many an evening have been saved by having a can in my tackle box. I can also say many trips have been cut short by forgetting the spray at home. Try not to get any on your hands. Fish absolutely hate the smell of bug spray. Do not let your bait or lure get any on it AT ALL. Also bug spray destroys fly line so be careful.

Headlamp- Some people prefer using a headlamp over a flashlight because it keeps their hands free. I use both.

Waders- I would not saltwater fish from shore without them. I see so many people with nice surf combos, fishing from shore in there jeans. If you are going to invest in surf fishing, I can't say strongly enough to buy some waders. You will be able reach water shore guys can not. I have fished places that were shallow enough where I could walk way out to the deeper water PAST the point where guys on the shore could even cast. I guarantee you will catch more fish if you own a pair.
One warning, all waders will eventually leak. If you spend $300 on a pair or $50 they will eventually leak. Use the seam sealer when you buy them. It will prolong there life. Save the patch and sealer for the future, you will need them.

Bucket- In some situations a bucket can be extremely handy. You can use one as a tackle box hanging lures along the side. If it has a cover its as comfy a chair as your gonna find.You can put bait in it. Of course a bucket is very useful if you plan on keeping fish. If you drive by a bridge with a lot of fishermen, most will have a bucket. They can be a pain in the ass to carry around in some situations ( like walking a beach casting a plug) but in the right place can be an asset.

Net- If you don't mind carrying it, this can be the difference in catching a trophy or watching it come off at the boat. Your call

Knife- I always bring a knife with me. They are handy for cutting bait and cutting line. you can fillet fish where you are.Lastly, theres no denying, having a knife makes you feel like your a little protected in places your not sure of

Don't forget to bring a rag

Camera- A picture of your kid with a fish beats the hell out of a class picture with a purple background anyday

Scale- If you want to know how much your fish weighs. Price ranges from about $5 to $100

Aerator- If you use shiners, do yourself a favor and buy yourself a battery operated aerator. The shiners will live so much longer. Spend the $10 and get one.

Batteries- Flashlights, aerators and cameras use batteries make sure yours are fully charged or you have spares with you. It only takes one time landing a keeper striper on slippery rocks in the pitch black to make sure you will never forget to check the flashlight again.

Electric Motor and Battery- If you have a canoe, you can do a lot more fishing than paddling if you have one. Still, don't forget the anchor.

Snacks and Water- When I'm fishing the rest of the world is blocked out to me, and I forget all about food. If I'm going with a kid though, I always bring food. KID'S DO NOT LIKE TO FISH ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

A change of clothes- This may sound over the top but I keep a pair of clean socks and a t shirt in my car at all times. We have all gotten our feet wet, the socks are a good idea. I usually bring my sandals and leave them in the car so the return ride home is more comfortable

True story- One spring day a couple years ago I was walking along the bank of the Blackstone River. The ground was muddy. I slipped down a mudbank about 6 feet into the water that was over my head right at the shoreline. To get out I had to climb up the mudbank. You can imagine what I looked like when I finally reached the bank ( think Arnold Schwarznegger in Predator without the muscle). Kept an extra pair of clothes in the car everyday since then. Also many times I've gotten dirty before meeting friends I had plans with. Having an extra CLEAN shirt in the car saved the day. Boys will be boys!

Other than pliers, measuring tape and a light source ( even if you don't fish at night you never know when there will be an emergency), you will not need all the above things in all situations. You might not need any of them. I rarely use a net. I've never brought one saltwater fishing. I can't deny having a net with me when carp fishing has made landing twenty pounders a lot easier. I may go a year without needing to use the change of clothes, but having it with me when I need it is as they say PRICELESS

News- Rhode Island trout ponds are closed until April 9. That means you can't fish them at all. You can fish non designated trout ponds in Rhode Island.

Massachusetts is planning on stocking trout starting March 21. There is no closed season in Mass. You can fish anywhere all year.

Even though I update trout waters, and stockings, remember there are plenty of all species out there that are biting or will be very soon. No need to wait for the trout trucks.
Go out and have fun!!! The leaves can wait!!!

The top picture is my bass box. All my platic worms, lizards and grubs are in the black bags in the bottom of the box. The lower picture is my overstuffed yet organized trout box. You will notice both boxes have pliers, flashlight and measuring tape. Click on images fora bigger picture