Current Fishing Report:
Fishing has been very good, but the new regulations are making it tougher to enjoy taking home some great tasting fish. Striped Bass has a slot limit of 28 - 31”. Last year, they enacted an emergency slot limit of 28-31” due to the Fly Fishermen Associations and Catch and Release Fishermen. They believe that we should not kill and eat any striped bass, but it is ok to just catch and release them. They just want to play with their fish, but statistics prove that their fishing methods of using fly rods and light tackle really is raising the mortality on these bass. You cannot fight a big bass till exhaustion and think it is going to swim away unharmed once released. Especially in the warm waters of the summer months. They swim away and float up to the top or sink to the bottom dead, only feeding the sharks. It seems that last year the Stripers caught in June and early July were mostly keepers, but as the water warmed up in late July thru September most all of the Stripers caught were huge up to 50 lbs and had to be released. Meanwhile we’re protecting the breeders over 31” only to have them caught by the commercial fishermen when they are over 34”. This makes no sense if you are really trying to protect the breeding stock of Striped Bass. Bluefish are fine and you are allowed 5 fish per person. Scup (porgies) stock is fine. We have a 10 1/2” size limit and 30 to 40 fish per person depending on the season. Fluke is now 4 fish per person @ 18.” Sea Bass is another species that I feel they’re overprotecting at a cost to young lobsters and other species. The Sea Bass stock is very abundant, yet we can’t keep Sea bass until the 18th of June, and only take 2 per person @ 16”. In September we are allowed to catch 6 fish per person. Codfish opens on August 1 st , with 5 fish per person and a 22-28” slot limit. Black fishing (Tautog) is open in the spring till May 31 at 3 fish per person @ 16”, then it closes till August 1 st thru October 15 th . Then we are allowed to catch 5 fish per person till the end of the year.
Offshore fishing with the Sharks, Tuna, Mahi-Mahi and Bonito is good, but the new regulations will not allow fishing for Mako Sharks. You can still catch Blue Sharks and Hammerheads. Tuna fishing has improved over the past few years allowing us to catch Bluefin & Yellowfin tuna just south of Block Island. Hopefully they will come into our waters again in July – September.
There are still plenty of choice dates available. Give me a call and we can discuss your fishing trip. Don't forget we have gift certificates for birthdays, anniversaries, or any celebration you want. We also do Ash Burials for your loved ones, and Sunset or Harbor Cruises. This year I plan to do some Lighthouse and Wind Farm Tours too. All you have to do is ask or tell me what kind of trip you are thinking of doing and we will see if we can make your wish possible. We also have shirts and hats, which make great gifts. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to send me an email, text or give me a call. I do take credit cards and Paypal, as well as checks for your deposits, and you can do them on my web site if you desire.
