Location: Upper Narragansett Bay, South County Rhode Island
Finally out at Block Island the sand eels have returned in numbers providing some spectacular visual effects for casting fly fishermen. Stripers in the ten to twenty pound class have been gorging on the recent influx of bait balls, providing some great surface fishing. Any direction from North Rip down the western side to southwest point has provided most of the action. Just follow the gulls, will find you the bait. In most cases the fish are selective with the quieter conditions. Small flies have worked with some olive and a little white material mixed in. By Thursday, massive amounts of three to eight pound chomping bluefish found the schools. Bluefish action is excellent but the catch ratio of blue fish to stripers is about 6 to one.
Fishing in Narragansett Bay remains suspect. Recent amounts of rain and freshwater runoff from streams and rivers have produced dirty, lea colored conditions. Most of the striper should be finding their way down toward the ocean as the water warms up. Fishing conditions should return to normal in a day or two, but the time constraints move toward darkness and early morning hours now that we are in the summer modes and the recent weather feels more like it.
Captain’s Log:
Mike Harrington and Dave Pollack found the mother lode Tuesday out at the Block under ideal weather conditions. Fly fishing hasn’t been that good in two years the results of an influx of sand eels in shallow coastal waters. As far as the eyes could see, spectacular visuals of tailing and breaking stripers everywhere around the boat make for a perfect and satisfying trip that both men will relish for some time.
Mike Harrington sporting the Boston Bruins look of having a beard (even though he’s a Ranger fan) releases a nice striper after a few pictures.
Not be out done Dave Pollack proudly poses with a fresh ocean caught bass plumped full of sand eels.
Joe Herbert once again goes large on Wednesday. Still plenty of stripers around, the wind became nasty to fly cast. At times the huge breakers presented a problem of just standing up holding on, never mind holding a rod in hand. But it was worth the exercise catching nice fish under dynamic conditions.
Dave Pollack was out Thursday again catching plenty of stripers, but the bluefish remained a menace. Bite guards were in order after several fly donations. The action remained continuous throughout the day.