It’s not like we are on summer hiatus. The fact is we have been fishing less due to tougher conditions. There is nothing spectacular happening right now along the ocean front. The escalating water temps have hit a high and has slowed the bass bite to nil along the shallower waters of Block Island. Fact is we haven’t even caught a scup in close which is a good indicator that sand eels have moved to deeper waters. Load of small bluefish have picked up the slack. Those menacing yellow eyes are a drain on tackle, but have provided a tight line in lean times.
Captain’s Log
Literary college historian, Jay Samons was out fishing with an old friend on Saturday out at Block Island. Scott and Jay were young collage buddies during the seventies finding their way thru school and starting their careers.
Scott and his very polite son, Wilson, hail from the “Big D city”. That’s Dallas Texas to the rest of us! I said I’m finally going to find out after all, “Who really shot JR?” As Scott said, “So far I’ve gotten away with it!” Yeah! Big help!
There was plenty of small bluefish to keep us busy in the North Rip, most around five pounds. Wilson did bring a nice one up to the rail earlier in the morning at 12 pounds. We tried the southern end looking for some stripers, but had no luck. There were plenty of laughs and excitement jigging bluefish up in fifty feet of water. Scott was very impressed with the beauty, and serenity of the rocky shoreline and sandstone cliff.
John Kouvaros and friends, Dick and Dave from Shrewsbury MA finally made it aboard after several trip cancelations. Originally the fishing trip was planned during spring, but unfortunately family circumstances dictated other changes.
We splashed the boat at Barn Island, Ct. forty five minutes before sunrise. We were on the reefs in nothing flat. We found a pod of small stripers working some butterfish along the face of Catumb Reef. The action was brief lasting thirty minutes. We took several bass and had a few followers to the boat while stemming the current. We move east toward Watch Hill Light fishing the whirlpools and currents out front, nothing!
Next, we headed west towards Wicopessett Boulder Fields. We made several drifts with nothing on the machine, nothing to show for our efforts. We pointed the bow toward the southern shore of Fisher’s Island. Lots of floating weeds and debris around the entire southern shore. We did catch one legal striper random casting off Isabella Beach.
We abandoned our plan to fish further west and opted to go make the 16 mile run to the southern end of Block Island. There we found plenty of willing bluefish to end the day. We had a nice pleasant ride home to Watch Hill Light enjoying the scenery and conversation.
Dick holding a Fisher’s Island striper caught in fifteen feet of water.