Location: South County, Rhode Island
The winds this week has been difficult for shore bound fishermen but for boat fishing enthusiast, it has been a bonanza out there. Good morning tides, lots of moving water, and standing waves around the many rock piles have produced the right combinations that have turned on the false albacore bite. Right now it’s of epic proportions, the best it’s been in several years. The last two funny fish seasons were a bust, so this is welcoming news.
Watch Hill Reef complex, no doubt, is at the epic center. The vast range of these fish extents well into Long Island Sound. What are triggering these events are the vast amounts of butterfish around. It’s amazing the amount and size of this bait supply. The best fly imitations have been full profile, all white, with a touch of glitter. A bunny deceiver, large collar buck tail flies, angel hair flies all around an inch and a half to two, best imitates the silver dollar shape of the butterfish. As far as fly lines go, a slow rate sink line has been effective with the faster drift rates.
Here’s a butterfish to help in fly design. The length is two inches.
If you’re searching for more bass or blues this fall, they are in the mix too. No need to change the methods. Most of the strikes have been a few feet below the surface. The swirling currents constantly are tossing the bait supply toward the surface. There is no shame in catching a large bluefish or bass in the rips. The fights last for minutes on end with the strong currents.
Here are this week’s reports as told by Dave Pollack.
It’s nice to get another anglers perspective on the subject.
Ira Asher and I went out with Capt. Ray Stachelek today and had a fine day, notwithstanding difficult - windy - conditions. We landed two stripers - both fat schoolies in the 24 - 26 inch range, seven or eight big blues, two bonitas and about a dozen albies.
We fished off Watch Hill Reef and environs, using sink tip or intermediate lines and drifting or trolling - casting was very difficult today. The albies were not particular; I had them on everything from a four inch long Big Eelie (with heavy chrome eyes) to a 1 1/2 inch long September Night. There was a lot of surface action, well marked by birds, with the albies (and blues) on butterfish and peanuts.
We ran into Phil and Tippet; he was catching as well. There were very few other boats on the water,
Ray will post a more comprehensive report, with pictures.
Dave
Ira Asher proudly shows off his bonito caught on a white bunny deceiver.
Dave Pollack holding an albie off the waters of Watch Hill.
Friday’s trip produced similar results.
Renee and Dee decided to leave the husbands behind today. Both women are here with club members numbering around a dozen, who traveled from the New York City area this weekend. All are fly fishermen trying to catch that elusive albie from shore. It’s been impossible so far with winds blowing 30 mph in their faces standing on jetties.
The girls took a beating out there today with six foot high swells and chop around the reefs. They were real troopers hanging in there all morning. It’s difficult for anyone holding a fly rod in one hand, boat rail on the other to function properly. They did an awesome job considering the state of the seas.
The ride home was a soaking, but in the end we had good results. Plenty of singing drags, tired fingers, and plenty of memories to tell their shore bound friends and husbands. Mostly large bluefish and stripers, but the albies appeared too. Much more selective today, but we did manage some bruised knuckles along the way. By 11:30, we were blown off the water and headed in. Thanks ladies! It was like fishing with Charlie’s Angels today.
Renee showing off the first of many striper of the day. It didn’t take long to break the ice.
Dee poising with a nice false albacore that got well into her backing.
