-- Block Island & South Shore
Sand eels are the prevalent bait supply along the south shores and beyond south to Block Island. Early morning surface action produces a mixed bag of bluefish and schoolies. Look for early morning action from the West Wall all the way towards Charlestown B’way. Shearwaters will give the location away. These are smaller fish on small bait. Who know where the peanut bunker are?

Block Island is still fishing well for all kinds of angling. Eels are the easiest way to catch a keeper bass. Don’t forget about an occasional surface plug. Needles at night, walk the dog types during morning hours. Of course, sluggos work. Give it a few seconds before setting the hook.

Fly Fisherman are having success using small sand eels patterns. On bright mornings the stripers become line shy. Increase your leaders if possible and work it slower in deeper waters. Plenty of fog each morning extends the bite into the late morning hours.

This week we had the three amigos on board Cast a Fly from the New England Saltwater Fly Rodders. After hearing consistently good fish reports, Steve Murphy, Dick Henry and the legendary long rodder, John Mulvany wanted to try their luck at Block Island. Between the three they boated some 30 stripers all in the six to ten pound range. No large bass today, but all commented on the great fights with a fly rod. All of these fish have sea lice on them spending the summer off shore.

Steve with one of many stripers caught during their recent trip.


Dick Henry asks, “Does this striper come from the Merrimack River?” “Only one way to be sure,” says legendary Joppa Flats expert John Mulvany. That’s to taste it!


Also this week, Cam Stout, a dry fly trout enthusiast from California and his son Gus were on board along with their uncle Prentice, a local from Wakefield. We were greeted to dense fog as we drifted along the south shore. Plenty of small surface activity between the high rollers made the morning interesting. Cam managed to catch a few species before heading back to an early morning flight back home. The uncle is quite the birdwatcher and authority on marine life. He managed to photo shoot several shearwaters while diving for bait.


Captain Ray