Again another long stretch between updates means I've been busy. Since my last update things have been very consistent as far as action is concerned. All the bait that started to show up along the Rhode Island shoreline did not go unnoticed for long. Almost overnight around September 3rd the albies moved in from Newport to Watch Hill in huge numbers. The first groups of fish were not really big but great fun my all means. Most of these fish weighed in at 5-8lbs and on light tackle its always a blast. For days on end these pods of fish stayed in the same couple areas making it easy to locate them and when you got on them at the right time the feeds were spectacular with some of my sports having 30+ albie days using spinning tackle. The bait started to run a bit deeper with the first hard northeast wind around Sept 10th and these little speedsters got a bit tough to find but patience paid off most days with a few hours between bass fishing to get a few casts off to breaking albies. Most of these fish seem to be on the smaller bay anchovies that are all over from Westport to Newport and if you waited long enough you would eventually see them or even get a few blind casting.

The bass fishing has been a bit tougher then Id like to see. As mentioned earlier in the season the lack of small fish which usually school up heavy this time of year is very concerning. In years past you would have vast schools of stripers from 18"-25" just about everywhere providing some awesome action and they are just not around from what I'm seeing anyhow. Maybe this is not happening here in Buzzards Bay or Rhode Island Sound and its taking place elsewhere which is great but it should be a gong show here and its not which is concerning for the future of Striped Bass anglers. It might be its just going to be a late run again this year but with all the bait around these fish that are migrating now should be eating as they go so we'll have to see. The stretch from mid-September to mid October is tough along the Islands as many participants in the MV Derby start to get after it in many of the well known spots and you need to share the water and it gets tougher. We've had some solid days here and there but this past week has been tough with very few fish over 28" landed. I hope it gets better and if the winds are kind for the smaller boat guys like myself it could get really wild as October fishing continues. Great reports of larger fish north toward Boston are good and it appears the Canal is heating up again so it could get wild here in the coming weeks. Lets hope the next month of fishing is solid and 2009 season ends on a really good note.

Summer fishing is here in full swing. After weeks of hot humid days things are finally starting to come full swing into the summer doldrums. With that comes running a bit more and working a bit harder to find the fish in shallow water holding areas. Most of the action has been pretty steady with lots more smaller fish starting to show and feeding on small sand eels and peanut bunker which is far more abundant then it was last season at this time. For all the newer clients who want numbers of fish this has been a wonderful sight with almost full tide action in many of the areas I've been fishing. We've also started to see the first signs of bluefish in the same areas in the last few weeks. Bluefish are a fun fish to hunt and catch especially when they are double digit blues. They pull hard and provide a spectacular aerial display when running near the surface after you hook one. Some of these bluefish have been upwards to 15lbs and can just about get out of the water when trying to jump as they are just to damn portly.

With all the bait that's invaded the water from Buzzards Bay to the Rhode Islands shoreline the phone has been ringing with questions of "Any albies or bones yet"? Well, to be honest it could happen at anytime but the only reports I've got have come from the Vineyard or Block Islands and nothing really as of today from Newport or Buzzards Bay and with all the bass trips I have not been looking for just these fish. I must say with all this bait that's started to show it could be a great fall run for the hardtails if they ever decide to show. I have a few days off here now with this Tropical Storm moving around so its provided me well needed rest as well as some time to catch up on emails and reports like this. I figure if we can get another cold front to drop the water temps a bit and with the shorter days starting to come into play things are starting to feel like fall and with that comes better fishing.

As far as the catching goes its been very steady with many days yielding bass from 20" up to 45". Its been a different season with many of the spots that produced well in years past are just not the same. Maybe the fish have moved or are holding in different areas but they just seem to be not as responsive some days. On days when the tides are moving at its peak near the areas that hold fish its been game on. As far as the tuna bite goes I have not done many trips this season but the guides who are fishing the bay have been doing very well. Many of the fish are in the 60"-70" range and are mean. These fish are big and require some strength and heavier gear to battle with. Big fish for sure and lots of fun to pull on when you finally hook one. Overall its been an amazing month and I'm ready for some change in both the weather and the fishing. I'm really looking forward to some inshore hardtail action very soon. I have everyday in September full and still have some amazing tides open in October so if your looking to book some dates for tuna off Cape Cod or bass here along the Islands now is the time to do it as dates will go quick. Looking forward to seeing everyone who's booked in the eh coming weeks and stay tuned as I hope the next report has some albies or bonito attached.

Well again I apologize about the lack of reports but to be honest the charters this season have been unreal with a full schedule and very little time most days but I'm trying anyway right! Since the last report the fishing I would say has been solid and getting better daily. I would have to say that most of the action from past seasons along the rocks of the Elizabeth Islands has been amazing in early July but tougher this season for sure. Its been slower then usual when I've been able to get out there the first two weeks of this month and now its finally starting to get better for the bigger fish many anglers hope to see while fishing. I'm not sure if its the overall numbers of fish or just other factors like weather and food sources but traditionally the first week of July is when you start to see "shark like" objects following your lures or flies to the boat but this season seems to be a few weeks behind. Maybe its largely in part to this so called "summer" we are having or maybe its just a cycle of fish but its finally showing signs of improvement in the spots that usually hold big fish each season for us.

When I am able to get out there I've had to work a bit harder at finding them and when you do they seems to be more then happy to come up on a large surface lure or flies. Oddly enough the thing that's been concerning me is the lack of smaller fish say 18"-28" in many locations. I mean not that I'm not a huge fan of big fish as many are but if you look at the pattern prior to the crash of the Striped Bass fishery 25 years ago its scary how similar things went then and it didn't go well. The fishery we have here in New England is amazing and many people including myself never got a good look at when it was REALLY good out there years ago but if it was better then this now that must have been unreal. I would hate to see it crash again or just plain disappear because of over fishing or just terrible management. We all do what we can to help keep the stocks healthy but some things like environmental changes and commercial harvesting is just out of are control but appears to be getting better on some levels in certain places and I hope it will remain to improve and not get any worse. I just hope other people like my son and his children get to enjoy what we have now which is what its all about. Maybe the lack of smaller fish is a sign of a cycle I'm not sure but lets hope the fishery stays stable as my jobs and many others who live in New England rely on it to keep food on the table and this area would never be the same without it.

The Newport fishery as far as I can tell has been amazing. When the conditions are right and the seas allow you to fish some of the structure along the reefs and rocks the bass bite has ben nothing short of awesome. Many days anglers are getting fish from 28"-40" and it seems like this goes from Newport all the way to Westport at times you just need to move and until you find the fish. From what I have seen is Newport has had a huge push of big sand eels like 5" long which after talking to some of the hardcore locals has not happened for sometime and can help hold the bigger fish in these waters for a longer period of time. With that being said the fishing has been great and I hope it holds right until October. We have not been catching many bluefish yet which is rare as usually your trying to get away from them to get just bass this time in the season. Although its almost time for the huge schools of bluefish to start moving in which traditionally starts around the first week of August along Newport. What we really need this year is some peanut bunker. Last season we saw just about nothing for peanuts and without this small baitfish we might end up having a repeat performance of last fall where the fishing is just tougher and you see very little surface activity. Either way the only complaint I have at this time is the weather. Summer, man who would have thought we would have 65 degrees as an average temperature in July. I hope august is better for weather because this rain is getting old and a few weeks of some nice weather could push in some pelagic fish in many locations so give us a break Mother Nature! Well I look forward to seeing everyone who's booked in coming weeks. I do have some dates open in August and September so if your looking to book something now's the time for sure.

Wow what an amazing few weeks of fishing we have had since since the last report a few weeks ago. In a matter of two weeks the fishing has been not only great for numbers of fish but for size. After many years of fishing hard with clients and seeing some amazing opportunities of anglers hooking and landing the fish of a lifetime it finally came together last week with the first 50lb fish landed and released to swim another day. On certain days the fishing has just been amazing but this one morning the tide, drifts, and overall conditions were prefect for fishing this area. The drift lasted almost an hour and after releasing well over 30 fish ranging from 25lbs to 35lbs we finally hooked a monster in 7 feet of water that looked like a small barrel was dropped from the sky into the water when she hit the Yellow/White Tattoo Sea Pup. She managed to fight like a mud filled boot to my surprise with a very slow subdued run and after about a 5 minute battle she came boat side and when I saw the fish I know it was big. We landed her and snapped a few pictures and released her to swim another day so she's back out there guys. The 60lb Boga Grip is very reliable and rarely lies so popping it down between 48lbs and 51lbs I figure it was very close to 50lbs easy as I struggled to get it off the deck and into the clients arms which was really funny to watch. Some of the best fishing of this season is taking place right now and if mother nature would allow us to get some better weather it could blow wide open again as the reports along New Jersey and Long Island are sounding great for the bigger bass bite right now so buckle up as these fish head north for cooler water and food.

Right now the fishing for Striped Bass has been spectacular with big fish and solid numbers on all trips. I plan on making my first good runs out to the Islands this week when the wind lays down here in search of the first good push of big girls. While the fishing has been great in close to shore its almost time to start searching cooler waters as it approaches 65 degrees inshore. The weather has been the worst part of June. As many of you know who live locally its been very unsettled with more then our fair share of EAST winds which I don't like for fishing. Colder then usual spring temps and measurable amounts of rain everyday for the last 20 days has made it no fun. I don't mind being cold but when your cold and wet it really starts to wear on your patients but the fish are already wet so who cares right! Well I guess If hunting big bass is what you like doing then now is the time to give some serious thought about booking some time with PNP. I figure with the current weather pattern and the cooler then usual water temps the fishing will only remain to stay good right into July. I have plenty of good dates still open for July and August which are two of my best months traditionally so please email me or call today to book some time for fishing. Also, while I've been trying to work at the shop in Middletown during the week more I can easily do a morning or afternoon trip in Newport so just let me know where you would like to fish and we'll make it happen.

The reports from PNP are good this week. After a couple rough days with a huge cold front just about killing the fishing on top its finally getting better again. I've been fishing more in Narragansett Bay this past week and it really has been amazing. Huge schools of small herring are making there way out of the rivers and back down to the ocean and in its path has been huge schools of fish making there way into the bay making for some awesome spring feeding frenzy's. Most of the action has been bluefish which is great but the bad thing is if your trying to target bass without wire they are just robbing quality tied flies an expensive lures but that's part of the game. On days when anglers are ok with a tight line the bluefish schools in the lower bay have been feeding pretty much right through the moving parts of either tide providing very good surface action for the light tackle clients as well as the fly guys. The tough part right now is getting your jigs or flies down fast enough without it getting bitten in half by Mr Bluefish while fishing for bass. Either way the fishing is starting to get really good and with the next few days weather looking great things should really be in full swing but the mid June. I will start running out to the Islands in about 10 days in search of the first slug of big bass that are commonplace along the boulders in June out there. Lets hope this year is as good as last for size and numbers.

Well I apologize about the gap in reports but with the work on the boat and trying to work in the shop at the same time things have just been very busy. I guess I would have to say the fishing in the last few weeks has been nothing short of awesome. Most trips have been between fishing here at home and in Narragansett Bay which has been nice. In Rhode Island waters the best action for me has been all over Narragansett Bay with a solid push of fish moving in from the Newport Bridge north to Prudence Island. Most of the fish have been on the surface with flocks of birds on them so finding them has not been the tough part getting them to eat at times has been another issue. They seem to be keyed in on small herring that are making their way out to the ocean and can make the bass very picky at times. The fly anglers have been doing great with smaller flies and the spin anglers using small swim shads and surface plugs have done fine but some days you need to work more to get them to eat certain colors. The fish we've been catching in Narragansett Bay are ranging in the 25"-32" range and when the bite is good catching 30+ fish a trip per person is not uncommon.

As far as the action closer to home in Buzzards Bay its been very good but the fish seem to moving much faster then in past seasons. This can make your job a lot harder as you find a nice push of fish one day willing to eat just about anything but a bare hook and the next day they have moved or are there but not willing to eat anything even live bait. Either way the next two weeks are going to be prime time for the bigger bass as they are starting to show up in the traditional spots and are hungry. We have taken a few fish this week at and above the 30lb mark on spinning gear and if history stays true next week is the better week for bigger fish as the June month approaches. If your looking to get into a big bass either on fly or on topwater plugs the next two weeks are a safe bet for something large. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the coming weeks and June is just about full with a few dates left open so get your request in now for dates as they are going quick.

Well, finally the 2009 fishing season is approaching us. What a long cold winter this one has been guys. I wish I had a report to put up here now but with the cold weather again outside I guess it would be tough to pull off as I just have not had time to even go trout fishing with the Phat Man. The SWE has been very busy and that is where I have spent many of the days working with Pete, Chris, and Steve this winter. Without that I would have to say the winter would have been even longer and colder so its good I had winter work as many struggle to stay employed or find work at this time. Providing I get a few days off from the store soon I will start trying to fish some of the local estuaries in search of some nice bright schoolies to shake off the winter blues. Stay tuned for the first reports to be coming in very soon.

With that being said I'll bring the boat to Don's Marine earlier this season to make sure she's ready for action sooner then usually so I can get it out on the water and work the bugs out of the boat and be ready for May 1st. Last seasons power head rebuild put me out for a few weeks but it left me with a brand new motor this season with no hours and a good outlook on the seasons power so lets hope all goes smooth. For anyone thinking about booking a trip now is the time to do it. I have started starting to take reservations for the upcoming season and many of the prime tides and time frames are filling up better then expected even with the tight economic times. In years past last minute booking were possible but this season I will have to make sure all dates are set early as I may have to work two jobs to make things work so early planning will be essential to do both jobs. I'm looking forward to the season and seeing everyone again for some fishing along the Islands and Newport. Feel free to call me or email me at any time with any questions or concerns about dates and tides that might work for you.

2007 Fishing Reports Archive
2008 Fishing Reports Archive